Page 114 of Revenge

“That may be the case, Kai. But I’m in love with you now, and there is only one way you will get me to leave.”

“Please tell me, so I can end this farce,” Kai barked, his tone a mixture of anger and upset. I had never seen him so emotional.

Taking a deep breath, I looked him in the eye, “Tell me you don’t love me, Kai.”

I could see how uncomfortable he was as he fought with his feelings, “This is ridiculous. You want your happy ever after Ava,remember? Well, I amnotthe man to give that to you. And I never will be.”

“Who are you then?” I cried.

“Nobody,” Kai replied, his shoulders dropping. I remembered him saying that to my mother that first day we met at the wedding party. “Nobody to you, anyway,” he added with a heavy sigh.

Pushing my arms up and around his neck, I needed to feel his heart beating against mine, “You didn’t listen to my request, Kai. I need to hear it for myself. The only way I will leave is if you can tell me, you don’t love me.”

Kai slowly unwrapped my arms from around his neck and stepped back. The light from the embers in the fireplace sent shadows across his face. He was suddenly a stranger.

And then that crack which already ran through the centre of my heart,splitin two.

“I don’t love you, Ava.”

Kai

After Ava ran from my office, she tookeverythinginside me with her; my heart, soul, the air from my lungs; my entirefuckingreason for existing. I was a hollow man, just a shell and not a strong one. I felt close to caving in on myself.

I was such a fool. I thought that letting her go would be the right thing to do. Ava wanted no part of my life, that seedier side of things, the life of a crime boss, but then she’d confessed her true feelings.

How could that be? AftereverythingI had put her through.

Her expression when I had lied about not loving her in return hadcrucifiedme. It had been the hardest thing I hadeverhad to do. I was the most accomplished liar in the entire Cartel, but that had been almost impossible. Almost.

After realising what I had done, I knew I had to go after her; force myself into her room and tell her I was a pussy and it was all bullshit. Ididlove her.

But then she wouldn’t leave and she wouldn’t be safe.

I spent the rest of that night finishing off the bottle of whisky, Nico and I had started. It felt like my life was over and I suddenly didn’t care about anything.

You let her walk away you fool.

My life had no meaning without Ava in it. And my future felt like a blank fucking page.

I woke up with a banging headache, a door slamming in the house somewhere felt like someone taking a hammer to my head.

Looking around the office and the state it was in brought back memories of the day before. One side of my face felt numb and I had the bastard of all cricks in my neck.

I glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner and it stated it was eight in the morning. The sun almost blinded me as it came in through the window.

And then panic kicked in, Ava! I was supposed to go to her room last night and beg for forgiveness and instead, I’d passed out in the chair.

Jumping up, I cringed as it felt like loose parts of my brain rattled in my headspace. I needed to get to Ava. She wouldn’t have left for the airport yet. I told Lester to have a car ready at nine. The flight was scheduled to take off at ten forty-five.

Stalking swiftly to the bathroom which adjoined my office, I freshened up and threw cold water over my face. I couldn’t face Ava smelling like a brewery.

As I left my office, Nico was just coming down the stairs.

“What happened to you?” he said, taking in my dishevelled appearance.

“What do you think?” I said with a grimace. It felt like someone had shit in my mouth.

“Looks like you made it through the rest of the whisky.”

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