LOGINThe private VIP hospital suite smelled faintly of bleach and sterile cotton.Killian sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring blankly out the large glass window at the dark city skyline. He was shirtless, his torso a canvas of dark purple bruises and shallow, healing cuts. A thick layer of white medical gauze was wrapped tightly over his left shoulder, covering the fresh bullet wound.Dr. Ivanov had been explicit. The bullet had missed his collarbone by a fraction of an inch, but his body was completely drained. Weeks of brutal underground fighting, minimal sleep, and sheer physical trauma had left his immune system in ruins. The doctor had ordered him to stay in bed.Killian hadn't listened. He was sitting up, his feet planted on the cold linoleum floor, waiting for the heavy painkillers to wear off so he could walk out of the building.BANG.The heavy wooden door to the suite violently slammed open, hitting the wall with a loud crack.Killian turned his head.Luna stood in the d
Killian was inside a concrete pit. His torso was covered in dark bruises and smeared with blood. A massive man swung a heavy punch, catching Killian squarely in the jaw. Killian’s head snapped back, blood flying from his mouth. But he didn't even try to block the next hit. He just stood there, taking brutal, punishing blows with a terrifying, dead look in his eyes.I handed the phone back, my hands trembling.I understood now. He was trying to kill the guilt inside of him. Because of what he had done to me, because of the pain he caused, he was ruining himself."Where is he right now?" I asked, my throat painfully tight. "Where has he been for the last two days?"Marco looked down at his phone. The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. He didn't say a word.I stepped closer, the anger hardening my tone. "Marco, I asked something." I made every single word clear and sharp. "Where is he?"Marco finally looked up at me. "He is in the hospital."My heart stopped. The blood draine
LUNA POVTwo days.Forty-eight hours had passed since I sat in the dining room and stared at his empty chair. Killian had not returned to the estate. He hadn't sent a message, and his heavy, silent presence hadn't appeared in the corner of my bedroom at night.I paced the length of my room, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. I tried to focus on my university textbooks, telling myself to just leave it alone. But the terrible, sinking feeling in my stomach refused to fade. I couldn't do this anymore.I walked out of my bedroom and headed straight down the stairs.I found Marco standing in the main foyer, speaking quietly to one of the guards. When he saw me approaching, he dismissed the man with a flick of his hand and turned to me, his posture stiffening into his usual formal stance."Madam," Marco said, dipping his head."Where is he?" I asked.I didn't waste time with pleasantries. My voice was steady, but my heart was beating fast.Marco paused. A brief flash of hesitation cross
LUNA POVThe weeks blurred together into a steady, quiet routine.College has become my sanctuary. For a few hours every day, I wasn't the daughter of a mafia boss, and I wasn't the wife of the Bratva Pakhan. I was just Luna. I sat in lecture halls, took notes, and ate lunch on the grass.But the moment I stepped back inside the estate, the illusion faded.I couldn't ignore what was happening to Killian.We still didn't speak, but we shared every lunch and dinner together. I would keep my eyes focused on my plate, pretending I didn't notice, but I saw everything. He was losing weight. His broad shoulders still looked imposing, but his face had grown gaunt, hollowed out by a deep, dark exhaustion that seemed to seep into his bones.The bruises on his jaw never had time to fade before new ones appeared. His knuckles were permanently split, the skin red and raw when he held his fork. It unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.Sometimes, sitting in the quiet dining room, a part of my mi
A girl with bright, curly auburn hair and round wire-rimmed glasses stood by the edge of my desk. She offered a warm, easy smile."Hi," she said brightly. "You're a new student, right? I'm Anya."I stared at her, my throat suddenly dry. I tried to force my vocal cords to work. "Yes," I rasped softly. "I'm Luna.""Nice to meet you, Luna," Anya said, gesturing with her notebook toward the doorway. "My group is heading out to the courtyard. Would you like to have lunch with us?"I froze.My immediate instinct was to say no. To apologize, put my head down, and hide. The thought of sitting with a group of strangers, having to navigate normal conversation, was terrifying. But as I looked at Anya's friendly face, a stubborn spark of defiance flared in my chest.I want to be normal.I swallowed the heavy lump of fear in my throat and gave a small nod. "Okay."Anya’s smile widened. "Awesome. Come on."I followed her out of the crowded building and into the sunny courtyard. A group of three stu
LUNA POVThe heavy iron gates of the university loomed in front of me, massive and imposing.I sat in the passenger seat of the sleek black SUV, my hands resting in my lap. My palms were sweating. I wiped them quickly against the fabric of my dark jeans, trying to steady the frantic beating of my heart.Killian was sitting in the driver's seat. He stared out the windshield at the stone buildings of the campus, his jaw set tight. He hadn't spoken since we left the estate.I can do this, I told myself, taking a shaky breath.My mind flashed back to last week, standing in his quiet study. After days of agonizing over the glossy folders, talking through the terrifying possibility of freedom with Dr. Aris, I had finally made a decision. I told him I wanted to go. Killian had just looked at me, his gray eyes unreadable, and gave a single, slow nod.He was honest with me right from the start. He told me there would be guards stationed on the campus for my protection. He promised they would w
The IV bag was empty.I lay on the bed, watching the last drop of clear fluid hesitate at the plastic nozzle before slipping down the tube and vanishing into my vein.The silence in the room was heavy, broken only by distant footsteps in the hallway outside.I felt alive again.It wasn't a good feel
The light finally won.It pierced through my eyelids even when they were closed, a searing white lance that felt like it was cooking my brain inside my skull.I didn't know how long I'd been standing. My legs weren't legs anymore. They were columns that had stopped holding weight, nerves screaming s
I stared at her. Here? In the hallway?"Strip!" she shrieked, raising her hand. "Or I will call the guards to cut the clothes off you!"I stripped with shaking hands.Pulled off the wet t-shirt. Stepped out of the sweatpants. I stood in the cold hallway in my underwear, my arms wrapping around my br
The water shut off.Silence rushed back into the bathroom, broken only by the harsh, wet gasps tearing from my throat.I sat on the tiled floor of the shower, my back pressed against the cold wall, my legs drawn up to my chest. My wet hair hung in heavy ropes around my face, dripping pink water onto







