Page 63

I take back what I previously said.

Because I am liar too.

I lied about killing Dario—something Sevan still doesn't know about.

The old me would not be so mindful of this.

I would simply kill Sevan for knowing this information about Nerissa the entire time.

But I...

I care for her.

I am falling in love with her, so I give her benefit of the doubt.

I give her room to explain this.

Nerissa will logically paint this out to be the worst picture.

But I know my girlfriend well enough to know she calculated beyond this.

There was a reason she did not tell me.

There had to be.

"Okay Koslov," Nerissa said as she approached my cell.

It had been approximately three hours.

I know because I made everyone be quiet so I could keep track.

I am unsure of where Sevan is or what she is planning.

But I do recall the executioners along with other mafia's landing in Moscow.

I assume they listen to the live feed from my wire.

So Sevan is already aware that she has explaining to do.

She also knows about Yuri and Arina.

I wonder where her head is at.

Probably a more calmer place than mine.

"Let's settle this once and for all," Nerissa determined, motioning her men to grab me.

And Nikolai?

Why does she need us both?

"You are going to sign and we will document it," Nerissa said, knowing she couldn't just force me to sign this.

There had to be proof that I did it willingly.

That I allowed the exchange of power.

"Via I think you should sign it," Nikolai whispered to me, "We will figure everything out after."

I shook my head as we walked through the doors, "I do not sign," I mumbled strictly.

"Blyat," Nikolai sighed through his nose as we walked toward the table set up in the middle of the room.

On it was a thick stack of papers and a pen.

"I have no use in convincing her," Nikolai determined, motioning the men holding his arms away.

Who immediately listened?

I furrowed my brows, eyeing Nikolai who calmly walked with them.

"What are you..." I trailed off, realizing it had been in front of me this entire time.

And Nikolai fits the part entirely.

He is the mole.

That is why they separated us at first and then sent him to try and play victim to convince me.

"You are a disappointment," I said, leveling my chin so I could hold his stare as I said it, "You work for us for years and you seek betrayal."

Nikolai shrugged, "It was better deal with Nerissa—nothing personal, Via," he assured me as he stood across the table with Nerissa.

Who looked as happy as fucking ever.

This is all so fucked.

"It is very personal to me," I mumbled, shaking my head at him, "You made Yuri lie to me, Kol."

Nikolai smiled slightly, "That actually was not me," he said, pursing his lips briefly when his smile grew, "Yuri is very selfless—very honorable that he wanted to take blame and let you believe I was nothing but good friend to you."

I remained silent, blinking a few times as I processed yet another lie.

But this one held meaning?

This one was to benefit me?

Which it did not, but I know those were not Yuri's intentions.

I knew it was odd how Yuri and Arina could've planned that from the start.

Arina stealing and then counting on me taking them in.

That was not my reputation so me offering them to stay with me couldn't have been counted on.

"The plan was for me to convince you to sign contract and later work for Nerissa—keeping the promise to Yuri who wanted to keep you sheltered and happy," Nikolai explained, adjusting his button-down shirt, "It was big win for me too given I would not be on your hit list."

I lazily raised my brows, "Torture list—you are both on my torture list," I calmly corrected them, "Killing you is much too easy for my liking."

Nikolai briefly nodded, "Right, well just sign—"

"I am not signing anything," I said, still not giving in to their demands.

Nerissa sighed dramatically, "I guess we go for backup plan," she determined, taking a step forward, "We forge signature—Nikolai vouches that you did it, and then we kill you."

I shrugged, "Go for it," I said, now in the mood to fight.

I am very happy I never told Nikolai about my hidden knife.

I also made sure to sneak it into the waistband of my skirt that I wore during the three hours of downtime I had.

So now it is much more accessible.

I reached behind me as soon as the two men walked toward while the two behind me cornered me in.

But as soon as the doors to the building were roughly banged open—everyone stalled around me.

"Grab Koslov—we leave," Nerissa quickly said as teams of people dressed in all black, wearing bulletproof vests, piled in with guns.

I jerked against the man who grabbed my wrist—immediately grabbing my knife to slice his hand.

Which made a grunt burn in his throat.

But I was too focused on the other man nearing me—slicing my knife across his throat and causing him to stumble back as he choked on his own blood.

Luckily, the different teams of people cornered Nerissa and Nikolai before they could even get halfway across the room—backing them both in with her men.

The man behind me still had the nerve to use his other hand to reach for me.

But he was quickly shot dead between his eyes before I had time to react.

So were the other men protecting Nerissa and Nikolai—leaving them alone and unprotected.

"Zinovia," I heard her familiar voice as she walked toward me, lowering her gun down.

And the familiarity of her presence immediately made my shoulders relax, sinking down as I let out a deep stressful breath.

Sevan had her arms wrapped around my waist in an instant, firmly pulling me into her for a hug.

Nothing but warmth surrounded me as I leaned into her, sliding my arms around her neck to hug her back.

"You have explaining to do," I told her, knowing she heard what Nerissa claimed.

"A lot of explaining," Sevan didn't hesitate to agree with me as we pulled back from the hug, "Let's just get everyone out of here and we'll talk about the details after," she told me, gently squeezing my waist as she eyed my face for any bruises, "You deserve to hear the truth."

I immediately nodded, noticing the doors that led to the room of cells had been opened.

And luckily Arina safely walked out beside the men, who she eyed cautiously.

At least until she noticed me and Sevan.

Then her composure changed.

She knew she was okay.

Which made me let out a deep breath of relief, watching as they walked her safely out of the building away from Nerissa and Nikolai.

Who both stood cornered by the teams of people, looking at me with the best expression on both their faces.

