Gideon’s eyes lingered on me a moment longer than necessary, his posture rigid as if he was trying to hold himself together in the face of whatever storm had come crashing down. Then, without a word, he gestured toward one of the leather chairs near his desk, the kind that looked expensive and uncomfortable at the same time.“Sit down, Amethyst. We need to talk.”The tension in the air was palpable, more than I had expected when I first agreed to come. There was no bravado in his voice, no sign of the self-assured businessman I had once known. It was as though the weight of everything had just hit him like a ton of bricks.I took the chair, my fingers brushing against the cold, smooth surface of the armrest. My thoughts were racing, trying to make sense of what was happening. It was clear that something had gone terribly wrong with his company, but I couldn’t fully grasp the scope of it yet. The unease gnawed at the edges of my mind.Gideon walked around the desk and sat across from m
But then I remembered. I remembered the way he had locked me away in that prison cell, how he had promised me he’d come back after I signed the divorce papers and set me free. And then, how he never did. How he left me there, waiting. Alone.I turned slowly, facing him again, forcing myself to look at the man who had once been everything to me. The man I had loved, the man I had trusted, the man who had shattered me.“You want to talk about mistakes?” My voice was colder than I intended, but I didn’t care. Let him feel the weight of my words. "Let’s talk about the biggest one you ever made."His face shifted, an almost imperceptible flinch at the mention of the past. But he didn’t say anything. He never did when the truth was staring him down.“You remember that time you accused me of stealing from the company?” I let the words hang in the air, waiting for them to sink in.“You remember how you had me locked up like I was some criminal?” I took a step toward him, my voice gaining stre
GIDEON’S POVI sat in the silence of my office long after Amethyst left, her words looping in my mind like a broken record. Each one felt like a blade, cutting deeper than the last, leaving my chest hollow—an aching void where my pride, ambition, and confidence had once lived. I had lost everything—not just the company, not just the investors, but her respect. The one person who had believed in me, even when she shouldn’t have, had finally seen me for what I’d become.I buried my face in my trembling hands, the weight of my mistakes pressing down like an iron shroud. Why did I do it? How had I let myself become this man? The man Amethyst described—a manipulator, a coward, a failure.The ride home was a blur. The city lights outside the car window flickered mockingly, their brightness a sharp contrast to the darkness swirling inside me. Each passing moment brought me closer to the one place I could still call mine
I stared at the card in my hand, the vibrant logo of the hotel mocking me, a stark reminder of something that didn’t make sense. The ornate lettering, the embossed design, everything about it screamed that it was from a place I knew we’d never visited. The last time I checked, Alexa hadn’t been anywhere that required a souvenir card.My mind raced. Why would she have this?Why would she hide it?My pulse quickened, anger bubbling up from deep within me. Every ounce of doubt, every insecurity I’d buried for months—maybe even years—came rushing back like a flood. The thought that she might have been keeping something from me, something as big as this, cut deep. I couldn’t help myself. I stormed downstairs, the card clenched tightly in my fist, my breath ragged as I called her name."Alexa!" I shouted, my voice barely recognizable, raw with emotion.She appeared
I kept walking, my boots thudding against the cold pavement, each step feeling heavier than the last. The chill in the air bit at my skin, but it barely registered. My mind was tangled in a mess of anger and confusion, and the only thing that kept circling in my head was I’m done.But even as the words rang in my ears, something else gnawed at me—the baby.I had left Alexa standing there, tears in her eyes, pleading with me. But more than that, I had left my child. The child that would be mine. The one I had promised myself I’d be there for, even if I didn’t know how to do it. The thought sliced through me like a razor, sharper than the cold night air.What the hell am I doing?My steps faltered, and I took a breath, trying to push the thought away. I wasn’t thinking straight. I needed a drink. A strong one. Something to quiet the voices in my head. Something to shut off the ache in my chest that wouldn't go away.I didn’t know where I was going. My mind was too foggy, too clouded by
I froze. My heart raced, but it wasn’t from the pain or the confusion. No, seeing her there—standing in that sterile doorway like a ghost, like she had somehow materialized out of the darkness itself—made my chest tighten in a way I wasn’t prepared for.Her eyes met mine, and they were as cold as I remembered. No softness. No sign of the warmth I had once foolishly believed I might have been able to rekindle. Just a distant, calculated look.She didn’t smile. Didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, taking me in as if I were some puzzle she’d had the misfortune of stumbling upon.I wanted to ask a hundred things—where the hell am I? What happened? Why the hell did you save me?—but the words wouldn’t come out.I swallowed hard and tried again, my voice rough, like I hadn’t used it in days.“Why… am I here?”She didn’t answer right away, instead glancing over her shoulder like she was deciding whether or not she should leave me to wallow in the mess of my own head. But when she s
