Page 151 of Twilight Sins

“I know you’re mad at me,” she says anyway. “If you don’t want to talk to me, that’s okay. But I need to tell you?—”

I drop her hand at her side. “I don’t even want to fucking see you right now.”

Hurt lashes across her face. I force my eyes away from her, mostly because it hurts too bad to leave them there.

Every time I look at her, I see Sergey standing over her in a dark corner.

Every time I look at her, I feel the hollow ache in my chest that started the moment I came home and realized Luna and Mariya were gone.

Every time I look at her, all I see is how fucking stupid I was to let this woman get under my skin, in my head, in my bed, in my heart.

“I want to respect your space,” she whispers, her voice watery. “I just think there’s something you should know.”

Even now, I want to still the wobble in her chin. My hands itch to press her against the counter and erase every memory of Sergey’s hands on her. “I don’t need to know a damn thing about you, Luna. Nothing about you has anything to do with me.”

Her face is pale.

This is the right thing. What I should have done from the start.

“You don’t mean that,” she breathes.

“I don’t have a good reason to lie. Not anymore.”

“When did you lie? You told me there would be secrets, but you swore you wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Everything I did was just to make sure your death wasn’t pinned on me. If we were out at dinner and you turned up dead that night, I would’ve had all eyes on me. But I’ll be able to get rid of you soon.”

“‘Get rid of me’?” she rasps.

“I only kept you around because it was easier this way. I could neutralize the threat and make sure you didn’t get yourself killed. Though you sure tried last night.”

“But you said… We went out on dates. We had sex.”

I paste a cruel smile on my face. “Who says work can’t be fun sometimes?”

She folds her hands over her stomach. She looks like she’s going to be sick. “I told you I loved you.”

“And I didn’t say it back, did I?”

Her knees wobble. I have to fight the urge to steady her. Yet another sign that I let myself get drawn in way too fucking deep. I have enough people in my life to take care of. I don’t need another one.

“Yakov.” My name breaks on her lips. “Please. I’m?—”

“Once the threat is gone, I’ll have Hope pack your things.” I turn back to the patio door, leaving the way I came. “It’ll be like this never happened.”

60

LUNA

It’ll be like this never happened.

His words echo even after the door slams behind him.

I drop down into a bar stool, my legs too weak to hold me up. I haven’t been able to keep anything down all day, but I’m grateful for it now. If I had anything in my stomach, it would have been all over the floor the moment Yakov said he’d be able to “get rid” of me soon.

Tears well in my eyes and scour down my cheeks. I try to wipe them away, but they’re coming too fast. I can’t see. Can’t breathe. I’m sobbing so hard I don’t hear Mariya approach until her arm is around my back.

“Holy shit, Luna. What happened?”

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