Page 120 of Bound By Revenge

Her eyes widen slightly, and my hands curl into fists at his sides, my chest rising and falling sharply as I fight to rein in my emotions. My voice drops, barely above a whisper. “You like to call me sweet? Try to leave me, and I’ll show you how wrong you are. I’ll show you what I’m capable of. I’ll do unspeakable things to keep you with me. There’s nothing I won’t do. Nothing. Do you understand?”

Her breath hitches, and she takes a shaky step back. The color drains from her face, her expression twisting with a mixture of shock and pain. Her voice softens, but the hurt in hereyes cuts me deeper than any blade. “I can’t believe you’d say that to me. After everything we’ve been through together?” Her arms wrap protectively around her middle, and her gaze flickers with disbelief.

She steps back, her voice gaining strength, trembling with anger and disbelief. “You’d never let me risk myself the way you’re risking yourself—the way you’re warning me you’ll risk yourself forever. I can't believe you’re asking me to let myself care for you—to let myself fall for you. You want me to give you my heart, just so you can shatter it? You’re out of your damn mind if you think I’ll spend the rest of my life in fear, dreading the day Dmitri walks through that door to tell me you’re gone forever.”

“Fuck. Kat, hang on—” I reach for her, desperate to take it back, to undo the damage I’ve caused.

“I need a moment,” she says, her voice breaking.

She steps away, dismissing me with an effortless ease that feels like a dagger to my chest. Without a single glance back, she walks out of the room. The sound of her footsteps fades as she walks away, leaving a disturbing emptiness in her wake.

I stand, frozen, staring at the doorway she just walked through, the crushing weight of my own stupidity pressing down on me. The silence is deafening, and all I can think is that I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Chapter 44

Kat

A hesitant knockechoes through the quiet bedroom, breaking through my spiraling thoughts.

“Yeah?” I call out after a second, not bothering to move from the bed. My eyes flick to the door, which creaks open slowly.

To my surprise, it’s Dmitri. He hesitates in the doorway, his hand gripping the edge as if debating whether to step inside. His pale blue eyes sweep over the room before settling on me cautiously.

“Can I come in?” he asks.

I nod, sitting up. “Yeah, of course.”

He steps inside, arms full of shopping bags, the soft rustle of tissue paper filling the silence. He glances around the room, taking in its sparse furnishings.

“Not sure where you want these,” he says, tilting his head toward the bags. “The boutique clerk sent them over today.”

I give him a puzzled look.

He sets the bags down with a dramatic sigh. “The stuff from your shopping trip, before the Irish decided to crash the party. Remember? Had to make a run for it?”

“Oh.” I get up, brushing off my surprise. “Guess we’ll put it all in the closet. I can’t believe the store actually kept it for us—and had it delivered, too. That was nice of them.”

“Please,” he says, following me toward the walk-in closet. “I’m sure they were falling over themselves to take care of Nikolai Stefanovich’s new girlfriend.”

I laugh dryly, grabbing a couple of the bags from him. “Girlfriend? Yeah, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Soul mate it is, then,” he shoots back, smirking as he leans casually against the doorframe, watching me empty the bags. “Heard you two had a lovers’ quarrel.”

I roll my eyes and toss a silk blouse onto the nearest shelf. “Nik’s right—you really don’t know how to mind your own business, do you?”

He sighs, shaking his head like I’m the one being difficult. “Come on, Kat. We’ve already been over this—Nik is my business. Stick around long enough, and I’ll make you my business too.” He winks at me, clearly enjoying himself.

I scoff, shaking my head with a rueful smile. “We’ll see about that,” I mutter, going back to unpacking.

He smirks. “Oh, you bet we will. Now, tell me all about this bit of trouble in paradise I've been hearing about.”

I hesitate, debating how much to share. But if anyone knows how to handle Nik—or at least offer some perspective—it’s Dmitri.

“What can I say? Nik might be the most stubborn man alive. He’s completely fixated on this revenge thing, and nothing I say seems to get through. I’ve tried reasoning with him, but it’s like talking to a brick wall. He’s impossible.”

He raises a brow, clearly amused. “You’re preaching to the choir.”

I sigh, frustration bubbling over. “It’s not just that he won’t listen. He’s willing to risk everything, including his life, just toget back at McGuire. And I’m supposed to just sit here and watch?”

---