I stood there, staring at Gideon, his body so broken and vulnerable, yet somehow still brimming with that arrogance he always carried. He deserved this. My mind kept telling me that. He deserved to feel the sting of his actions, to understand the weight of the things he had done to me. He had lied, cheated, and left me with nothing but shards of the life we had built together. And here he was, in pain, regret crawling across his face like it was finally catching up to him.So why did it feel so wrong?I shook my head, trying to shake the feeling away, but it clung to me like a shadow. I had spent years imagining this moment—imagining how sweet it would be to see him suffer. To see him finally understand that the choices he made weren’t without consequence. That the love he threw away wasn’t something he could just erase.But instead of satisfaction, all I felt was this heavy, suffocating emptiness.Maybe it’s because it’s too easy, I thought. Maybe that’s it. The cruelty of it was alm
I stiffened at Victoria’s question, the words cutting through the air like a blade. It wasn’t a question I had asked myself—not directly, at least. Why had I stayed here, in this sterile hospital room, surrounded by the echo of machines and the scent of antiseptic? Why had I stayed by Gideon’s side, when I should’ve walked away, when everything about this place screamed the past—a past I swore I would leave behind?I had come here with a singular purpose: to confront him. To make it clear that I wasn’t the woman he had once known—broken, passive, forgiving. I had come here to show him that I had no more space in me for the wreckage he left in his wake. But I stayed. And now, with that question hanging in the air, I wasn’t sure I could answer it.Victoria’s eyes were sharp, knowing—too knowing. She didn’t miss a thing. She could see through every façade, and I hated her for it.I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come immediately. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. Why had I
Before I could respond, she turned and walked away without another word, leaving me standing there, heart racing, my mind in chaos.I glanced at Nicolai, whose expression was unreadable, though there was a flicker of something I couldn’t quite place in his eyes.And just like that, the air between us thickened, heavy with the weight of her words.“Amethyst…” Nicolai’s voice was a low murmur, fragile and uncertain.But I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. The question that hung in the air was far too real. Would I really go with him? With them? And what exactly did Elena mean by "getting to know each other"?The door clicked shut behind her, leaving us alone. But the feeling that something was about to change—something I wasn’t ready for—rippled through me.The decision had already been made for me.And now, I had to figure out what to do next.The silence that followed
The woman’s smile widened, a glint of amusement in her eyes as she took a step closer to me. She didn’t seem intimidated by my questioning tone, which only heightened my suspicion. There was a cool confidence in the way she carried herself, as though she knew exactly how this moment would unfold.“I’m Nicolai’s sister,” she said, as though the words alone should have explained everything. “Name’s Elena.”Her name hung in the air, heavy with the promise of something I wasn’t quite prepared to face. I felt a pang of confusion and curiosity. Nicolai had never mentioned a sister, at least not in any context that would make this moment feel natural.Elena’s eyes didn’t leave me as she continued, her gaze flicking once more to Nicolai, who seemed to stiffen at the mention of her name. His expression darkened, and I could tell, even from the bed, that there was some history between them—a history that wasn’t written in any of the notes or explanations Nicolai had shared with me.“Funny,” Ele
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. He had caused me pain—there was no denying it. He had shattered trust, dragged me into a world of lies and deceit. But he had also been there for me when no one else had, an unlikely ally in a world that had turned its back on me. The justice for my mother’s death, the truths of my fake parents, the dark reality of the world I’d been thrust into—Nicolai had been there through it all, even when I refused to acknowledge it.“I’m here,” I said, my voice calm, unwavering despite the storm inside. “I’ll stay.”For a moment, Nicolai’s face seemed to relax at my words. His hand found mine, but the grip was different—fragile, hesitant, as though he feared the slightest movement might shatter whatever connection remained between us.“I didn’t mean for any of this,” he murmured, his voice weak, the words dragging from him as if each one took everything he had. “I never wanted to hurt you. But I couldn’t let you go. Not then. Not now.”I remained silent. T
