Page 139 of Sweet Obsession

But even that hope was fading, slipping through my fingers like sand.

The phone crackled in Rojas’s hand as he brought it closer to my ear. My heart stuttered, the cold, familiar voice slicing through the fog of pain that clouded my mind.

“I’m coming for you, Misha. Prepare yourself.”.

The words felt like ice, sinking straight into my chest. I knew that voice. I knew the man on the other end. Chernov—the one who had never been anything but a thorn in my side. A constant reminder of the power struggle, the madness that followed me every step of the way. But this time, it was different.

This time, he was coming for me.

And it wasn’t for a simple kill. I knew that much. But I had nothing left to lose. I would die first before I let anyone touch Luna. I’d made promises—to her, to myself—and there was no way in hell I would let those promises be broken, no matter the cost.”

Rojas didn’t say a word as I hung there, I wanted to yell, to scream at Chernov that he’d regret this, but all I could manage was a grunt of frustration as my body screamed in agony. Everyfiber of me wanted to move, to fight back, but the chains held me in place like a corpse hanging from a rope.

“Chernov,” I managed, forcing the word through the pain. “You won’t take me that easily. I swear, you won’t.”

Rojas scoffed, his feet tapping against the floor impatiently. But I barely noticed him anymore. All I could focus on was that voice, that promise of a slow, painful death.

“I don’t think it’s you who needs to worry about me, Misha,” Chernov continued, the edge of his words cutting through the tension. “You’re the one who’s in the hole now. And I’m coming to finish it. I’m coming for you.”

I wanted to shout back at him, wanted to rip into him with everything I had, but my strength was gone, my will slipping.

Rojas looked at me with a sly grin. “You heard him. He’s coming. I hope you’re ready to die, Misha.”

But even as his words sank in, I knew one thing, no matter what, no matter how much Chernov came for me, I would never betray Luna.

And if Chernov thought for one second he could break me, he had another thing coming.

Chapter 21

LUNA

I stood in front of the mirror, my fingers tracing the outline of my stomach, feeling the soft swell that had taken me by surprise.

Ihad been trying to ignore it, trying to push it down, but it was getting harder by the day. The nausea, the dizziness, the sudden bouts of retching that made it impossible to keep food down.

I looked at myself—leaner than I ever thought I’d become. It was as if I was fading away, a shell of the woman I used to be, with no future, no hope, and no control.

For the past week, I hadn’t heard from Misha. Not a word. The silence had stretched on, unbearable, gnawing at me, until it felt like I was suffocating under the weight of it.

My heart twisted with every thought of him—where was he? Was he still alive? What had they done to him?

The pain of not knowing was unbearable.

And then there was Gabriella. My sister, kidnapped and held captive for months, likely tortured, with no word from her. She was probably broken, shattered in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

I didn’t know how much more of this I could take.

The only glimmer of hope had been Gleb Romanov. He had managed to help Misha’s father, Vladimir, escape from the grasp of the Vargas Cartel, and he promised me he would help get Misha and Gabriella back, too.

But it was all slipping through my fingers. Every passing day, the hope faded more, and the pain of losing them both—the man I loved and the sister I’d sworn to protect—seemed to consume me whole.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I had been resisting it for so long, but now I had no choice. I needed answers. I needed something to hold onto.

I called my father.

The call felt like I was cutting myself open. He answered on the third ring, his voice as cold and indifferent as I remembered it.

“Luna,” he said, his voice sharp. “What is it?”