Nikolai’s POVThe pain that shot through my chest when Adrian’s hand made contact was nothing compared to the expression on his face. The way his eyes twitched and his lips parted in complete devastation. His eyes slowly met mine and that hint of total concern, it cut through my defenses more effectively than any blade ever could. I wanted to retreat but my feet wouldn’t move. His hands ruffled through my shirt and I held his wrist. “Don’t,” I started, but the word came out weaker than intended, barely a whisper against the thundering of my pulse.Adrian’s fingers worked again at the buttons of my shirt when I tried to struggle with him again, he hit my hand and shoved it off like I was some child.I found myself frozen.Part of me craved his touch, even knowing it would expose everything I’d been trying to hide.“Adrian, stop.” I took a step back, my waist hitting the railings and a pain shot through the wound. I grasped. But he looked at me then, really looked at me, and there
Nikolai's Pov The words hit me like a physical blow. Gregory, who could thread a needle at fifty yards, who’d saved my life countless times with his perfect aim, might never see again. The injustice of it made my hands clench into fists, knuckles white with rage.I walked to the window, staring out at the sunny afternoon that seemed to mock our suffering. The light was too bright, too cheerful.Standing there, I was transported back ten years. Another hospital, another window, another person lying motionless in a bed behind me. But that time, the machines had eventually gone silent. That time, I’d watched the only person I’d ever loved slip away while I stood helpless, still believing that money and power could fix anything.Marcus had been everything to me—lover, confidant, the one person who’d seen past the Mancini name to the man underneath. We’d made plans, quiet dreams of a future where we could be together without hiding, without fear. He’d been killed for those dreams,
Adrian’s POVI couldn’t bear to look at him, yet from the side of my eyes u could see clearly. His tender eyes, the red hue dripping from his mouth. At first I thought it was his wound, but for every words that went out of Gabriel’s lips, there was a cough that carried a pile of blood with it. Was it really because of me?Did my acceptance prompt such?He said it was just sex, I believe him. Or should I doubt him?I walked up the stairway and held Isabelle’s hands. Her delicate eyes were white, and I could tell she had been ill. I tried to smile and took her back to the room, after I laid the bed and she lied down, I finally could ask her.“What happened the past week?” “I was poisoned in the bar and uncle Niko went to check but he was shot six times and Gregory is in coma.”My hands tightened on the sheets and it crumpled. Tears welled up in my eyes. I tried so much to hide it, but it trickled down my skin and Isabelle caught a glimpse.“I’m fine Adrian. You don’t…”Her hands
Adrian’s POVNikolai’s stare pressed against my spine, but I refused to turn around. The hospital’s automatic doors slid open with a mechanical whisper.My phone suddenly buzzed against my palm, the vibration cutting through the tension that had followed me from the car. Isabelle’s name flashed across the screen, and I answered without hesitation.“I’m almost at the hospital,” her voice came through, breathless with nervous energy. “Do you think I’ll be a good candidate? I spoke to someone and she said not everyone qualifies for egg extraction.”“You don’t have to worry about that,” I assured her, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”The lie came easily. I had no idea what the requirements were, but Isabelle needed reassurance, not my uncertainty. She had been through enough already, with the poisoning and the family’s ultimatum.“Okay, I’m here. Gotta go.”The line went dead, leaving me alone with the sound of my own breathing and the distant hum of h
Adrian’s PovThe contact was electric, nothing like the tentative brush of lips we had shared in the car. His mouth claimed mine with a hunger that stole my breath, his body pressing me back against the tiled wall with a force that made my knees weak.I found myself kissing him back with a desperation that matched his own, my hands fisting in the expensive fabric of his shirt as if I could anchor myself to this moment.When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. His forehead rested against mine, his gray eyes searching my face for something I wasn’t sure I could give him.“You’re planning to have a child,” he said, and there was something raw in his voice that made my chest ache.“Why do you care,” I managed to say, though the words felt thick on my tongue. “We aren’t even real.”“None of this is real?” he replied, but his hands remained on my face, his thumbs tracing the line of my cheekbones with a tenderness that contradicted his words.Then he dragged me closer a
Adrian’s PovThe contact was electric, nothing like the tentative brush of lips we had shared in the car. His mouth claimed mine with a hunger that stole my breath, his body pressing me back against the tiled wall with a force that made my knees weak.I found myself kissing him back with a desperation that matched his own, my hands fisting in the expensive fabric of his shirt as if I could anchor myself to this moment.When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. His forehead rested against mine, his gray eyes searching my face for something I wasn’t sure I could give him.“You’re planning to have a child,” he said, and there was something raw in his voice that made my chest ache.“Why do you care,” I managed to say, though the words felt thick on my tongue. “We aren’t even real.”“None of this is real?” he replied, but his hands remained on my face, his thumbs tracing the line of my cheekbones with a tenderness that contradicted his words.Then he dragged me closer a