Page 46 of The Payment

“You’re being manipulated,?????.It’s all lies!Think about who raised you, who gave you everything—”

“You gave me a life built on lies!”The words tore from her throat.“You robbed me of my parents, my identity, of everything I held dear my entire life!”

“Watch your tone, young lady.I am still your grandfather, and I won’t have—”

“You won’t have anything.Not anymore.You and Elizabeth Polov are dead to me.”She ended the call, cutting off his furious shouts.

The phone slipped from her trembling fingers.Thirty years of memories crashed through her mind.Every precious moment had become tainted by the truth.Her legs gave way as deep, wracking sobs shook her body as the city lights blurred below.Each glittering point reminded her of the shattered pieces of her life—fragments of trust, of love, of certainty.The rage that had sustained her these past months was crumbling, leaving behind a raw ache she could no longer ignore.

Behind her, Jarek’s reflection appeared in the glass.His hands settled gently but firmly on her shoulders.It reminded her of how he was in the beginning.A man of tenderness and control that had always undone her.The warmth of his touch seeped through her blouse, melting the ice she had built around her heart.

She complied with his silent command to turn as her resistance crumbled not just under his touch but under the heavy burden of everything unsaid between them.Unrequited love, months of hatred, and beneath it all, a truth she had been too afraid to face—that even after everything, he was still the other half of her soul.

As his thumbs brushed away her tears, she lifted her face.The dominance in his gaze was tempered with something deeper—regret, understanding, and unwavering devotion that stripped away her defenses.She saw in his eyes the man who had protected her, betrayed her, and also ultimately saved her.The man who knew every dark corner of her soul.She silently wished he could still find it in himself to love her, not despite of them, but because of them.

“I don’t know who I am anymore,” she whispered, voicing the fear that had haunted her since the truth had come out.“Everything I believed...”Everything about him, about her grandparents, and the organization that had shaped both their lives had all been a carefully constructed lie.And yet, here in his arms, she felt more real than she had in months.

His lips found her temple, then traced down to her cheek.Each touch felt like an absolution.

“You’re still you, Tatiana.The strong woman who survived everything they did.Everything I did.”

His voice held an edge of authority that made her shiver.This was the voice that had guided her through her months of light and dark moments, that had both imprisoned and freed her.

“And you’re still mine.”

The words resonated through her body, awakening memories she had tried to bury.Memories of how he had controlled her that night at the club and how she had shaken off every shackle of restraint.Although she had succumbed to an orgy that still shamed her whenever she thought of it, she had found safety in his arms, surrender that had made her stronger once it was over.Now, the pull of a love so deep, it terrified her.Her fingers curled into his shirt, anchoring herself to him as years of complicated emotions crashed over her.

The space between them crackled with unspoken words and suppressed desire.When their lips finally met, it was more than just passion.It was a silent vow of forgiveness and homecoming.Every sweep of his tongue against hers spoke of renewed promises, of trust being rebuilt.His dominance wasn’t just physical; it was emotional, spiritual, and a claiming of her entire being.

Jarek drew back slightly.She blinked as she looked into his eyes, which darkened with desire and something deeper—a look that had always seen straight through her defenses.

“Tell me to stop,” he commanded.

In those words, she heard their path to this moment.Every time he had given her the choice, even the ones she had believed were centered around his vengeance now shouted their true intent.It had always been her choice.He might have threatened but never had he forced any decision on her.

Her heart raced, not just from desire but from the realization that she was done running.Done pretending she didn’t need this or need him.In his dominance, she had always found her truest self.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered in a voice thick with emotion.“Never stop, Jarek.Take me.”

His growl of response vibrated through her, awakening memories of countless nights when she had surrendered everything to him, even while she claimed to be pretending.As he captured her mouth again, his hands gripping her hips possessively, she felt the last walls around her heart crumbling.Each kiss was deeper than the last, healing and hunger merging into something almost spiritual.

He guided her backward toward the bedroom, his body dominating hers with each step.This was a familiar dance in the way he took control and the way her body instinctively yielded.But tonight, it meant more.Tonight, each step was a conscious choice to trust again, to believe in him again.

In the bedroom, he spun her around, and his fingers made quick work of her clothes.His kisses on her neck sent shivers down her spine, and his hands roaming her body and cupping her breasts before sliding down to her hips awakened nerve endings she had forced dormant in her months of denial.

“You’re mine, Tatiana,” he murmured against her skin.

The words echoed through her soul.She had tried so hard to deny this truth, but her body remembered—remembered how perfectly they fit together, how completely he understood her needs.

Unclasping her bra, he caressed her breasts while gently rolling her nipples between his fingers.With a moan, she arched against him as her body surrendered to his control.

“Such beauty,” he murmured as he pushed her gently onto the bed.His eyes held hers captive as he undressed.His body was a sculpture of muscle and scars and a testament to his strength and his violent past.In his eyes, she believed she saw not just desire but a promise.A promise to protect, to cherish, to never betray her trust again.With his fingers hooked into her panties, he slid them down her legs.She shivered as his touch lingered on her skin.With heat scoring her skin, he kissed his way up her thighs before pushing them apart firmly.

As he settled between her thighs, she felt the last of her resistance melting away.This wasn’t just about physical pleasure—it was about coming home.About accepting that sometimes love means forgiving the unforgivable, about understanding that strength can be found in surrender.

When he reached her center, his eyes glimmered with intent.“Don’t move,” he ordered with his breath hot on her skin.

Tatiana’s breath hitched as he lowered his head.His tongue laved her labia, once, twice before pushing through their satiny folds to find her most sensitive spot.Pulling out, he flicked his stiff tongue over her taut clitoris before thrusting it back deep inside.

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