Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
“Again, I’m trying to find the will to give a shit.”
“I understand. Truly, I do.” I got closer to him. “But I’ve seen your memories, Julius. Your mother did love you. She wouldn’t have kept—”
“I’m not going to stand here and waste any more time discussing her with you.”
“Julius, please…” I begged. “Just try to see reason.”
“What makes you think we’re going to find her? She’s been gone for seven years. She could be dead for all I care. And judging by her lifestyle, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I think you’re making a mistake,” I adamantly argued. “Kraven was just defending me. It’s not his fault.”
He took one last look at me, stating, “If Kraven’s going to allow other people’s choices to dictate who he fights, then the line forms after me.”
I knew he meant it.
Because, unfortunately, there was no saving Julius from himself.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
JULIUS
It was dark out by the time we walked through the front door later that day. We hadn’t said too much to each other since we left my attorney’s office. We were there all afternoon. Once she walked into the kitchen, she started cooking dinner.
I left her there and went to take a shower, needing the hot water to help with my tense shoulders. I had a splitting headache, hating that all of this was happening and that I was arguing with her over Kraven.
It was this endless cycle we couldn’t break. I was livid that she kept this from me, and I was slapped in the face with my brother’s bullshit. It wasn’t like I could have done anything to stop the fallout, but it would’ve been nice to have a warning.
I was at my wits' end. It was such an unfamiliar emotion for me. To feel this out of control with the truth staring right at me. I never meant to hurt Isla. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I knew she was mad at me, but I didn’t think she’d be this pissed. With the way she looked at me…
Love no longer illuminated her green gaze. Instead, betrayal did, which was funny, seeing as I felt the same way when it came to Kraven and her and their little secrets.
Just like that, an unsettling and disturbing feeling seeped into the core of my being. My heart beat out of my chest, the pulse in my neck profusely pounding against my skin while sweat pooled at my temples. My eyes shifted every which way when I entered the bathroom, wanting to wash off the day.
Words couldn’t describe what I felt. The sentiments that surged through my bloodstream. I forced myself to get my shit together as I turned on the shower.
Every bone in my body felt tense.
Every part of me felt on edge.
My blood raged, blinded by the craze of everything I was feeling. I took a deep breath and cracked my neck, feeling the throbbing strain from my pulsating jugular vein. My brother knew how to push every one of my buttons and did it without any hesitation whatsoever. It didn’t matter how much I’d proved myself to him over the years. Nothing was ever good enough. Now he was pushing me to the brink of insanity, and I was just supposed to sit back and obey like a fucking lap dog.
Trouble was his go-to card, hanging it over my head for as long as I could remember. My resentment toward his persistent demands also grew over the years. His expectations of me were ridiculous.
However, this one took the cake.
I couldn’t believe he thought I’d just bend to his will.
Kraven’s audacity knew no bounds.
He was relentless in his pursuit, determined to make whatever he believed was right happen, no matter who or what it affected. For the first time in my life, I had no idea what the outcome would be, and I hated that more than anything. I wasn’t used to not being in control, even down to breaking the law to make sure I was. This was wreaking havoc in my life.
I tried ignoring the looming feeling in the pit of my stomach and jumped into the shower instead. After I was done, I threw on a pair of gym shorts and made my way to the kitchen. Isla had finished cooking and set a plate for me at the table.
This was our thing. We always ate our meals together at the dining table, and I didn’t have the heart to let her down on this, too. I poured myself a glass of lemonade, sitting in my usual spot in front of her.
Chalk it up to emotions, or maybe it was me wanting to form a connection with her. In that second, sitting in front of her, it felt as if I were the first person she had ever experienced anything like this with. I’d expose a side to me that no one knew existed, possibly not even me.