Page 27 of Konstantin

She hurt herself? Why?!

My fingers twitch like they don’t know whether to hold her tighter or tear the room apart.

She shrugs, like it’s nothing. “It was a long time ago. I had a lot to process when I was young. And it didn’t help that I was alone. At least until my brother saved me eventually.”

A brother. So someone was there. But clearly he wasn’t enough.

“Is he still around?” My composure is barely restrained.

“Yes. We’re close.”

“Good.” My reply is short. Cold. But it barely covers what’s happening under my skin.

I want to smash something. Destroy something. For the fact that I wasn’t there. That someone broke her so deeply she turned on herself.

I force myself to inhale. Then I let the next words fall like a blade.

“You will never hurt yourself again.” My eyes pin hers. “Do you understand me?”

Her brow lifts, surprised by the force in my tone. But I don’t waver.

“If you’re in pain…” I bring her hand to my lips and press a kiss to her knuckles like it’s a vow etched in blood. “You come to me. I’ll take it. All of it. I’ll fucking rip it out of you if I have to and make it mine.”

My hand finds her jaw, thumb grazing her bottom lip. I feel her breath stutter.

“Whatever you need, whatever it costs, I’ll carry it. But you never turn that pain inward again. That’s mine now. Do you hear me?”

She nods, barely.

“Okay,” she whispers.

It’s not just a word. It’s a crack in her armor. A tiny, splintered opening in the walls she’s spent her whole life hiding behind.

And something shifts. In her. Inme.

“I know what it feels like to lose control, malyshka.” My knuckles brush her cheek. “To need something, anything, toanchor you when the world won’t stop spinning. I’ve been there. And I’ll be your anchor. Just let me.”

Our eyes collide, and what I see nearly knocks the air from my lungs.

It’s me. Reflected in her. Same fire. Same buried rage. Same aching need for something real, even if neither of us knows what the hell to do with it.

I don’t know what she’s done to me. How she cracked every wall I’ve built. Why I want to wreck her and worship her in the same breath.

But I know this: I will protect her. And anyone who tries to take her from me will learn just how far I’m willing to go to keep her.

CHAPTER EIGHT

EMILIA

Margo,my therapist, jots down notes like she always does during our sessions, while my mind is still on the events from earlier today.

Konstantin’s words continue to ring in my head. The way he looked at me like he has any idea what I’ve been through, like he’s experienced the same shit.

But there’s no way he knows. He can’t. A man like Konstantin has never known what it means to truly suffer, because he’s the one who makes everyone suffer instead.

I put him out of my mind, or I try to. I don’t have the luxury of being distracted, not when my brother’s life is on the line.

The most important thing is I got the job.