Adrian’s POVNikolai’s words left me completely stricken. The firelight danced across his face as those crushing words echoed in my mind, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.“I can never love you like you love me.”The phrase reverberated through my skull like a death knell. I sat there frozen, staring at this man who had just casually destroyed everything I thought we had together. The warmth from the fireplace suddenly felt suffocating, the cozy atmosphere of the guest house transformed into something oppressive and cruel.Before I could say anything, before I could even begin to process the full weight of what he’d just told me, the sound of the front door opening cut through the silence. Heavy footsteps approached across the wooden floor.I quickly sat back in my chair and turned my head away to wipe the tears that were threatening to spill down my cheeks. My hands trembled as I tried to compose myself, but the hollow ache in my chest made it difficult to breathe properl
Nikolai’s POVI was a man who calculated risks the way others calculated math. Every decision weighed, every outcome analyzed, every possibility mapped out before I moved. Control had been my shield for thirty-three years. But yet I made a mistake. Adrian was my first foolish mistake.The fire crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the guest house walls. Rain drummed against the windows matching the thundering of my pulse. Across from me, Adrian sat wrapped in my clothes, his dark hair still damp from the storm. He looked younger somehow, vulnerable in a way that made my chest tighten with emotions I couldn’t afford.When had I become this man? When had Nikolai Volkov been reduced to someone who risked it all, his nieces happiness for a few stolen moments?The answer was simple: the moment I’d first kissed him.Everything since then had been elaborate self-deception. I’d told myself we could manage this. That somehow, despite his marriage and his child and his enti
Adrian Pov The neon lights of Club Pink blurred into streaks of electric blue and magenta as I stumbled through the crowded entrance, my head still spinning from Leonardo’s revelations. The bass from the sound system pounded through the floor and up into my chest, each beat matching the chaotic rhythm of my thoughts. I needed to disappear, to drown out the competing voices in my head that kept replaying two different versions of my mother’s death.*She was a spy who abandoned you.* *She died protecting you.* *She loved Leonardo.* *She was loyal to Liliana.*The contradictions circled in my mind like vultures, picking apart every certainty I’d ever held about my identity, my family, my place in this world of blood and betrayal. I pushed through the sweating bodies on the dance floor, ignoring the curious looks from people who recognized me. The last thing I needed was to end up in tomorrow’s gossip columns, but I was beyond caring about appearances.The bartender at Club Pink knew me
Adrian Pov The neon lights of Club Pink blurred into streaks of electric blue and magenta as I stumbled through the crowded entrance, my head still spinning from Leonardo’s revelations. The bass from the sound system pounded through the floor and up into my chest, each beat matching the chaotic rhythm of my thoughts. I needed to disappear, to drown out the competing voices in my head that kept replaying two different versions of my mother’s death.*She was a spy who abandoned you.* *She died protecting you.* *She loved Leonardo.* *She was loyal to Liliana.*The contradictions circled in my mind like vultures, picking apart every certainty I’d ever held about my identity, my family, my place in this world of blood and betrayal. I pushed through the sweating bodies on the dance floor, ignoring the curious looks from people who recognized me. The last thing I needed was to end up in tomorrow’s gossip columns, but I was beyond caring about appearances.The bartender at Club Pink knew me
Adrian’s POVThe Mancini estate came into view and I drove in. We entered through the front doors, our footsteps echoing. The silence between us had stretched taut during the drive, filled with unspoken questions and the weight of everything that had just happened. Without a word, I headed straight for my room.But immediately I entered I felt Nikolai’s grip on my arm and I turned to him. “If you want to chicken out, you still have time to, you could just stay forever as Isabelle’s husband.”He had brought the idea of taking over the Moretti’s estate, and now he was talking about dropping that whole idea?I struggled to free my hand from his grip but I wasn’t successful, “let go of me.”He stared into my eyes and then muttered, “Why don’t you stand properly first?” Only then did I realize that if he hadn't held me back, I would have hit my foot against the flower pot that was left in front of the door as soon as I walked in. “Thanks.”He walked away instantly and didn’t question m
Adrian’s POV“If you want to chicken out, you still have time to, you could just stay forever as Isabelle’s husband.”He had brought the idea of taking over the Moretti’s estate, and now he was talking about dropping that whole idea?I struggled to free my hand from his grip but I wasn’t successful, “let go of me.”He stared into my eyes and then muttered, “Why don’t you stand properly first?” Only then did I realize that if he hadn't held me back, I would have hit my foot against the flower pot that was left in front of the door as soon as I walked in. “Thanks.”He walked away instantly and didn’t question me further. I entered the closet after freshening up.Suddenly there was a soft, persistent beeping that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. I froze, my hand halfway to pulling a shirt from its hanger.The sound was faint but insistent, like a smoke detector with a dying battery. I walked back out into the bedroom, following the noise, and sure enough, it got lou