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I can’t help the low chuckle that escapes me. The idea is so absurd, so impossibly unlikely that it almost feels like she’s made a joke.

“No one will find out.” I press my forehead against hers. “I’ve made arrangements. Professional arrangements. He’ll simply vanish.”

“When?”Kiraasks, her voice steadier now despite the tears still streaking her cheeks. “When will it happen?”

I study her face carefully, searching for any hesitation or doubt. There’s none. Just a burning intensity that matches what I feel inside.

“Tonight,” I tell her, running my thumb across her knuckles. “It’s already in motion.”

Her fingers tighten around mine. “Will it be quick?”

“Do you want it to be?” I ask, my voice low.

She hesitates, conflict flickering across her face. “I don’t know. Part of me wants him to suffer. Part of me just wants him gone.”

“Then he’ll suffer,” I say simply. “And then he’ll be gone.”

For a moment, we sit in silence, her hand in mine, the weight of what’s about to happen settling around us. I’ve never shared this part of myself with anyone before or allowed someone to see the darkness I keep carefully hidden. Yet here she is, looking at the darkest parts of me without flinching.

Kirastands suddenly, pulling me up with her. Before I can react, she slides her hands into my hair and pulls my face to hers.

Her lips press against mine with an intensity that surprises me. This is desperate, her body arching into mine as if she’s trying to crawl inside my skin.

Her eyes lock with mine when she breaks away, bright with tears and something I’ve been waiting for.

“I love you,” she whispers against my lips. “I know it’s crazy. I know it’s wrong. But I love you,Ryker Kent.”

Three simple words I never expected to hear directed at me. Not honestly. Not without manipulation or fear behind them.

Her hands frame my face, keeping my eyes on hers as she says it again. “I love you.”

Her words pierce something in me I thought had died years ago. The weight of them settles in my chest, unfamiliar but undeniable.

“I love you too,Kira.” The confession tears from my throat, unfiltered. “I was obsessed with you the moment I first saw you, and now obsession has become even deeper.”

I press my lips to her forehead, breathing her in. “And I will prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives.”

My eyes drift to the iPad screen where her abuser sits, unaware of the fate awaiting him. “He’ll never hurt anyone again. Not after tonight.”

I press my forehead against hers, our breath mingling in the space between us. “It’s done. Let me take care of everything. Let me take care of you.”

34

KIRA

The waiting is unbearable.

I pace across Ryker’s living room, my bare feet silent against the hardwood floors. It’s been hours since he made the call—a single sentence spoken into his phone before hanging up: “Proceed as discussed.”

Night has fallen, the darkness outside pressing against the floor-to-ceiling windows. As I move, I catch glimpses of my reflection—hair disheveled from running my hands through it, eyes wide and haunted. I barely recognize myself.

My uncle is going to die tonight.

The thought sends me a strange rollercoaster of emotions—horror, guilt, vindication, then, finally, relief. I’ve never wished death on anyone before. But I’ve also never hated anyone the way I hate him.

“Drink this.” Ryker’s says, standing in the doorway and offering me a glass of amber liquid.

I take it without question, welcoming the burn as it slides down my throat. Whiskey. Expensive, from the smoothness of it.