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Orion’s POVKennedy looked down at the papers, then back up at me. For a moment, I thought maybe he’d actually be smart about this. Maybe he’d realize the position he was in and just cooperate.But no.He actually laughed. A harsh, bitter sound that made my jaw clench and my hands curl into fists at my sides.“I’m not signing shit,” he spat, blood spraying slightly from his split lip with the force of his words. “Anya belongs to me. She’s my wife. You think some papers are going to change that? She’s mine, and she always will be—”I saw red.Literally. My vision went hazy at the edges, tinted crimson with pure, blinding rage. My entire body went rigid, every muscle coiling tight like a spring compressed to its absolute limit.“Don’t,” I said, my voice dropping to something barely above a whisper but infinitely more dangerous than any shout could have been. “Don’t you *ever* say her name again.”I looked at Leon and gave him another nod.Leon disappeared back into the shadows and retur
Orion’s POVI stopped by my lawyer’s office first.Marcus was waiting for me, sitting at his desk with the divorce papers already printed and organized into neat stacks. He looked up when I walked in, his expression a mixture of concern and professional focus.“Orion, are you sure you want to—”“The papers,” I interrupted, holding out my hand. I wasn’t in the mood for questions or second-guessing or moral debates about what I was about to do.Marcus hesitated for just a moment, then slid the folder across his desk to me. “Everything’s in order. She’ll need to sign too, obviously, but once both signatures are on file and we submit to the court—”“I’ll handle it,” I said, taking the folder and turning to leave.“Orion,” Marcus called after me. I paused at the door, looking back at him. His expression was serious, almost worried. “Whatever you’re about to do… be careful.”I didn’t respond. I just walked out, the divorce papers tucked securely under my arm.I got to the warehouse where Ke
Orion's POVKennedy had done this.Kennedy had taken his fists to her face, had slammed her head into a wall, had beaten her until her brain bled and she slipped into unconsciousness. Kennedy had looked at this woman—this smart, strong, beautiful woman—and decided to hurt her, to break her, to make her suffer.My hands were shaking again, trembling with the effort it took to contain the rage coursing through me. Every muscle in my body was tense, coiled tight like a spring ready to snap. I wanted to hit something, to break something, to make Kennedy feel every ounce of pain he'd inflicted on her.But right now, I needed to be here. With her.I walked slowly to her bedside, my footsteps quiet on the linoleum floor. Dr. Patterson said something about giving me some privacy and left, closing the door softly behind him. I barely registered his departure. All my attention was focused on Anya.I reached out with a trembling hand and touched her hand softly, carefully, afraid of hurting her
Orion's POVAfter what felt like forever, the doctor finally came out.I was on my feet the instant I saw him push through those double doors, my heart hammering against my ribs. He was an older man, probably in his late fifties, with graying hair and the kind of calm, professional demeanor that came from years of delivering both good news and bad. I'd made sure Anya got the best doctors working on her—I'd pulled strings, made calls, thrown money around until the hospital administrator personally assured me that their top trauma team would handle her case.None of that mattered now. All that mattered was what this doctor was about to tell me."How is she?" I demanded before he could even fully approach me. My voice came out rougher than I intended, strained and desperate. "Is she okay? Is she awake?"The doctor's expression remained carefully neutral, but I saw something flicker in his eyes—concern, maybe, or sympathy. Neither of which were things I wanted to see right now."Mr. Konst
Orion's POVThere was barely a pause before Leon responded. "Understood. How secure are we talking?"Leon knew what I meant by "somewhere secure." We'd had this kind of conversation before—not often, but enough times that we'd developed a certain shorthand. Somewhere secure meant somewhere private, somewhere isolated, somewhere that Kennedy wouldn't be found unless I wanted him to be found. Somewhere I could have a conversation with him without interruption or witnesses."Very secure," I said, my jaw clenching so hard it ached. "I want him found tonight if possible. Use whatever resources you need. However many men it takes. I don't care about the cost.""Any particular condition you want him in when we bring him in?" Leon asked, his tone perfectly neutral and professional.It was a good question. Part of me—a large part of me—wanted to tell Leon to make Kennedy hurt. To give him a taste of what he'd done to Anya. To make him bleed and bruise and feel a fraction of the pain he'd infli
Orion's POVI waited for what felt like forever for the doctors to come out.The emergency room waiting area was sterile and cold, all harsh fluorescent lights and uncomfortable plastic chairs bolted to the floor. The smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mixing with the faint scent of coffee from a vending machine in the corner. A television mounted on the wall played the news on mute, the images flickering across the screen while I sat there, unable to focus on anything except the double doors Anya had disappeared through.The waiting was absolute torture.Minutes crawled by like hours. Each second felt impossibly long, stretching out endlessly while my mind raced with terrible possibilities. I kept seeing her the way I'd found her—crumpled on the floor, covered in blood and bruises, so still and broken. I kept hearing the fear in her voice when she'd called me, the desperate way she'd begged for help. I kept thinking about what might be happening behind those closed doors righ
Orion's POV"Yes, sir," he said, his voice tight with understanding and urgency.I climbed in beside her, keeping her cradled against me, one hand supporting her head to keep it from lolling too much. The car door slammed shut, and then we were moving, pulling away from the curb with a screech of t
Orion's POV"No," I breathed, the word coming out strangled and desperate.I ran toward her, my feet crunching on broken glass that I barely registered. I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands reaching for her but hesitating for just a second, afraid to touch her, afraid of what I would find.He
Orion's POVMy driver pressed harder on the accelerator. The car surged forward, the engine roaring as we wove aggressively through traffic. Other cars honked at us, swerving out of the way as we blew past them. I didn't care. I didn't care about traffic laws or safety or anything except getting to
Orion's POVAfter dropping Anya off at her apartment building, I settled back into the leather seat and told my driver to take me to one of my nightclubs downtown.I needed alcohol. I needed noise and music and crowds of people to drown out the thoughts racing through my head. I needed to wash away