The nurse’s voice on the other end of the line grew softer, a touch of sympathy threading through her words. “It’s too early to say, Ms. Amadeus. He’s unconscious, and we’ve started treatment, but his injuries are quite severe. I recommend that you come in as soon as you can. He’s asking for you.”The words hung in the air like an unspoken command. Nicolai. After everything, he was still asking for me. The anger I’d felt toward him just hours ago seemed distant, replaced by an undeniable pull to be there, to see him for myself, to make sure he was really okay.“Alright,” I managed to say, though my throat felt thick, as though the words were difficult to extract. “I’ll be there soon.”I hung up the phone, my fingers lingering on the screen for a moment longer than necessary. I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected to care, to be pulled back into his orbit so easily, so completely. But here I was, heart racing, guilt swirling inside me like a whirlpool.I stood up, my legs weak benea
The door clicked shut behind me with a finality that echoed in the stillness of the house. I leaned against it for a moment, my head resting on the cool wood, as the weight of the confrontation with Gideon settled over me like a heavy cloak. My breath was shaky, my heart still pounding in my chest. I had said everything I needed to say, everything I’d been holding back for years, but it still didn’t feel like enough.The anger that had fueled me outside still burned, but beneath it, there was a deeper, more painful exhaustion. I’d closed the door on him, but something inside me felt like it had been left open.I pushed off the door and stepped into the foyer, the dim light from the hallway casting long shadows on the walls. My hands were trembling, my mind racing with thoughts of Nicolai, Gideon, and the unshakable feeling that something was coming—something I couldn’t outrun.I walked into the living room, only half-aware of where I was going. My eyes drifted over the space—pictures
The door to my office slammed behind Nicolai, his presence still lingering in the air like a storm cloud. I stood there, fists clenched, heart racing, as the sound of his footsteps echoed down the hallway. For a moment, I thought I might collapse under the weight of his words. “You owe me, Amethyst. You’re not getting out of this.”I tried to steady my breathing, tried to push the anger and frustration aside. I was done with him. Done.But even as I forced my thoughts to calm, I could feel the storm inside me building. Nicolai hadn’t come to talk—he had come to control, to make sure I stayed trapped in a deal I had made in a moment of weakness. He wasn’t going to let me walk away, but that didn’t mean I had to roll over and let him take everything.I grabbed my coat, my movements sharp and deliberate as I marched out of my office, my heels clicking on the floor with the same intensity that burned in my chest. As I reached the elevator, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Nicolai’s eyes
As the finality of the words echoed in my mind, I slammed the phone down onto the passenger seat, my breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. The engine hummed louder in the quiet, but it did nothing to drown out the storm brewing in my chest. My grip on the wheel tightened until my knuckles were white, the car speeding through the dark streets as though the road could outrun my thoughts.Gideon. Nicolai. Both of them seemed to be haunting me, lurking at the edges of my mind, tugging at the threads of my past like they thought they had any claim to me. But they didn’t. I wouldn’t let them.I had promised Nicolai I would marry him. I hated how his words echoed in my mind, how they pushed into my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to ignore them. He had helped me bring justice to my mother, had fought alongside me when I needed it most. And in exchange, I had given my word—my promise—that I would marry him. A deal sealed in the chaos of a moment, but a deal nonetheless.I closed my eyes
As I drove through the empty streets, the cool night air creeping through the cracked window, I focused on keeping my grip firm on the steering wheel. The hum of the engine was a dull noise against the thundering thoughts in my head. My pulse still raced from the confrontation with Nicolai, but my mind was more preoccupied with the man who had shown up uninvited: Gideon.I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion swirling in my chest. It had been so long since I’d seen him, and yet, here he was, right when I least expected it.Gideon. I could still feel the weight of his gaze, the way his presence seemed to fill every space between us. But no matter how much he tried to be the hero in my life, I wouldn’t let him back in. Not after everything.The past was filled with too many scars, too many broken promises, for me to entertain the idea of letting him slip back into my life. What he did to me, what we had, couldn’t be undone. I wasn’t some helpless girl waiting for him to save me
Nicolai groaned, shaking his head, clearly dazed from the punch. Blood dripped from his split lip as he glared up at Gideon, struggling to get to his feet. “You think you can just show up and play the hero? You don’t know what’s going on, Gideon.”“I don’t need to know the details,” Gideon shot back, taking a step closer to Nicolai, his presence towering over him. “I just know you’ve hurt her enough. And I’m not going to stand by and let it happen again.”I stood frozen, still reeling from the shock of the scene unfolding in front of me. Gideon. Gideon was the one who had intervened. It had been so long since I’d seen him, let alone spoken to him, and now here he was, protecting me—when I least expected it.Nicolai, still on his knees, wiped the blood from his chin and glared up at both of us, his voice dripping with venom. “This isn’t over,” he spat. “