Defeat.

Suddenly Nikolai was giving me pitiful eyes.

He assumes those have power after what he has done?

"How do you feel? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Sevan instinctively asked me as she began analyzing my arms, "And Arina and Yuri I heard they weren't fed either?"

I shook my head, forcing steadiness into my voice, "We will be fine. Yuri just needs his medicine and..." I trailed off as soon as I caught sight of the gurney being carried in by four people. My heart physically sank, "Sevan, what is that?"

My girlfriend didn't respond for a few long moments.

Instead, her brows were furrowed in confusion as if she was as lost as I was.

"Sevan," I pressed, my voice weak in my ears as I shoved away from her, my steps leading me toward the cells, "Why do they have that?"

The gurney passed by me yet again, and this time...

I saw him.

Limp and lifeless.

Yuri.

No.

No, no, no—he is asleep.

He's asleep, and they're just carrying him to... to...

I froze.

He isn't breathing.

My chest tightened as I searched desperately for the rise and fall of his breath.

But it wasn't there.

"Zinovia—"

"This is their fault," I said, immediately latching onto my anger because anything else would physically break me, "This is all their fault," I emphasized, shoving past the crowd that parted like a tide for me.

"Zinovia don't," Sevan said as soon as I approached Nerissa and Nikolai who couldn't back away with the guards standing firmly behind them, "Killing them won't make this bett—"

Her voice was cut off by my raw scream—slashing my knife across Nerissa's neck.

Blood sprayed everywhere as she crumpled to the ground, choking and clutching at her bloody neck with wide eyes.

"Via please, we have history," Nikolai tried to plead as he took in my state, "I am sorry, very very sorry—I never planned to kill either of them," he added, but all I could see was Yuri on that gurney.

All I could think about was him being dead.

He is dead.

And I left him with nothing—I never got to truly tell him goodbye.

I never got to say thank you for trying to keep the perfect image of my close friend and right-hand man who betrayed me.

I let him believe I was angry at him and his actions.

I never even got to say I forgive him and—

"Zinovia," Sevan said, cutting me from my thoughts.

Which suddenly made me zone in on my bloody hands.

My knife dripped with blood, and beneath me laid Nikolai's limp and mutilated body.

I blinked—my breath ragged, as my hands began to tremble.

The knife slipped from my fingers, clattering to the ground as I stumbled back, my knees giving out from under me entirely.

"Everyone out," Sevan instructed, causing the teams of people to empty the room almost instantly.

Sevan lowered down to the ground with me, but I refused to move—I refused to glance away from my hands covered in Nikolai's blood.

I just sat on my knees, entirely numb to the heavy feelings that I desperately fought away.

I just killed... I killed Kol.

"Zi," Sevan whispered, not bothering to touch me or move closer to me.

She gave me the space I truly needed to process this.

"I want to go home," I whispered, eyeing my trembling hands as I blinked away the heaviness in my eyes, "I want to go right now," I emphasized, stumbling up from my knees.

Which caused Sevan to immediately stand up, helping me steady myself on my feet.

"We'll go—I'll take you now," Sevan didn't hesitate to assure me, which only earned a nod from me.

But I didn't bother saying anything.

I was officially done.

Whatever thread had held me together had snapped.

This was the end.

It is over.

It all feels over.

"Where is my papa?" Arina asked as soon as we slid into the backseat with her, eyeing my disheveled appearance, "He rides in other car?"

I clenched my jaw, remaining silent as I stared down at my hands.

I cannot tell her.

I will not be the one who tells her.

And it seems Sevan knew that given she was the one who said—

"Your papa, he isn't... he didn't make it through."

"What?" Arina immediately said, and I could hear the disbelief in her tone, "Nyet, he was fine—he said he was going to sleep and—Via you tell me he is fine."

I swallowed harshly, shaking my head once as I drew in a deeper breath—leaning away from Sevan when she attempted to grab one of my hands covered in blood.

"But you promised me everything would be okay—you said everything would be okay, Via," Arina whispered before sobs broke free from her lips, slicing through my already broken composure, "And this is not okay—I am not okay."

I nodded a few times, but I couldn't physically get any words out.

I couldn't even look at her.

All I could do was keep my head down in defeat, desperately trying to keep it all together.

But Arina's sobs and cries were not helping me.

They were so broken and full of pain.

Pain that I caused.

This is my fault and I can't even say anything.

I cannot even apologize for taking her last means of family out of her life.

Luckily, Sevan was seated between us so she was able to comfort Arina when I couldn't.

I chose to zone it all out.

Her crying, Sevan's echoey words of reassurance, and the blood that dried on my hands by the time we made it back to the compound.

Arina rushed up to her room as soon as we made it inside—specifying that she wanted to be alone and away from us.

I did not blame her.

I wanted to be alone too, but Sevan wasn't letting that happen.

She focused on helping me wash the blood off my hands first—and then running me a hot shower.

I spent endless minutes under that hot water—staring forward at the glass wall as I remained stiffly stuck in place.

Until Sevan joined me moments later, washing my body and hair for me as I continued not to speak one word.

I honestly zoned out of it all—her drying me off and rubbing my lotion in.

Even dressing me in my pajamas as she pulled on a hoodie and sweatpants.

I felt mentally and physically clocked out to the point that I hid under my covers—refusing to let Sevan touch me.

And she respected my unspoken demands, laying calmly beside me as she focused on her phone.

I suddenly furrowed my brows, hearing the door to my room open.

Sevan's presence was still prominent beside me, so I felt almost unsure of who this could be.

Only a few people had the clearance to be in my room.

I suddenly pulled the covers away from my face, glancing past Sevan—

To Ivan.