Page 68 of Kidnapped Prisoner By the Bratva
I let out a deep breath, feeling a bit calmer. “I thought I could do it. I really thought that I could live with you and pretend like all is well when all isn’t.” I shook my head, my heartbeat steadying gradually. “Now you’re telling me I can leave—I can walk away, but you expect me not to consider it?”
His silence was starting to spook me, and although his expression was flat, I could see the pain in his eyes.
I swallowed hard, wiping the tears streaming down my cheeks. “You have to see how difficult this is for me. I’m…I’m not cut out for this life. You know it.” I stepped forward. “We’re opposites of each other, Val, and we live in two separate worlds.”
He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I understand.”
Strange. I was expecting more resistance than that.
“That’s it?” I pushed a bit harder.
“What do you want me to say, Wren?” A hint of frustration laced his tone.
“Whatever you’re thinking,” I replied. “I want you to tell me how you feel.”
“It doesn’t fuckin’ matter!” He raised his voice, not too loud, but a little above normal. “What difference would it make? I’m the monster you don’t wanna turn into. So, you might as well just leave.”
His last statement cut me deeper than it should’ve.
I hesitated, fighting back the tears that welled in my eyes. “Is that what you want?”
“It’s what you’ve decided,” he answered. “I’m only choosing to respect your decision.” He combed his fingers through his hair. “There are strings on you anymore, Wren Maddox; nothing binds you to me. You’re free to go.”
Wren Maddox?
I didn’t think that name would sound so unfamiliar in my own ears. Clearly, he just stripped me of his last name. That should feel like freedom, but for some reason, it hurt me more than I cared to admit.
My jaw tightened as I struggled not to shed any more tears. This was a good thing, and I should be glad that he was letting me off easily.
He could’ve decided that I wasn’t going anywhere and kept me prisoner. Or better, he could’ve held that piece of information from me, so I’d stick with him, thinking my life was still at risk.
It was time to break out of this cage and find myself again, finally. It was fun while it lasted, but everything had an end. Maybe this was the end of whatever we had going on between us.
Quietly, I left him standing there in the pool of dead bodies and headed back upstairs.
We didn’t speak to each other until the ride he’d booked for me arrived. The car honk outside was my cue, and by the time I walked downstairs, he was seated on a sofa with a cigar between his lips.
He didn’t say a word, just watched me head toward the front door in silence. I stopped in my tracks and stole a glance at him before stepping outside. I left without looking back, and even when I got inside the vehicle, I looked straight ahead, too afraid to glance back at the safe house.
I wasn’t sure what hurt more: the fact that he asked me to leave or that he didn’t stop me from leaving. I knew it wasn’t his fault or mine, but at the same time, deep down, I couldn’t help feeling like this was a bad idea.
Where were those voices in my head when I needed them the most?
We drove back into the city at night, and from the back seat, I wound down the window, feeling the wind of freedomon my face. Skyscrapers loomed like steel giants, their neon edges slicing the darkness. Billboards flashed, and traffic lights blinked as the city buzzed with life.
The Uber driver dropped me off outside my old apartment and then drove away into the night. I stood in front of the building, eyes gazing up at the window of my room.
Val hadn’t only returned my camera; before I left the safehouse, he’d returned my keys and laptop as well. He didn’t say a word to me. He just left them on the bed while I packed the few clothes I’d come with into a backpack.
Staring at this building felt off—nostalgic—but off in ways I couldn’t explain. Adjusting the backpack on my shoulders, I drew a deep breath and headed into the building.
Up the stairs and through the dimly lit hallway until I reached my room.
“Fuck you, Drake!” My neighbor’s muffled voice rang out from within the walls of their apartment.
“Fuck you too!” Drake fired back.
“I curse the day I met you!” Olivia yelled at the top of her lungs.
