LOGINNIKOLAI Hunter’s voice continued next to me, but it started to sound distant, like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel as my mind drifted. It replayed the scene from earlier with Reva standing at my bedside, fury radiating off her. And then Hunter, the way he had burst into the room and grabbed her with his face twisted as though he wanted to hit her. I recalled the helplessness I felt, seeing for the first time, something I either had never noticed before or had but chose to ignore. I saw Hunter’s eyes filled with blinding hate as he gazed at Reva, the same hate his body vibrated with as he shoved her. I remembered the conversations we had when we first got together behind Reva’s back. I recalled the bitterness in his tone when he spoke about how she always had it together, how their father compared them, and how she was the golden one, despite his father having never raised or even acknowledged her. I had believed it was sibling jealousy, and that his feelings were r
HUNTERSomething inside me snapped the moment the door closed behind Reva, and I roared, slamming my fist into the wall. Pain shot up my arm, but it did nothing to quell the fire that was raging through my veins as her face, that smug, victorious face, replayed itself in my mind. She believed she had won, and I turned to face Nikolai, who lay there with tears still streaking his face, lips trembling as he whispered her name like a pathetic prayer.“Shut the hell up!" I screamed, and his eyes flinched toward me. “You did this!" I yelled, pacing at the foot of his bed. “You made her believe she could take over. You made that bitch think she could just come here and make decisions, doing as she pleased!” Dragging my fingers through my hair, I tugged so hard it hurt. I needed to hit something again, and the room felt too small for my rage as it hit me again that he'd transferred all that money to Reva. I turned to him once more. “Why!? Why in the hell did you send the money to her!?"Hi
REVA Hunter's bloodshot eyes bore into me, wild and furious, and pain from how his nose hit mine spread across my face before his hand shot up and grabbed my jaw. His fingers dug into my skin as he pushed my face upward. And the shock held my limbs in place.“You better be glad we're in a hospital," he seethed, his breath hot against my face. His grip tightened for a second, and I thought he was going to crush my face before he shoved my forehead so hard he knocked my head back against the wall.“Transfer all of that money back. Every penny, or you won't like what I do. Who the hell do you think is paying for this?" He made a vicious gesture toward the bed, and it was only then that my gaze locked on Nikolai again; he had lifted his head weakly, calling out to Hunter, croaking as he asked him to stop.But I barely heard him, and I hated him just as much. He had done this; he had told Hunter that it was okay to treat me like this, and heat ignited within me, not from fear, but from mo
REVA“Mrs. Belkov?" Dr. Jacobs' voice echoed over the phone. “Are you still there?" That brought me out of the confused haze. “Yes," I quickly replied, forcing air back into my lungs. “I am here."I opened my mouth, prepared to say I had no idea why Nikolai had asked for me. I wanted to tell him that Nikolai and I were divorcing and that I wasn't the right person to call. But I stopped myself. The doctor didn't have to be dragged into our mess, and Nikolai knew exactly what he was doing."Okay," I responded instead but didn't specify whether I was coming before ending the call. Standing there for a second, I stared at my reflection in the dark screen of my phone, replaying what had just happened before sliding into my car and closing the door harder than necessary as heat surged through my veins.Did he take me for a fool? Did he expect me to show up whenever he got into trouble? Was I somehow obligated to stand by him again, despite the pain and humiliation he caused me, just because
REVAMy eyes opened to the sunlight filtering through the curtains in warm strips that brushed across the bed. I remained motionless for a moment, listening to my body tingle with slow pulses that made my stomach flutter when I moved.It took me a moment to realize the space beside me was empty, and my eyes narrowed as I turned my head. Levi was nowhere to be seen, and I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked around the room, blinking against the bright light.My heart skipped, not in panic, but in confusion, and I called out softly to ensure he was truly gone. There was no answer, and I checked the clock on the nightstand to see it was 6:53 a.m.I remembered at that moment that I wasn't in my apartment. Of course, he left because he did not want to run into my parents. Falling back onto the mattress, I let out a sigh, my body still humming with memories of last night, the way he'd looked at me, touched me, and admitted to thinking about me again.Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I yan
HUNTERStepping into the penthouse, I headed straight for the bedroom while everything the doctor said about Nik replayed in my mind. I dragged a suitcase from the closet and threw it on the bed, stuffing clothes inside without folding them, telling myself that there was nothing for me here. But then I froze when something hit me. This was my penthouse. Nik had bought it for me, which meant I didn’t have to go anywhere. Nik could leave.I let out a short, bitter laugh at the thought of him leaving; he couldn't walk. Fucking Nikolai. Another thought occurred. How desperate and vulnerable would Nik be when he awoke to the news of his paralysis? Would he be so vulnerable that he would allow me to explain that what he saw on that footage was not what he expected? Would he believe me if I told him that Allen had been forcing me to fuck him and threatened to tell him about us if I didn't? An idea began to form, and I realized it wasn't as over as I had anticipated.Plus, how could I even







