All Chapters of Till Death Do Us Part: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Valerie!” Derek’s voice cracked through the air the second I stepped inside. He stood behind the reception desk, jaw tight, clipboard in hand. Victoria was right – he was in a foul mood. “You’re late.” His eyes glaring at me, trying to burn holes through me. “I’m here now,” I murmured, smiling innocently at him while slipping past him toward the staff corridor. “Barely,” he snapped. “Don’t think I won’t write you up again.”Wouldn’t expect anything less from you, a**hole! I swallowed my protest. The last thing I needed was more trouble.My cart waited in the supply room, already stacked with fresh linens and miniature soaps. I frowned, staring at it, wondering who – “You’re welcome,” sounded a cheerful voice from behind me, making me catch my breath and nearly jump out of my skin. Victoria grinned triumphantly behind me, clearly pleased with the success of her sneak attack. She was leaning against the wall, her long brown hair was braided neatly down her back, resting elegant

Marek dragged me out of the room and into the empty corridor. His grip was a shackle, unyielding. My pulse thundered as he led me farther away, not a soul in sight to save me. His stride was unhurried, casual - like he belonged here, like I was simply his date he was escorting out. But his hand on my arm was iron, fingers biting through the thin fabric of my uniform. “Walk,” he murmured, low and deadly, his voice meant for me alone. “Or I’ll make it look less polite.” My throat tightened. My legs obeyed, carrying me forward though I trembled with every step. “Good girl,” he chuckled. As we moved down the corridor, every step echoed in my ears. My mind was racing. Maybe I could scream – maybe someone would hear? But all the rooms were empty, the drunk man fled, Victoria was on the floor above us, there was no one –“Valerie?” A voice I hated almost as much as Marek’s. Marek turned, pulling me with him. Derek stood behind us, clipboard in hand, mouth twisted in his usual sour lin

Tension burned between us, his warning still hanging in the air. I held my breath. But instead of lunging, instead of making good on his words, Marek leaned back and reached for his phone. His thumb flicked lazily across the screen, like nothing had happened. “Pizza. Pepperoni. Extra cheese. And one with ham and mushrooms.” His Polish accent roughened the words as he spoke quickly into the phone, then hung up without asking me what I wanted. He looked at me, smirking. “You’ll eat what I eat. Simpler that way.” I sat stiff on the couch, arms wrapped around myself, pulse refusing to calm. “You’re insane.” “Probably,” he agreed easily, like it didn’t bother him at all. His ice-blue eyes lingered on me, then sharpened – not with hunger, but with something more like curiosity. “But better insane with pizza than sane with Wiktor – or Santiago, no?” I flinched at Santiago’s name. Marek noticed. His mouth twisted into something like a smirk, but there was no victory in it. Only bitterness

The words made me shiver; my breath caught in my throat. Before I could retreat, his hand slid dangerously low across my back, pulling me forward. I stumbled, gasping at the sudden touch, catching myself against his chest. The corner of his mouth curved, satisfaction radiating from him. “Marek… please…” My voice cracked. “Please?” He tilted his head, pretending to consider. His bandaged hand lifted, brushing my jaw with surprising gentleness – before his grip hardened, forcing my chin upward, exposing my throat. His lips hovered dangerously close, his breath a mix of smoke and fire. “Please – what? Please stop? Or please don’t?” I froze. My body trembled with the truth I couldn’t voice. I couldn’t even say it to myself. Shame flooded me. He chuckled low, dark. “That’s what I thought.” With a sudden movement, Marek sat down, leaning against the couch, one arm sprawled lazily along the backrest, the other tapping his bandaged fingers against his knee. His eyes glittered, cold and pla

His phone vibrated angrily against the glass table.Marek froze mid-bite, his jaw tightening.The air in the room suddenly felt heavier.The name glowed on the cracked screen, ominous and merciless, making me shiver.Wiktor.For a moment, neither of us breathed. The TV hummed quietly in the background, the only sound in the room. The flickering light from the screen carved dark shadows across Marek’s face, deepening the scar that ran down his cheek - making him look half-beast, half-man. More than usual.My heart thundered painfully in my chest. The phone kept buzzing. Persistent. Demanding.He didn’t move to answer. He just stared at the name like it was venom.Then his gaze flickered to me – calculating, dangerous.His bandaged hand hovered above the phone for a long second before he finally picked it up.When he spoke, his voice was low, harder. Different.“Yes.”I couldn’t make out the words on the other end, but I could hear the tone – cold, sharp, commanding.Even through the di