Page 163 of Cruel Romeo

My hands shake so hard, I almost drop it. But finally, I manage to get a steady grip and thread it through the double handles.

I fumble and tug until the leather bites into my palms. Then I yank it tight, knot it twice, and step back.

That’s when I start to hear movement inside. “Sima?”

My chest is heaving. My eyes won’t leave the tied handles. I gave it my best shot, but it doesn’t look too strong. It won’t hold forever.

But it doesn’t have to. Not if I get out right freaking now.

All I need is a head start.

“Sima?” Luka’s muffled voice repeats, more urgent.

“Sorry,” I whisper under my breath, then spin on my heel and bolt down the hall.

I rush past the hallway and into the elevator. Every nerve is screaming to keep moving, to not look back.

So I don’t look back.

I put on my sneakers in the elevator. My fingers keep shaking the whole way down. When it hits the ground floor, I walk out as fast as I can without running. God knows I don’t need lobby security stopping me.

But no one so much as blinks at me.

I take a step outside, and fresh air hits my lungs.

That’s when I finally start running. Fast, fast, faster, until Petyr’s apartment building is a small dot in the distance behind me.

Time for step two.

My first stop is an ATM. Not exactly glamorous, but survival rarely is.

I duck into the vestibule, hoodie pulled low, and slide Petyr’s black card into the machine. My fingers are shaking so badly I punch in the wrong PIN twice.

Focus,I tell myself through deep breaths.You’ve got this. The hard part is over.

But I know, deep in my heart, that it’s not. Because Petyr might notice my absence any second. Luka might call him—is probably already calling him—and once that happens, my husband will put the city on lockdown.

I have to be long gone by then.

Once I finally enter the right PIN, the machine spits out bills in neat stacks. I take the max, shove the cash into my bag,and repeat the process with my own card. Bank account, credit line—anything I can drain fast, I do.

My chest fills with a mix of urgency and regret. I spent years putting those savings away so that I could start my business. So Jemma and I could live our dream.

Now, I’m going to have to burn through them just so I can disappear once more.

The numbers on the screen make my stomach twist.

Some of it—much of it—is his money, too. A tiny, guilty part of me wants to stop this. Because it’s theft, and no matter how dire things got for me when I was younger, that’s the one line I never crossed.

If it were just me, maybe I’d stop. Walk away with nothing and call it fair.

But it’s not just about me anymore. There’s a heartbeat inside me that doesn’t get a second chance if I don’t do whatever it takes.

Integrity doesn’t feed a baby. Sentiment doesn’t pay for new papers or a bus ticket out of state. And love certainly doesn’t conquer all.

I know that now. I’m not so stupid that I’d ever fall for that lie again.

The machine spits out another pile of cash. I grab it, shove it deep into my bag, and glance over my shoulder. Every second I linger in Petyr’s territory feels like a gamble.