Page 15 of Hunter

I sit frozen, unable to move, think, or breathe, the weight of her words crushing me.

I don’t know how long I sit here before she speaks again, her voice weak. “Get out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need.” She refuses to look at me, as though even turning her head takes more energy than she’s willing to spare.

I don’t want to leave, but I know my presence is only making it worse. If I stay, I’ll only cause more pain. With a sigh of resignation, I force myself to stand, keeping my eyes on her the entire time. My fist clenches at my side, my heart heavy with the sight of her—pale, broken, her eyes empty.

I make a silent promise to her: I’ll do whatever it takes to piece her back together. I will make every broken part of her whole again, no matter what it costs me. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to her she is worthy of love, of happiness. I’ll shield her from every shadow, take on every darkness myself. No harm will ever touch her again.

There is only her.

“What did you tell my family?” Her voice breaks the silence just as I’m about to leave.

“That I surprised you with a no-technology vacation. I’ve been sending your mom emails every few days, pretending to be you.” I stand there, my hand still on the doorknob, waiting for her to say something—anything. The silence stretches on, thick and suffocating. She doesn’t have the will to care.

After a few agonizing minutes, I finally leave the room. As the door closes behind me, I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor, my fist repeatedly slamming into the tiles. I want to feel the pain somewhere else in my body, to trick my mind into giving my heart a break.

There’s nothing I can do right now except keep searching for the person who did this. I just wish I knew where to start.

The sound of someone sitting beside me draws my attention. I open my eyes to find Luca’s disgruntled face staring back at me.

“Are you okay?” The question catches me off guard, and his voice carries a hint of genuine concern.

Am I okay?

No, I’m far from okay. I feel like I’m drowning, like I’m sinking deeper with every breath. The surface keeps moving farther away, no matter how hard I swim. I’m lost, confused, and unsure of how to help Sophia—or even if I can. There’s so much rage inside of me, it feels like I’m about to explode. But I don’t say any of that. I don’t know how to open up.

Luca’s hand lands on my shoulder, a gentle pat before he pulls it away. “She will be okay. It’ll take time. If anyone can survive what she’s been through, it’s her.”

I must look like a wreck for Luca, of all people, to try and cheer me up.

“I hope so.” I let out a long sigh, dragging a bloodied hand through my hair. “Why didn’t I just leave her alone when she asked? None of this would have happened to her.” The words hang in the air; it is more a self-directed question than anything I expect Luca to answer.

The memories play in my mind—the first time I saw her. So young. So pure. Untouched by the world’s cruelty. And then, the night I saw her again after all those years. She was more beautiful, harder, but still radiating light. She was like the sun itself, and I was the one who’d found her in the darkness. But now…

“We all have demons we need to overcome, Maxim. This won’t be easy. You need to have patience.”Patience. It’s athing I don’t have but, apparently, I need to find.

“She’s going to need a support system, and I’m sure she won’t want her family to know what happened. That’s going to have to be you.”

If only it was that simple. She doesn’t want me near her, so how the hell am I supposed to help her when she doesn’t want me involved?

“You’ll figure it out,” Luca says, answering the unspoken question.

He pats my shoulder again before leaving me alone with my thoughts. Exhaustion hits me like a truck, and I close my eyes, resting my head against the wall. I shut the world out for a few moments before forcing myself to find a couch to make my bed for the night.

SEVEN

MAXIM

The feeling of something hitting me on the head yanks me out of sleep. I jerk back, falling off the chair with a loud thud. What the fuck was that? I push myself up, hands on the chair’s armrest, and look toward the bed. I stifle a laugh when I see Sophia out of bed and holding a pillow, ready to strike.

I lay back in the chair, relaxing, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that she’s trying to beat me up with a pillow. I chuckle softly. Death by pillow. What a ridiculous way to go.

“Why’d you do that?” I ask, unable to hide the amusement in my voice as I rise from the floor.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone?” She narrows her eyes at me, her grip tightening around the pillow. “Is it really so hard to understand?”

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