Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62994 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
She shifts in her sleep and makes a quiet sound that’s close to a sob. Instinct pulls me closer to her. I adjust the blanket up over her shoulder so she doesn’t get cold. She doesn’t wake up, thankfully, and I’m glad. She needs the rest.
I get up as quietly as I can and go to the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of water, then fill one up for her as well. She’ll probably be thirsty when she wakes up.
I go back into the room as quietly as possible and set the glass on the nightstand. I climb back into bed and wait patiently for her eyes to open. It doesn’t take long. She senses me there, waiting for her.
When she finally stirs, she blinks up at the ceiling first. She sighs heavily, coming back to herself and the present. It hurts me to watch pain play across her face as she remembers where she is and what happened. I wish I could take all the pain away. At the very least, I’m going to try.
She sits up slowly, careful of her sore wrists, before she finally looks at me. There’s no emotion on her face whatsoever. She just looks resigned and sleepy.
My voice comes out low.
“Good morning.”
She nods once and stretches carefully, wincing as her joints pop. She clears her throat and looks at the water on the nightstand. I can’t see her face, but she reaches for it very slowly, as if she didn’t expect anyone to take care of her in such a simple way. I watch as she gulps it down, then sets it back on the edge of the nightstand.
“We should probably talk,” she says, not looking at me.
“I agree,” I say, trying not to sound too eager.
Her jaw tightens as she looks at me.
“Last night didn’t change anything,” she says coolly. “You know where I stand.”
“Yes,” I say quietly. “But you don’t know where I stand.”
She watches me carefully, her eyes more guarded than I’ve ever seen. There’s a thick wall between us, and I can only hope I find the words to start breaking it down brick by brick.
“I love you,” I tell her without hesitation.
She doesn’t react. Either she didn’t hear me or she doesn’t believe me. So I try again.
“I love you, Molly,” I repeat, more forceful this time. “In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re the only person I’ve ever loved in my entire life.”
She closes her eyes, and I hate seeing the tears that fall down her cheeks. I take a deep breath and power through.
“All my life, I’ve lived by one rule: control everything or lose everything. I fought tooth and nail to survive my father’s mess, my brother’s death, the Bratva politics that were rigged long before I was born.”
My hands flex on my thighs.
“The Bratva was all I ever had. They raised me and supported me when I had nothing else. I knew that as long as I was in charge, I’d always have a family.”
A harsh, self-loathing laugh escapes me.
“But that wasn’t true. Not even close. I see that now.”
She opens her eyes, and the sorrow there guts me.
“Samuil, last night doesn’t fix—”
“It wasn’t meant to fix anything,” I interrupt gently. “Last night broke me, Molly. When you were taken, when I thought you might be dead or hurt…”
My voice cracks, and I have to take a deep breath to continue.
“I realized what it really means to have a family. To love someone so much that you’d set the world on fire for them. Almost losing you made me realize that I can’t lose you. I wouldn’t survive it.”
Her breath trembles.
“I’m not going to let you get hurt again,” I tell her with all the conviction I can muster.
She shakes her head. “You can’t promise that,” she says through tears. “Your world is too dangerous.”
“It won’t be my world anymore.”
That makes her go completely still. Her eyes widen, and her jaw goes slack. I take her hand slowly so she can pull away if she needs to.
“I’m stepping back from it all,” I tell her, cementing the decision I made the second I saw her chained against that wall.
She blinks slowly, like she can’t quite comprehend what I’m saying. “What?”
“I’m turning the day-to-day operations over to someone else. I’m keeping my legitimate holdings and cleaning up the rest of the business. I’ll keep my distance from the illegal operations. I’ll appoint a second-in-command who will handle what I won’t anymore.”
Her brow furrows. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I would,” I answer earnestly. “I thought I didn’t know who I was without the Bratva, but Molly, I don’t know who I am without you. Last night made that very clear for me.”
Her chin trembles, and I lean closer.
“You were right,” I say softly. “About everything. I can’t protect you in the life I was living. So I’m changing the life.”