MARCUS
I regret ever listening. I wish I had kept my distance, stayed out of it, and resisted the temptation to eavesdrop on Olivia’s therapy session. I only wanted to understand what that man, Xander, had done to her. I needed to know the depth of the damage he had inflicted upon my wife. Never in my wildest imagination did I think it would be anything like what I heard.
How could he paralyze her like that? How could he trap her, making her lie on top of a grave? And locking her in a catb, forcing her to remain alone in that darkness… Did he even realize the psychological destruction he was causing her? Or was that his intention all along? To break herpletely?
Now, it all made sense. I understood why she had freaked out in the hospital when she saw a nurse holding a needle, walking toward her. In that moment, the only thing she saw wasn’t a nurse. She saw Xander. She saw himing at her with that same paralytic <b>agent</b>, intending to trap her again, to render her helpless and trapped in her own body.
Even Luke, the most ruthless gangster I knew, wasn’t capable of something that cold, that malicious. He might <b>have </b>his own darkness, but this, this was on a whole different level. Xander had made her stay among the dead, forced her to confront the idea that she was already dead, even though she <b>was </b>still breathing, still alive. He wanted her to feel like she was already gone, counting her among the dead long before her time.
The thought of it crushed me. I felt like the bathroom walls were closing in on me. The air felt thinner and if I was running out of it.
I lowered my head putting it between my knees, feeling the weight of my heart break in my chest. Tears fell freely, and I didn’t care who might hear me. I didn’t care what anyone might think. I couldn’t stop the raw emotion spilling out. How could he do this to her? How could anyone be that monstrous?
I could feel the anger rising in me, burning <b>like </b>a fire that threatened to consume me from the inside out. I stood, my fists clenched, and without <b>thinking</b>, I punched the door, sending it flying off its hinges. My mind was consumed by red–hot rage. Xander didn’t deserve to <b>live</b>, not after what he had done to Olivia, not after the terror and trauma he had forced upon her. He was no longer human. He was a monster.
I wiped the tears from my eyes, my face contorted with fury, <b>and </b>I grabbed my phone. My hands were shaking, but I dialled Nick’s number. It didn’t take long for his <b>cold</b>,posed voice toe through the line.
“Marcus, did something happen?”
Yes, something happened. That piece of trash, that animal, had damaged Olivia in ways I couldn’t even begin to exin. He had shattered her in the most brutal way imaginable.
“He locked her in <b>a </b>catb, Nick. He made her lie on top of a grave, paralyzed, trapped in her own body…” My voice broke <b>as </b>more tears fell, the pain unbearable. My poor wife, I could imagine how she must have felt in the situation. “How is she?” Nick’s voice softened, the words feeling distant and almost hollow.
“Pretending to be okay,” I muttered through a sob. “But I know she is not. I heard her crying in the doctor’s room. She’s not okay. She’s… not okay.” The weight of it all was suffocating. The knowledge that the woman I loved was suffering, was broken, because of Xander, it was more than I could bear<b>. </b>
Nick’s silence stretched on for a moment, but I knew he was processing it, just as I was<b>. </b>Then, finally, he spoke<b>, </b>his voice barely above a whisper.
‘He can’t live, Marcus. Not after this.”
It wasn’t <b>a </b>question. It wasn’t even a suggestion. It was a statement. And I knew, just as I had feared, that Nick felt
the same as I did. Xander had to die. There was <b>no </b>other choice <b>now</b>.
I wiped my tears again, my body trembling with the weight of what had to be done. But before I could say another word, the line went silent. Nick had ended the call. He didn need to say more. We both knew the inevitable.
Nick, like Luke and Ethan, was one of the few people who wouldy down their life for Olivia. For all his coldness, his ruthlessness, there was no one I trusted more when it came to protecting her. And now… now we both knew that protecting her meant eliminating the source of her pain. Xander could never be allowed to live after <b>what </b>he
had done.
the
I took <b>a </b>deep breath, trying to steady myself. The storm of emotions, of heartbreak and rage, raged inside me. But one thing was clear: Xander had made his mistake. He <b>had </b>touched the wrong woman, and now he would pay price.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I saw her name sh on the screen, my wife. She must have finished her session. I quickly <b>stood </b>up, my heart still heavy, and walked over to the tap. I sshed cold water on my face, hoping it would wash away the weight of everything. But no matter how much I tried to steady myself, my eyes gave me away. They were bloodshot, the aftermath of an hour filled with too many tears. I could already hear her voice in my head, asking why I looked so different.
Dammit. I was supposed to be strong for her, to hold it together. Instead, here <i>I </i>was, falling apart, crying like some lost child. I ran my hands through my damp hair, trying to regain someposure. I couldn’t let her see me like this, not now.
“I will be right out, babe,” I said, my voice sounding more fragile than I wanted it to, before I ended the call. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The man looking backat me felt <b>like </b><b>a </b>stranger, weak, defeated. I <b>didn’t </b>like him. I hated him. I felt like I had failed her. She deserved someone who
ended the call. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The man looking backat me felt <b>like </b><b>a </b>stranger, weak, defeated. I <b>didn’t </b>like him. I hated him. I felt like I had failed her. She deserved someone who could keep it together, someone who wouldn’t crumble under pressure. And here I was, broken.