LOGINThis book is officially over. I can't believe I finished it. There were times I wanted to give up. Times I did at some point, but for some reason, I always found the energy to push through. I want to thank everyone who gave this book a chance. Without you, this book wouldn't be as successful as it
“Nikolai, I- ouch” She takes a step towards me and then stops, her face twisting into a grimace. I'm at her side in an instant, my hands around her shoulder, steadying her, “What's wrong?” I ask, my gaze scanning her carefully. My eyes land on the thin ragged line on her knee. The edges are raw, a
To be honest I wouldn't blame her if she did. She’d just seen me torture information out of a man. A man who deserves every bit of pain I dished out to him and more but still. Ava wasn’t used to this. She wasn’t used to seeing other people suffer. I was. I thought I could shield her from the darknes
Nikolai There's a solid second that follows after I see her, where the two of us just stare at each other, neither one of us willing to break contact first. Fuck. She wasn't supposed to be here. How the hell did she even find this place? "Ava, wait," Her eyes widened, a flicker of panic cross
I don’t. My pulse dips, and my heart rate spikes. The passageway is dark and the light seeping in from the library barely serves as an adequate lighting source. I whip out my phone and turn on the flashlight, barely containing the scream that threatens to erupt from my throat, when I see a roach s
The drawing is far from perfect, but it's perfect enough to make Kira smile, and that's enough for me. “Do you think Papa will like it?” I smile softly, brushing a strand of her dark hair away from her face. "I think your papa will love it.” Kira's smile brightens even more. The door to the
I hang up and squeeze the phone tightly for a moment before sliding it back on the nightstand. What if he went for another operation? I make my way over to the closet and let out a sigh of relief when I find his clothes still in the closet, lined up neatly, just the way he likes them. He didn't
But there is a part of me that is still too afraid to believe that this, any of this is real. “I’m scared,” I admit, watching the words form on my lips more than I hear them leave me. I'm scared that this isn't real. I'm scared that my father will crawl out from whatever hole he's dug himself in t
Ava I wake up the day with a nervous pit growing in my stomach. I received an email yesterday summoning me to the school's gallery at 10 a.m. today for a press briefing and walk-through. It was nothing unusual, just standard protocol for graduating students showcasing their final projects. And wh
Ava I grab my phone when it buzzes in my purse. It's a text from Nikolai. Nikolai: Hey, How did it go? Call me when you leave the gallery. I type out a response. Me: Great. I'm just about to head out. I pause, thumb hovering over the keyboard. A part of me contemplates asking him if he was abl







