Page 150 of Sinful Games

“I lost him too, Caia,” I whispered.

“Then you know why I’m doing this.” She turned back to pack more clothes, her voice breaking. “I can’t—I can’t look at you anymore. Every time I do, I see—” She choked on the words.

Lukyan.

She didn’t need to say it. I saw him too. Every single day.

That image was burned into my mind, haunting me. My boy, lying there on the cold marble floor, still and silent. His bright, curious eyes closed forever. His laugh, the one that used to fill our home, silenced. His little arms spread wide, like he’d been trying to reach for me, trying to hold on.

My boy. Gone.

The weight of it—the memory, the guilt—it was a burden I’d carry for the rest of my life. And it was my fault. All of it. I hadn’t protected him, hadn’t kept him safe. Too caught up in my own mess, I let it swallow him too.

“Caia, please,” I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around her from behind. “Please, don’t do this. I can’t—I can’t live without you.”

I pressed my face into the crook of her neck, the scent of lavender washing over me. Her hair brushed my cheek, soft like always. Her shoulders tensed under my hands, but shedidn’t pull away. Instead, her fingers rested on my arms, just inches from where her tears burned my skin.

“Don’t leave me too,moya solnyshka.”

“It’s for the best, Alexsei,” she whispered, shaking her head as another sob escaped her lips. She slipped out of my arms and zipped her bag with a finality that tore me apart. She then walked toward the door, her black dress swirling around her like the shadow of death, mirroring the darkness that had swallowed my heart.

“If you leave, Caia, if you walk out that door, you have no idea what monster you’ll unleash.”

Her hand froze on the doorknob, and for a moment, I thought maybe—just maybe—she’d stay. But when she turned back to me, her tear-filled eyes told me everything.

“I’m not leaving to destroy you, Alexsei. I’m leaving to save what’s left of us both.”

And then she was gone, the door closing behind her, leaving me in the wreckage of what was once my life.

My wife. My son.

Everything.

I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. Beg, crawl, whatever it takes. Because without her, there’s no fucking Alexsei Romaniev. There’s nothing.

The buzz of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. I pulled it from my pocket, eyes landing on the screen.

A text... from fucking Vlad?

Vlad:

I know who killed your son.

Part Three

The Angel

My Dearest Caia,

It’s been months since you walked out, and every day since, I’ve written you letters, screamed your name into the dark, and imagined your face in a thousand ways. Every time, I begged for forgiveness, for help. Yes, help. It’s selfish, isn’t it? To make this all about me. But I’m not okay.

In those letters, I begged you to come back.

I cursed you for leaving me at the darkest moment of my life, for making me feel like it was my fault our son is gone.

But the truth?

With each day that passes, with every minute, every second you’re gone, the hole inside me grows bigger. The pain—it’s unbearable without you.

---