Tessa’s off this morning, quieter than usual. The silence between us stretches thick, heavy, like a nket smothering the room. She’s been off sincest night—lying in bed, barely speaking, her eyes distant, as if her mind is somewhere far away.


    I didn’t press, thinking maybe she just needed some space, but this morning is different. It’s as if she’s here physically, but emotionally, she’s miles away, and it’s driving me crazy. I hate seeing her like this.


    Even as I try to focus on my work, my gaze keeps drifting to her office. Whatever’s going on with her, it gnaws at me.


    Getting up from my desk, I walk over to her office, the door already cracked. She doesn’t hear mee in until I’m standing right in front of her.


    “How’s the progress on those files?”


    She jumps, startled, and the smile she gives me is both forced and hollow.


    “It’sing,” she says, her attention flickering away for just a second. “Almost done.”


    I can tell it’s a lie. I can see it on her face, in the way she avoids looking at me.


    Closing the door behind me, I lower onto the chair next to her desk and take her hand in mine, forcing her to look at me.


    “What’s wrong, malyshka?” I ask gently, like I’m coaxing the truth out of her. “Anything I can do?”


    Her shoulders tense, and she swallows thickly, like she’s fighting something back. “What do you mean?”


    My head shakes with disappointment. “Don’t lie to me, Tessa.”


    She sighs, her chest rising and falling as she exhales. Her fingers twitch, and she releases a sigh. I can feel her hesitate, as if she’s considering whether to let me in on whatever is haunting her.


    “It’s that dream. The one I told you about.” She meets my eyes, and I’m still unsure if she’s telling me the truth. “I had it against night, and…it was worse than usual.”


    My hand squeezes hers. I can see how much it’s affecting her, how deeply it cuts.


    “When do you see your therapist again?” I ask, hoping that the process of talking it through will help ease some of this tension.


    She nces at the clock on the wall. “In three hours.”


    “Good.” I lean forward, cupping her cheek gently. “You will remember, Tessa. And you will be okay, because I’m here now.”


    Her eyes flutter, and for a moment, she leans into me, her proximity making every muscle in my body tighten. She loses herself in thefort of my words, in my touch, and it stirs something deep within me, makes me feel more powerful than I’ve ever known.


    Then, without warning, she throws her arms around me, and I pull her close, as if I can keep the world at bay just by holding her.


    Her warmth sinks into me, grounding me in a way I’ve never felt before. I breathe her in, feeling the way her body presses against mine, the way she melts into me.


    I’ve never allowed myself to feel like this. Never let anyone get this close. This deep. I’ve always believed in love as long as it was for everyone else, not me. But holding her now, it’s undeniable.


    I don’t just care for her. It’s something deeper, something real. Something worth fighting for.


    I know giving myself to her this way could destroy everything I’ve built, but I won’t let it get that far. I’ll protect her, be the man she needs me to be. And when the time is right, I’ll tell her what she truly means to me.


    Because for the first time in my life, I’m not afraid to want someone. Not afraid to admit that in ways I never imagined, she’s everything I never knew I needed.<hr>


    EMILIA


    The waiting room is quiet, but the silence is heavy and oppressive. The soft hum of the bright lights above fills the space, and the steady ticking of the clock on the wall only makes me more anxious. I sit on the edge of the chair, bouncing my foot, reliving what Riley told me over and over again.


    Maybe she was wrong. That’s possible, right?


    But she’s never been wrong before, not when ites to intel. Though I still refuse to believe it could be true, that Gerardo would hurt Nate or me this way. It makes no sense.


    ncing down at my phone again, I refresh my messages, hoping for one from Riley, maybe telling me she was wrong. But there’s nothing there.


    At least I can count on Konstantin showing me exactly who he is. He never hides from it, and there’s some honor in that.


    I throw my head back, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts of him offering a strangefort. His strong arms, the way he makes me feel safe despite everything I should fear about him. His touch is gentle, even though I know what he’s capable of. Yet with me, he bes someone entirely different.


    There’s something in him that makes me want to believe in the impossible, even when everything around me is falling apart. And when he holds me close, I feel… I feel like maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.


    But that’s not true, is it? Because nothing will ever be the same.


    The hypnotherapist’s door opens, snapping me out of my spiral. I stand quickly and stride toward the entrance, stepping into her quaint space filled with a hint ofvender and the soft music I recall fromst time.


    I sit in the chair across from her, the burden of everything I’m holding in sitting heavy in my chest. She starts the session by asking how I’m feeling, if I’ve had a dream of the vision, and I have. What I told Konstantin wasn’t a lie.


    “Are you ready to try again?” she asks.


    With a nod, I close my eyes as she gets me to rx, guiding me into a trance, the familiar darkness creeping around the edges of my consciousness.


    I’m not sure how long passes before I’m back in that closet, the same ce I’ve been stuck in for what feels like a lifetime. My chest tightens, my breath shallow. That same fear and helplessness is back, but this time, my senses are sharper.


    “I can hear them better,” I tell her.


    “Good. Now tell the little girl it’s okay to listen, to look at the man.”


    My body buzzes with this weird feeling, but I find myself taking the girl’s hand.


    Don’t be afraid, I tell her, and it’s as though she hears me because she looks my way. They can’t hurt you, I promise.


    She throws her arms around me, holding on tight, and I wrap mine around her in return, a strange sense of relief settling deep within me. As though she now knows it’s okay, she removes her palms from her ears, inching closer to the door as one of the men speaks.


    “You’re threatening me?” He pauses. “You just never learn, do you?”


    And I know whates before it does.


    A shot rings out, and the little girl shuts her eyes. My palm lowers to her shoulder.


    It’s okay. Remember, he can’t hurt you.


    She nods, and when the door rattles, she gasps, grabbing my hand.


    Don’t worry. I’ll be here the whole time. Just look at him. That’s all you need to do.


    She doesn’t want to. I can taste her fear—my fear. But something insidepels me to stare at the door as it starts to creak open.


    At first, all I find is a tall shadow, but as the light creeps in and my vision adjusts…


    “No, it-it can’t be—I…”


    My heart rate intensifies, my head spinning, my body like it’s out of sync.


    “You’re okay,” my therapist says. “Tell me what you see.”


    My body stiffens, the strain in my chest growing unbearable. The man steps forward, his hand reaching for the little girl.


    She nces back at me as he takes her hand, but my eyes are pinned to his. I want to run, but I can’t. I’m frozen in ce, as if I’m being held captive by the memories I’ve been too terrified to face.


    His hand is warm and steady as he pulls her out of the closet.


    “It’s alright,” he tells her. “Come on out now.”


    And when he stares in my direction, there’s no mistaking who he is, even as he appears much younger than I remember.


    The world tilts, and for a moment, I can’t breathe, can’t move. Can’t do anything but stare at him.


    Gerardo…


    No…


    Nonono.


    It was him? The whole time? How? Why?


    He knew how desperately I wanted to remember, but instead, he made me believe it was just a dream.


    My gaze shifts to the far left of the room, where a man in a cop’s uniform lies on the floor, a pool of blood spreading around him.


    That’s why he’s been lying to me all these years. He was terrified that I’d expose him. If Gerardo was dirty back then too, this cop must have discovered it, and it cost him his life.


    The little girl starts to cry, and Gerardo’s arms tighten around her.


    That fucking snake! I wanna rip his arms off!


    “It’s okay,” he murmurs. “He was a bad man. Don’t worry about him.”


    No, you’re the only bad man here. And I’m gonna make sure the whole world knows right before I destroy you.