ANMELDENZeden. My eyes hurt like hell. God, it fucking hurt. I kept repeating it in my head like a curse even after the nurse finally left. She’d been gone about two hours, and even with the damn drugs she pumped into me, it still felt like a million needles were stabbing straight into my sockets. The pain pulsed with every heartbeat, sharp and unrelenting. I clenched my fists tighter, pacing the room with the long tapping stick in my hand, the tip clicking against the floor like a reminder of everything I’d lost.This wasn’t like the times I’d pretended to be blind. Back then it was control — a game, a weapon. Now I was truly fucking blind, and the rage it stirred in me burned hotter than the pain itself. I reached for the drawer, my fingers fumbling until I found it empty. No cigarettes. I’d thrown them all out because my dear little wife hated the smell. Another stupid mistake in a long list of them.“Damn it,” I growled under my breath.I made my way to the door, tapping the s
Amber. The next morning came too soon, pale light filtering through the curtains like it had no right to be gentle after the night I’d endured. I woke early, my body aching in places I didn’t want to name, and went straight to Yulia. She fussed softly in her crib, her tiny hands reaching for me as I lifted her, fed her, changed her, and rocked her back to sleep with whispered promises I wasn’t sure I could keep. Once she settled, I asked one of the maids to stay with her. “Don’t leave her side,” I said quietly. “I’ll be back soon.”My heart hammered as I made my way down the hall toward Zeden’s— Our —room. I didn’t know if he’d even let me in, but I had to try. The door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open without knocking and stepped inside.Rukov stood near the bed, his arms crossed, while a young nurse worked carefully beside Zeden. He sat upright on the edge of the mattress, shirtless, shoulders tense. The nurse was slowly peeling away the old bandage, the fabric sticking
Amber. Night fell too quickly, swallowing the mansion in thick darkness that pressed against the windows like an uninvited guest. I stood there, staring out into nothing, my mind a storm of colliding thoughts — Zeden’s cold grip around my throat, the slammed door, the way he looked at me like I was a stranger who had invaded his home. The pain in my waist from his shove was already fading, but the ache in my chest only grew sharper.“Ma’am… Amber?” Cara’s gentle voice cut through the chaos in my head.I turned slowly. She stood just inside the room, her expression soft with understanding.“I wanted to let you know I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” she said quietly. “My assignment here was only supposed to be for a few days. The hospital expects me back on the main ward.”A fresh wave of unease settled in my stomach. With my marriage crumbling into something unrecognizable, the idea of losing the one steady person I trusted with my children made everything feel heavier. “Cara… please. C
Amber. The sharp pain in my waist from where he shoved me was nothing compared to the deeper ache ripping through my chest. Nothing compared to having a husband who looked at me like a stranger. Who didn’t remember the nights he’d burned my skin with his touch, fucked me whenever he wanted, broke me and then pieced me back together like I was his only salvation. It didn’t compare at all. “Did you remember something, Zeden?” I whispered, slowly pushing myself up from the floor. In a rush of desperation I was right in his face, staring up at the man I loved more than life, whose bandaged eyes showed zero remorse for pushing me away. “Answer me!” I shouted. His jaw clenched hard. His head tilted slightly, like my voice had triggered something dangerous inside him. For a second his bandaged eyes shut tight, then opened again. “Why the fuck does it matter?” His voice was ice-cold, shaking me to my bones. “You’re blonde. Of course that’s what I’d call you. It’s just a fucking desc
Amber. We were finally back at the Vercetti mansion. The whole ride home had been hell. Zeden treated me like poison in his throat — every time I tried to speak, he turned his bandaged face away like my voice alone made him sick. Even after Rukov explained a hundred times that I wasn’t Marissa, he still demanded I ride in a separate car with one of the guards. My own husband couldn’t stand being in the same space as me.The moment we stepped inside, Zeden stopped in the grand foyer, head tilting like he was listening for ghosts. Rukov guided him carefully by the arm.I turned quickly to Cara. “Take Yulia and Zam upstairs to their rooms, please. Get them settled.”“Where’s my mother? And Misha?” Zeden asked, voice sharp as he twisted his head, trying to catch any sound.“Zeden…” I started, taking one careful step closer.He raised a hand, stopping me cold. “Boss, they don’t stay here anymore,” Rukov answered quietly.“Why?”“You didn’t want them here. You threw them out.”“Wha
Amber. A few minutes later I rushed back into the room with Doctor Petrov right on my heels. Zeden was worse now — screaming, hands clawing frantically at the blood-soaked bandage covering his eyes, trying to rip it off like it was burning him alive. Yulia’s cries had quieted to soft, hiccuping whimpers, but even that tiny sound seemed to cut straight through him, making his whole body jerk and twist in agony.“Oh my God, what’s wrong?” I cried out, voice cracking with panic. “Doctor — he was fine just a little while ago! Why is our baby’s crying making him scream like this?”“The noise…” Zeden’s voice broke, raw and desperate, barely human anymore.Doctor Petrov’s face hardened with worry. “You and the baby need to leave. Right now.”“No… I won’t,” I said stubbornly, stepping closer even though fear twisted in my gut. “He has to get used to his child’s cries. This is his daughter. He can’t keep reacting like this.”I should have listened.Instead, I moved toward the bed, still crad
Zeden.An hour later I was pacing the hospital corridor outside Amber’s room like a caged animal. Restless. Wired. Every muscle in my body felt coiled too tight, ready to snap. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Not in this sterile white hallway that smelled of bleach and bad decisions. Not hove
Zeden.My legs moved faster than they ever had, carrying me through the corridors like the house itself was trying to hold me back. I kicked the door to the maids’ quarters open so hard it slammed against the wall and bounced. The room swallowed the sound, but it couldn’t swallow the sight in f
Amber.I made small whimpers that tangled pain with shame—the shame that bloomed from wanting him anyway. From craving the very thing that was tearing me open. Lust and hunger twisted inside me until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. How was my body responding so eagerly,
Amber.The last name broke on a sob. Fresh tears burned my eyes again. Mom pulled me back into her arms without a word, one hand stroking my back in slow, steady circles while the other cradled the back of my head like I was still small enough to fit against her chest without effort.“I know,” s







