LOGINZeden.I turned my head slowly back to her, jaw tight, the red mark of her hand already blooming on my skin.For a long second, neither of us moved.Then I stepped back, giving her space she clearly needed.I turned and walked out of the room without looking back, the door closing behind me with a soft click that felt louder than any shout.The hallway stretched long and quiet.My knuckles still ached from last night.My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped barbed wire around my ribs and kept pulling.I hated fighting with her.Hated the way her tears made me feel like the villain even when I was trying to protect what was mine.But I couldn’t change who I was.Not for her. Not for anyone.I slipped into Zam’s room without a sound.The door barely whispering shut behind me.She was still curled under the covers, breathing soft and even in the low glow of her nightlight.For a second I just stood there, watching the small rise and fall of her chest, letting the sight of her sa
Zeden. I couldn’t scrape Rukov’s words out of my head.They kept circling like vultures, picking at every rational thought I tried to hold onto.Marisa alive?The woman we both burned in that car wreck?The one whose funeral I held for the second time? The one I stood through like a statue while my mother wept crocodile tears for the cameras?Bullshit.Pure, poisonous bullshit.I was furious.More than furious.The kind of anger that made my hands shake and my jaw ache from clenching it all night.I’d wanted to wake Amber the second I got back from the warehouse, crawl into bed beside her, and apologize for dragging her into that nightmare with Irina.But she was already asleep, curled on her side with her back to me, and I couldn’t bring myself to disturb the small peace on her face.So I’d just lain there, staring at the ceiling, listening to her breathe while my mind tore itself apart.By the time the sky outside started to lighten, I couldn’t take it anymore.I needed to see for
Zeden.“This is ridiculous, Zeden! This is the height of madness! Just kill me already!” Irina shouted, her voice cracking like thin ice.“Don’t worry,” I snapped back, calm as death. “I’ll make it quicker than you deserve.”There was nothing sweeter than the horror twisting her busted face.The wide, glassy eye, the way her split lip trembled.It gave me every ounce of satisfaction I craved right now.But it wasn’t complete.Not yet.Not until Amber tore her skin piece by piece, the same way this bitch had carved into my wife.I slid my hands under Amber’s arms and lifted her gently to her feet.She stood there, chest heaving, eyes glassy with shock and something darker I couldn’t name.I pulled my sweatpants back on, knotting the drawstring with quick fingers.The look on her face hit me like a blade. She was angry.Hurt.I’d pushed her too far, made her do something that went against every pure thing she was.I crossed to one of the crates covered by a black tarp, yanked it free
Amber.The horror in front of me still hadn’t settled.My brain kept stuttering over the sight of Irina.Chained, blood-streaked, half-naked, whimpering for death like it was the only kindness left.Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her.Another part, smaller and darker, wanted to pick up something sharp and drag it across her skin the way she’d done to me.The thought made my stomach lurch, but it was there.Real and ugly.Zeden’s voice cut through the fog.“Take off your nightwear, blondie.”He said it again, calm and low, like he was asking me to pass the salt.My feet stayed rooted.“What?” My brows pulled together so tight it hurt.“Yes.” He stepped closer, crowding me without touching. “Take it off. Didn’t you say you trusted me?”“There’s no reason for me to strip in front of her, Zeden. Or even here.” My arms wrapped tighter around myself. “If you want to punish her, do it. But I’m not… I can’t do that to someone. Not even her.”He moved behind me, slow and deliberate, u
Zeden.I was so full of shit.And yeah, Mother had nailed one thing dead right.Amber was my fucking weakness.One look at her.One touch, and every wall I’d built came crashing down like cheap glass.The heat of her body alone was enough to melt the ice I carried everywhere else. Anger, control, the cold calculation that kept me alive in this world.She could unravel me with a single breath against my neck, and I’d let her.Every damn time.Even now, with rage still bubbling under my skin like lava ready to erupt.The only thing big enough to cut through it was her.Her scent.Her softness.The way she trembled when I touched her.Fuck… the only goddamn thing that could ever soften the monster in me was this woman straddling my lap, her thighs bracketing mine, her wet heat already soaking the head of my cock.If she could tear my skin open, she’d see it carved there. Her name, over and over, etched into bone and muscle like a brand.The center of my heart?That’s hers too.Always
Amber.My brain was still reeling.Trying to catch up to the chaos that had just exploded in the foyer.The hatred Julie carried for me wasn’t just deep. It was bottomless.She’d gone far enough to kidnap her own granddaughter, all to twist Zeden’s love into something that would finally break me.All to prove I didn’t belong here.My head throbbed like someone had taken a hammer to it.I clutched the front of my nightdress tighter.My knuckles white against the silk, as if holding the fabric together could keep me from falling apart.Zeden’s gentle shove still stung. Not because it hurt physically, but because it was deliberate.Careful, but distant.His footsteps had already faded up the staircase, followed by the loud slam of our bedroom door.By the time I reached the top, he was in the bathroom.The door was ajar, steam curling out, light spilling across the floor.I leaned against the frame.My forehead pressed to the cool wood, straining to hear anything. Water running, his b
I couldn’t tell what Zeden was trying to do, but whatever it was, it wasn’t what I had imagined. “What are you doing, huh?” I asked, voice shaky. His arms were still locked around me, my bare chest crushed against his. “I’m getting my refund back,” he said coldly. “Did you really think I’d
As if my body were possessed—reacting only to his voice— I moved. My hands shot up to grip the headboard, knuckles white from how tightly I held on. I couldn’t face him. Couldn’t look down at the man who made me hate myself for needing this. I just faced the wall. Heart pounding. Br
~~Amber~~ I was furious. Shaking with rage and disbelief. The fact that I was living in a den ruled by a psychotic killer—Zeden—the same man who had used me, stripped me of everything, and now stood calmly over a mutilated corpse. The same man who had a daughter… a daughter who adored him.
~~Amber~~ One thing I knew for sure—my father wouldn’t show up here without a reason. Not without something he wanted. Money, probably. Zeden must have paid him off already. So why was he back? Another deal? Another price on my head? I guess that’s what I was now. A transaction. A receipt







