“But you?” Nova sneered, stepping closer. “You didn’t have to beg. You didn’t have to chase. And he gave you parts of him I would’ve killed for. He looked at you like you were oxygen, like he needed you just to fucking breathe.”
Sevyn swallowed hard, but didn’t speak. Pain silenced her, but her expression said it all—disbelief, disgust, and a flicker of pity.
“He cut me off without a word,” Nova said through clenched teeth. “The minute you stepped into his life, I was gone. Forgotten.”
Shecrouchedcloser,hertwistedsmilestretchingwide.“Soif Braxton wants to take you far the fuck away, I’m all in. Let that nigga run off with you. Long as you’re gone, I can have Hassan back. And I swear, I’ll remind him every day of what we used to be.”
Sevyn mugged her, blood on her lips and fury in her eyes. “You really think Hassan won’t kill you the second he finds out you helped Braxton?” she rasped, her voice low but sharp enough to cut steel.
Nova’s smile faltered. “He’s not gonna find out. I’ll be long gone the minute you’re on that plane,” she shot back coldly, like she had the whole thing mapped out.
Sevyn gave a slow, painful blink, her voice dropping even lower. “Good luck with that.”
Nova’s smile dropped completely, her eyes narrowing. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Sevyn took a breath—sharp and aching—and forced her eyes open just enough to lock onto Nova’s. “You said it yourself... Hassan gave me a part of him he never gave anyone else.”
Nova’s jaw clenched.
“That part... was his heart. His soul.” Sevyn could feel her voice cracking under the pain, but the conviction in it was unshakable. “He loves me with everything in him. Not some cold, calculated version of love. The real shit. The kind you never forget, never replace, never fucking get twice. And no other bitch—especially not you—is getting that from him.”
Nova’s face twisted in rage, and when she swung, Sevyn didn’t flinch. The punch landed hard, her head snapping to the side, but she just laughed. Bloody, broken—and still bold.
“I told you... you should’ve used both hands.”
Another hit came, harder this time. Her cheek instantly swelled, blood spilling from her mouth—but her laughter only got louder, darker.
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” Nova screamed, breathing heavy.
Sevyn leaned forward and spit a thick stream of blood onto the floor between them. Her mouth curved into a slow, savage grin. “Get your licks in now,” she whispered. “Because once I’m out these chains... bitch, you’re mine.”
The door slammed open.
Braxton stormed in, his face twisted in fury. He didn’t hesitate— he walked straight up and cracked Nova across the face with the back of his hand so hard the slap echoed through the room. She stumbled, clutching her cheek, stunned.
“I told you not to fucking touch her!” he roared. “One more time, and I’ll bury you myself!”
Nova winced. “Sorry...” she muttered, her voice trembling.
Sevynwatchedthewholethingwithbloodinherteethanda sinister smile on her face. She was battered, broken, but not bowed. That kind of power pissed them off—and that’s what gave her strength.
Braxton turned to Sevyn, brushing her curls out of her face like he hadn’t just let someone beat her bloody. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”
Her stomach dropped. “Where are we going?” she asked, her voice barely holding itself together.
“Paradise, baby. It’s time,” Braxton said with a smug grin, his eyes glinting like this was some kind of fairytale ending. He’d just gotten the call from Ariel—everything was in place, the money moved, and he’d already sent her the location for the meet-up. He was ready to disappear, with Sevyn chained to him like some twisted prize.
Sevyn’s stomach turned. She wanted to believe Hassan was coming. She needed to believe it. But that thread of hope she’d been clinging to—day after day, through beatings, slashes, and injections— was starting to fray. She didn’t even have the strength to fight the tears anymore. Not when her body was already too broken to move, too battered to scream. All she could do was pray… and wait.
Nova stepped in with the syringe again, her presence heavy with jealousy and venom. She didn’t say a word this time. Just jabbed the needle into Sevyn’s thigh like it was routine, like drugging her was second nature now. Sevyn barely flinched. She didn’t have the energy to. Her eyes fluttered as the drug hit her bloodstream, dragging her down like cement on her chest.
As Nova and Braxton turned to leave, Sevyn’s body slumped. Her head fell back, breath shallow, lashes fluttering like wings fighting a storm. The room spun and faded into nothingness.
She felt it deep in her bones. This was it.
This was the end.
Chapter 25