Page 40 of Cruel Love

“Sofia.”

I feel him kneel in front of me. He lays his hands over mine in my lap.

“Look at me, lyubov’ moya.”

I do as he says. Luka gazes at me in the dark, his face soft and calm. He fills his lungs, breathing in through his nose and I do the same. We exhale together.

“I promised you I’d find him,” he says slowly. “I swore to you that he’d suffer until his last breath, Sofia. I won’t let him hurt you or our son again. Don’t be scared.”

“I’m not.”

His brow furrows as an odd sense of calm settles in my chest. Gio is here. My worst nightmare has come to pass, and yet…

“I don’t fear him,” I say. “Gio can’t hurt me anymore.”

Luka leans in as tears fill my eyes. “Then, what’s wrong?” he asks.

I look at him. My real husband. The father of my son. A weight rises off my chest. I turn my palms up and entwine our fingers together.

“We’re going to get him,” I say. “Aren’t we?”

Luka’s concerned eyes shift slowly, filling with a light that can only be described as sinister. “Yes,” he answers. “We are.”

I inhale a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and blow it out through my lips.

At the end, I smile.

Chapter 12

Dani

I am the master of my machine.

I lay my hand over my heart and take a deep breath. I hold it there until it hurts and spit it back out again.

It’s not working. My usual fix for crippling stage fright has lost its effectiveness, though my life lately has been a lot more complicated than missing a cue or forgetting a line.

If I’m ever going to get out of this bed, then I need a new mantra.

What would Fox do?

He’d get up. He’d pack a bag. He’d—

Let’s start slow, shall we?

I feel my heart thumping against my ribs, hard and erratic. I take another breath, filling my whole body and holding it in while I repeat the words in my head over and over again.

What would Fox do?

I exhale, slow and controlled.

He’d get out of this fucking bed.

I turn and plant my feet on the floor.

He’d stand up. He’d pack a bag.

I stand and head toward the closet. My belongings stare back at me, a huge assortment of designer dresses and bright-colored blouses and kitschy handbags and shoes. Why do I have so many shoes?

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