Page 153 of Beautiful Cruelty

Tears slip down my cheeks as self-loathing rises like bile in my throat. Thisisall my fault. Everything—from Nathan's betrayal to Irina's death to the pain in Vadim's eyes.

It's all because of me.

I did this.

I broke him.

I push myself up from the floor, legs trembling. The solution hits me with crushing clarity—if there's any hope of saving Vadim from becoming like Pyotr, I need to leave before I can tempt him further into darkness.

"When?" I manage to ask.

"Tonight. After midnight. Pack nothing. Everything you need will be provided when you escape." She stands smoothly, straightening her immaculate dress. "Meet me in the conservatory. Don't tell anyone. Don't leave any signs."

My mouth goes dry as she moves toward the door. "Why are you helping me?"

Olga pauses, her hand on the ornate doorknob. "Because I know where your story will end if you stay. But unlike Polina..." She turns back to me, her eyes gleaming in the dim light. "You still have a chance to change it."

45

VADIM

LATE AT NIGHT

The wipers slash backand forth across my windshield as I pull up to the safe house in Monroe. Rain pelts down in thick sheets, matching my dark mood. Demyon waits under the overhang, his broad shoulders hunched against the weather.

"She's inside," he says as I step out. "Pain in the ass getting her here without being followed."

I nod in acknowledgment. My hand is wrapped under a roll of bandages, and still throbs where Lacey bit me. But I welcome the pain.

It sharpens my focus, and reminds me just how quickly everything has moved in the last thirty-six hours.

"Need me to go in with you?" Demyon asks.

"No." I open the door. "This won't take long."

Inside, Megan Huang sits in an armchair, arm crossed. Her posture is rigid but unafraid. Her chin juts out in the same defiant way as Lacey's. And when she sees me, her dark eyes narrow with the fierce determination.

Despite looking nothing alike, only a fool can claim that the two of them aren't sisters.

"Ms. Huang," I greet her. "I trust these accommodations are to your liking?"

"Comfortable enough for being kidnapped by your blond boy toy outside." Even her voice carries the same sharp edge as Lacey's. "I'll leave you a five-star review when you let me go."

I can't help but smile.

Yep. Definitely Lacey's sister.

"Where's my sister?" Megan demands.

I think about Lacey confronting me yesterday, about the concern in her voice when she told me that Megan was missing, and about the marks I left on her body. Guilt washes over me, but I shove it away.

I sink into the chair across from her. "She's safe."

"That's not what I asked."

"She's home," I answer, and then add. "At my home. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"What happened to your hand?" Megan's gaze zeroes in on my bandage.

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