Page 46 of His Dark Pull

“Don’t lie to me,”I snap. I slam my fist against the arm of the couch. “Sarah, I saw you two together. Are you— are you seeing him behind my back?”

“It’s not what you think, I swear,”she pleads, her eyes meeting mine with a desperate plea for understanding.

“Then what is it?”

She takes a deep breath, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, okay,”she says. “I’ll tell you. Tyler and I—we’re trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?”I repeat, confused and bewildered. “From what?”

“From Alexander,”she replies. “And from the Veles Network. We know that you’re involved with him, and we’re worried about you. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

I shake my head, my arms crossed over my chest. “I can handle myself, Sarah. I don’t need you or Tyler to spy on me!”

She reaches out, her hand hovering before retreating. “Ava, please,”she pleads. “You don’t understand. Alexander is dangerous. He’s involved in all sorts of illegal activities, and we’re afraid you’ll get caught up in it. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

I pull away, a cold knot forming in my stomach. “I can’t believe you thought spying on me was the right choice,”I say bitterly. “Besides, I haven’t seen Alexander for over a week now. Why didn’t you just come to me and tell me all of this instead?”

“We didn’t want to upset you,”she explains. “And we were afraid that if we told you, you would cut ties with Alexander. We needed any information we could get to help Harvey catch them and ensure your safety and the safety of everyone in the city. They’re terrorizing Port Haven, Ava.”

I take a deep breath, trying to process everything she has told me. The betrayal stings, but a part of me understands their intentions.

“Fine,”I say, my voice tight.

I rise from the couch, the need to escape the confines of her apartment.

Tears well up in her eyes. “I know I messed up. It’s just— Tyler and Harvey were so persuasive, and they made me think you were in serious trouble.”

“Yeah,”I say, thinking they may still be right.

I leave her apartment without another word, the image of her tear-streaked face etched into my memory.

* * *

As I walk down the rain-slicked streets, the city lights blur through the tears that stream down my own face. The rhythmic pattern of raindrops against the pavement is a soundtrack of sadness.

The darkness of the night and the emptiness of the streets reflect the void that Alexander’s absence has left in my heart. I pull my jacket tighter around me, but it is no use. I am already soaked to the bone, physically and emotionally.

Reaching for my phone, I try to send Alexander a message. But my texts bounce back, unanswered as if he has vanished into thin air.

Somehow I end up at his house. The windows are dark, the mansion deserted.Just like three years ago.

I remember the empty house, the unanswered calls, the frantic messages that went unread. The days turn into weeks, then months, the silence a deafening roar that drowns out all other sounds. The pain of his absence has been a physical ache, a gaping wound that refuses to heal.

And now, here I am again, standing before his empty house. As I stand here, the rain a cold caress against my skin, a single, unwavering truth resonates within me:I love him. Madly, deeply, irrevocably.

He is a predator, a creature of the shadows, his soul stained with the ink of a life I barely understand.

He is my addiction, my obsession, and I know, with chilling certainty, that I would walk through hellfire to have him, to keep him.

The Veles Network, Kovacs, and the debts that bind him to a life of crime – they are all just obstacles, challenges to be overcome, andenemies to be vanquished. I will be his, his confidante, his partner in crime if that’s what it takes.

For in the darkness that surrounds us, our love is a twisted masterpiece, a love story written in blood and ink, a love story that can only exist on the edge of a knife.

Reaching the hidden spot where he keeps a spare key, I retrieve it with trembling fingers and unlock the door, stepping into the familiar darkness of his home. The silence is deafening, the air thick with the scent of his cologne, a ghost of his presence that haunts every corner.

I curl up on his brown velvet couch, wrapping myself in a blanket that still holds his scent.

I wish he was here.

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