Chapter 18

I carry the weight of my existence, a burden even to those who love me. In the silence of my struggle, I find solace in tears, for they speak the heaviness my words cannot convey.

-Unknown.

|A L E E Z A|

Hallucination has always been a foreign concept to me, despite my understanding of the word. However, that perception seems to be changing at this very moment because, I think I am hallucinating now.

No, I am pretty sure I am hallucinating.

Why else would Kirill, a man who regards me with a gaze suggesting he'd contemplate snapping my neck if given the chance, be here rescuing me from Niall, who is no less of an asshole?

"Stay out of it, King." Niall seethed through gritted teeth, addressing Kirill with his laat name, his eyes focused on me with sinister ideas in them. I might or might not shudder at the dark look in those eyes.

I acknowledge that I grew up in a world where people faced worse, but since it was never directed at me, I grew up like a mafia princess—sheltered, loved,