Page 68 of Cruel Honor

I should, I should, I should.

But I don’t.

“Just like that?” I ask.

“Yes. Evie, you were almost killed by Abram again. I know when to cut my losses.”

“That’s all I am to you? Just a loss?”

“No,” he says gruffly. “You mean so fucking much to me, Evie. That’s why I’m doing this. I can’t watch you die. I fucked up when it came to Tatiana and Abram. And I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I hurt her or him. I didn’t care that you could possibly get hurt because I thought you would be safe. But I’ve seen it now. You’re not safe with me. So, for once in my life, I’m going to do the right thing and let you go.”

It's honorable of him. Too bad it’s also the first time I can actually see a future with Dimitri. He’s showing he can be good, which makes me want him even more.

Just as he’s pushing me away.

“What if I wanted to stay?” I whisper.

His brows furrow. “You would want to stay?”

“I don’t know. I’m just asking.”

“Then I would say you’re kind of crazy. Like me.” There’s that charming smile of his, and then it’s gone in a heartbeat. “But you’re not crazy like me. You’re smarter. I’ll take you home.”

For some reason, I want to say that his house is my home.

But we both know it’s not. I don’t belong in this world. I never did.

So, I nod. “Ok.”

I don’t have any belongings at his house, so it doesn’t take long for me to prepare to go.

Katya hugs me goodbye as we stand in the foyer. “This doesn’t change anything. I’m still gonna harass you at the library.”

“I wouldn’t want anything else.”

Dimitri gently touches my arm. “We should go.”

Katya offers me a smile, and then I follow Dimitri out of their house. As I walk away from it, a startling realization hits me—I was beginning to find a family in Katya and Dimitri. I haven’t had a family in a long time. Not since my dad died. Juno has never really been my family.

And yet, she’s the one I’m going back to.

Dimitri and I are silent on the drive. We’ve already said all there needs to be said.

The sight of Juno’s house—well, my dad’s house, technically—is not the welcome sight I thought it would be. It just looks sad and drab. Not because it’s not grand like Dimitri’s mansion but because I know what awaits me behind those walls. A life with Juno.

And a life without Dimitri.

The urge to ask him to let me stay is on the tip of my tongue. Even though I’m scared of the life Dimitri belongs to, it’s also been the most thrilling week of my life.

I remind myself I don’t belong in his world. I never have. So, now, it’s time to leave it.

“I’ll send a guard over right away,” he tells me. “He’ll be stationed outside at all times so if Dima shows himself, he’ll handle him. You’ll be safe.”

“I know. You’re good at keeping me alive.”

His smile is warm, but it only lasts a small moment. “I’m sorry, Evie, that I pulled you into my shit. It wasn’t fair to you.”

“You’re right. It wasn’t.”

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