Page 140 of Sweet Obsession

“Why did you let them take Gabriella?!” My voice cracked as I demanded an answer. “You knew the Vargas Cartel was involved, and you did nothing!”

He paused, a long, drawn-out silence that sent a chill down my spine. Then he spoke, his words careful, almost rehearsed.

Your sister is in my custody now.” His voice was cold, almost indifferent, as if he were speaking about a business transaction rather than a family member. “I had to pay a very high price to the Vargas Cartel and Chernov to get her back, but she’ll be fine. I’ll recover the money she owes me.”

A sick, icy knot twisted in my stomach, and I could barely keep the words from spilling out, choked with disbelief and fury. “Owe you?” I managed to spit out, the venom in my voice sharper than I intended. “She doesn’t owe you anything! You’re the one who let her be taken! And now, you—”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. The sheer weight of his words, of his callousness, was suffocating me. How could he talk like this? How could he just casually dismiss everything that had happened to Gabriella as if it were some transaction, some game where money solved everything?

“You’re responsible for this!” I felt my hands shaking, my grip tightening on the phone, but it didn’t help the storm building inside me. “How could you—how could you let them take her and then pay for her like some kind of commodity?”

“She’ll pay me back, Luna. One way or another.” His voice was cold, calculating. “As for Misha...”

A lump formed in my throat. “What about Misha?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. My mind had been screaming for any word of him, any sign that he was alive, that he hadn’t been lost to me forever.

“Misha is with me, for now,” he said, his voice a little too casual for my liking. “But Chernov is already on his way. You’d better prepare yourself for what’s coming.

The air left my lungs in a rush, as if someone had slapped me across the face. Misha... my mind was scrambling, trying to make sense of what he was saying. But it was too much—too horrible. And the anger, the rage... it exploded in me. “What are you talking about? Chernov is coming for him? What do you mean?”

“I meant just what I said. He is alive but in my custody and Chernov is coming to take him.” His voice was flat, as though he were stating the weather, but I could feel the weight of his words in my chest, a cold knot tightening around my heart.

“I’m telling you, I had to make sure he didn’t die. He fucked two women while he was locked up, and now Chernov thinks he’s broken. I thought it would be enough to appease him, but you’ll see. Misha will be dead soon, unless you do something about it.”

I froze. My blood ran cold. “No. No, that’s not possible. He would never—”

“Believe me, Luna. He had no choice. The women are very persuasive. They didn’t leave him with any options.”

I didn’t know what to feel anymore. Anger. Confusion. Pain. But above all, doubt.

“Please,” I begged, my voice cracking. “Please don’t let Chernov take him. I can’t lose him. Not after everything. Please, don’t let him die.”

My father’s voice hardened. “There’s nothing I can do, Luna. Chernov is already on his way. And unless you come to Columbia, that’s it. Misha will die. You will become a widow.”

The world seemed to tilt around me. “What do you mean come to Columbia?” I was shaking now, my thoughts scattered, desperate. “What do you want from me?”

“There’s nothing left to do but let him die and move on with your life. Once he’s gone, I’ll help you start over. I’ll get you out of Yakutsk. But you need to let go, Luna. Let Misha go.”

“Please,” I begged again, my voice breaking, tears spilling over, tracing wet paths down my cheeks. I wiped them away in frustration, but he didn’t seem affected by it. He never did. My father, always indifferent to the pain he caused.

I tried to steady my breath, my pulse erratic as I thought of the only thing that could possibly ground me in that moment. Gabriella. My sister. The last piece of family I had left. If I could hear her voice, if I could just know she was okay, it might offer me some kind of fleeting comfort, some anchor amidst the storm of chaos.

“Let me speak to Gabriella,” I finally choked out, my words barely a whisper, desperate and broken. “She’s been through hell. You can’t keep her from me. I need to know she’s okay.”

He laughed, a harsh, empty sound. “You’ll speak to her when I say so. But she’s safe. For now. She’s been in therapy, Luna. You’ll see her when it’s time.”

“No!” I screamed, my chest tightening with grief. “I won’t believe you! You don’t care about her. You’re using her—using me—just to manipulate me into doing what you want!”

My father didn’t respond. The line went silent for a long, drawn-out moment. Then, in a voice devoid of warmth, he finally spoke again.

“Goodbye, Luna. You’ll see when Misha’s dead, and then you can start your life afresh. Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you when it’s over.”

The line went dead. I was left in the silence of my own shattered heart.

Does he even remember what it was like to love? Or has he buried it all so deep he’s become as empty as his words?

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how much more I could take. I didn’t want to believe him—I couldn’t believe him—but everything in me was crumbling, the weight of his call crushing down on me like an avalanche.

My breath came in shallow bursts, my hands still shaking from the venom of his words. “Let Misha die... start over...”