Page 49 of Imperfect Desires

She gives me a look. The kind of look that says don’t lie to me.

"Lev resigned."

My breath stutters.

"What!" My voice comes out sharp, cutting through the quiet.

Scarlett’s expression softens. "Viktor got a message from him this morning. He’s stepping down from the Bratva."

My heart drops straight through the floor. "No," I whisper.

Scarlett’s hand closes over mine. "I’m sorry."

I shake my head, my pulse hammering beneath my skin. "Why would he…?"

But I know why. Because he thinks this is the right thing. Because he thinks walking away from me will stop what we feel.

Yelena’s gaze softens. "Maybe he’s scared."

"He’s not scared." My voice cracks. "He feels he is doing what is right."

Yelena strokes my hand. "I’m so sorry."

My throat tightens painfully. I feel the tears coming, but I fight them back.

"He was here last night, and I thought we were finally going to be together. I thought last night meant something."

"Maybe it did," she says gently.

"Then why did he leave?" My voice is thick with hurt.

Scarlett squeezes my hand. "Perhaps because Lev isn’t used to feeling something he can’t control."

“Or maybe he needs space to process what he feels.” Yelena adds.

What they say makes sense, but if that is true, why will he resign? A cold hand squeezes my heart as I realize he is not trying to come to terms with his feelings; instead, he has walkedaway from me, from all he has ever known. I feel sick knowing that Lev would rather abandon his life than be with me.

18

Viktor

The whiskey burns as it slides down my throat, but it does nothing to dull the sharp edge of my thoughts.

I sit behind my desk, the room dark except for the dim light bleeding in from the windows. I’ve always liked the view from up here. The height. The distance. It reminds me that I’m above it all. Untouchable. Unshakable.

But not tonight.

Tonight, I’m unraveling from the inside out. My hand tightens around the glass as I reread Lev’s message for the hundredth time.

"I think it’s best for everyone if I disappear."

My jaw locks painfully. Lev never runs. Never. I know him better than anyone. Lev faces problems head-on—he doesn’t back down from them. He doesn’t retreat.

This must be a personal fight.

Alina.

My hand tightens around the glass, the sharp press of the crystal digging into my skin. I close my eyes and replay the signs—the fleeting glances Lev thought no one noticed. The slight shift in his expression when Alina smiled at him. The tension in the room whenever they were too close to each other.

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