ログインAlinaI couldn't move. My feet were cemented to the sticky wooden floor. I could only hear the violent rushing of blood in my ears.His hand slowly slid from my shoulder to the back of my neck, his fingers curling into my hair with a painfully familiar grip."Turn around, darling," Liam whispered, his breath ghosting over my ear. "Look at your husband."I slowly turned, my body trembling so violently I thought my knees would give out.Liam. He was dressed in a pristine, charcoal-gray tailored suit, his golden-blond hair perfectly styled, his handsome face curved into a cruel smile. He looked like a prince who had accidentally wandered into hell.But I knew the truth. He was the devil himself.His eyes, a pale, icy blue, raked down my body. They took in the smeared makeup, the oversized, faded black t-shirt, the tiny velvet shorts and the platform boots.His smile widened. "Look at you, Alin." Liam laughed, a soft, mocking sound that sliced straight through my chest. "My beautiful, el
AlinaWhen it ended, I practically collapsed through the velvet curtain. By then, my chest was heaving and my legs trembling violently.My raw hands were clutching a thick wad of crumpled dollar bills, slick with my own sweat. The deafening roar of the crowd faded slightly behind the thick fabric, replaced by the ringing in my ears and the triumphant beating of my own heart.I leaned my back against the concrete wall of the hallway and slid down until I hit the floor.I did it. I survived the fire."Well, well. Look who decided to grow some claws."I looked up at the voice. Roxy was leaning against the doorframe of the dressing room with a fresh cigarette pinched between her fingers. Her heavy makeup was smudged but a genuine smirk played on her dark red lips.I forced myself to stand up. My platform boots felt a hundred pounds heavier than they had an hour ago. But I managed to walk over to the cracked mirror and dropped the fistful of cash onto the vanity."Well… I didn't have a c
Alina Gabriel didn’t look at the crowd. He didn’t yell at the men to shut up. He didn't have to. His lethal presence was enough to suck the air out of the room. He didn’t offer his hand to help me up. Instead, he stepped closer, his thighs pressing against the edge of the raised stage. His hazel eyes brunt with a dark, furious intensity that was fixed solely on me. "Get up." Gabriel’s rough voice rumbled. It wasn't a request. It was an absolute command. "I can't…" I choked out, a single tear escaping and tracking through my makeup. "My hands—" "Then don't use your fucking hands." His voice was barely audible over the roaring music, but it commanded my entire body. I swallowed hard. Gabriel stepped closer, pressing his thighs right against the edge of the stage. Then, he reached out and wrapped his large, ringed hands around my bare waist. A violent, electric shock shot straight through my core the second his skin touched mine. "Use me." He commanded in a low, dan
Alina“Coming!” I croaked as I scrambled off the thin mattress and unlocked the iron deadbolt. Roxy stood in the dimly lit hallway, a cigarette dangling from her dark red lips. She looked me up and down, taking in my pale, terrified face. "Time to earn your keep, Angel," she said, blowing a stream of gray smoke into the air. "Let's get you ready."The dressing room was a chaotic mess of glitter, hairspray, and raw nerves. Roxy forced me into a new outfit. It was a deep crimson corset that cinched painfully tight around my waist, pushing my breasts up, and a tiny, jagged black skirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. She strapped the massive, seven-inch platform boots onto my feet and aggressively brushed out my tangled hair until it fell in wild, dark waves over my bare shoulders."Remember," Roxy warned, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at my heavily lined eyes in the cracked mirror. "You are the god up there. Do not let them see you bleed."When I finally pus
Alina I immediately unstrapped the platforms and stepped off the stage barefoot. The sticky, cold floor sent a shiver straight up my spine. I hurried to keep up with his long strides, carrying the heavy boots in one hand. We climbed the grated iron stairs to a second-floor catwalk that overlooked the entire club. It led down a narrow hallway lined with heavy wooden doors. The air up here smelled intensely of stale cigarette smoke and leather. Gabriel stopped in front of the last door at the end of the hall. He unlocked it with a heavy brass key and pushed it open. "In," he ordered. I stepped past him, my bare arm brushing against the thick leather of his cut. A jolt of electric heat sparked at the contact, but I ignored it, stepping into the room. It was tiny and bare. A thin mattress lay directly on the concrete floor, covered in a faded gray blanket. There was a small, rusted sink in the corner, a single exposed lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a small, barred window t
Alina By the time Roxy finally slapped her hand against the silver pole to signal we were done, the grimy windows near the warehouse ceiling were glowing with the dull, gray light of dawn. Every single muscle in my body was trembling. I leaned against the cold steel, my chest heaving. The velvet shorts and lace bralette were soaked in cold sweat, sticking uncomfortably to my skin. My palms were a mess of raw blisters and smeared blood, and my thighs were burning from gripping the metal. "Good enough," Roxy panted, grabbing a towel from the edge of the stage to wipe her face. She looked me up and down, her sharp eyes no longer filled with mockery, but something resembling grudging respect. "You won't win any awards, but you won't break your neck, either. The brothers like the broken, pretty ones anyway." She tossed a second towel at my face. I caught it clumsily with my stinging hands. "Go get some sleep, princess," Roxy said, hopping off the stage with practiced ease. "Toni
Liam’s POVRichard and Cynthia Sterling.All the oxygen rushed out of my lungs. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I just stared at the white lilies resting on the damp grass.Today’s date flashed in my mind right away. It was October 14th. The anniversary.Ten years ago today, a truck ran a red
Alina"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." My voice trembled as I knelt on the damp grass of the cemetery.I placed a bouquet of white lilies on the two marble headstones in front of me.Richard and Cynthia Sterling.I traced the letters of their names with my fingers. I had so much to tell them. I wanted to tell t
AlinaTick. Tock. Tick. Tock.It was the sound of my life passing by, waiting for a man who didn't want to come home.I still lay there, staring at the empty space where Liam had stood. My hand was still resting on my stomach. I couldn't sleep. It was long gone.My phone buzzed on the nightstand, m
Alina [Pregnancy Test: Positive]The plastic stick shook in my hand. I stared at it until my eyes burned, hoping the result would change. It didn’t. Two pink lines. My heart stopped, then started beating again so fast I thought it might jump out of my chest. I was pregnant. In any other ma







