Page 49 of Sweet Obsession (Savage Vow #1)

LUNA

Gabriella doesn’t move. For a second, I think I might see the room crack open and swallow us both whole. She’s frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. It’s like time has stopped, and it’s just us three, her, Misha, and me, trapped in this unbearable moment.

I can’t breathe.

I want to run.

I want to scream.

Instead, my mouth is dry, and my body is locked in place, too. Everything inside me is trembling. The sound of Misha’s breathing is too loud, too close, but I can’t look away.

I can feel Gabriella’s fury building, even without a word. Her jaw tightens, her nostrils flare, and I know she’s going to lash out. She always does when she’s caught off guard. But this... this is too much for anyone to process.

And Misha?

He’s broken. In ways I didn’t think he could be.

His pride? Gone. His arrogance? Crumbled into dust at his feet.

There’s nothing left of the man who once controlled everything—everything except me.

The man who thought I’d be a pawn, an object to possess.

He’s not the same person. And yet, he’s still the one standing in front of me, like a goddamn ghost.

Gabriella’s voice snaps me out of my haze.

“Get up,” she says, her tone cutting through the tension. “Get up, Misha.”

But he doesn’t. He stays on one knee, his face scrunched in pain. His eyes are locked on Gabriella, but there’s a glimmer of something else when they flicker toward me—something dark, desperate, raw.

Gabriella takes a step back, then turns to me, her eyes searching mine. She’s asking without speaking if this is really happening. If I want it to be.

I don’t know.

I don’t know what I want.

Misha’s gaze slides to me again, and it feels like he’s reaching out without moving a muscle. I should tell him to leave. I should tell him that he’s ruined everything. That after all this time, after everything, he has no right to be here, in front of me, begging like this.

But the words don’t come.

Instead, I find myself taking a slow, shuddering breath, my voice finally breaking the silence.

“Why, Misha?” It’s a whisper, but it feels like it rips through me. “Why are you here?”

He shifts, rising slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s a mix of agony and relief in his expression, as if just seeing me again is both a torment and a salvation.

“I told you, I needed you,” he says, his voice hoarse, cracking on the words. “But more than that, Luna... I need you to know... that I’m not giving up. Not on you. Not on us.”

His words hit me harder than anything I expected.

Not giving up.

Those words should have comforted me, but instead, they make my stomach tighten in ways I can’t explain. Every muscle in my body screams at me to stay away from him, but my heart?

My heart still beats for him.

“I didn’t ask you to come here,” I manage, taking a step back, my pulse racing. “I didn’t ask you to keep chasing me.”

He looks at me like I’ve slapped him, but he doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t look away.

“I know you didn’t,” he says softly, his voice low, almost regretful. “But I don’t know how to stop, Luna. I’m... I’m sorry for everything. For the way I hurt you, for all the things I did. But I need you to understand... I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant to... break you.”

I want to scream at him. I want to tell him how much he hurt me, how much he’s destroyed inside me. How could he come here and act like nothing happened? Like the pain and the betrayal don’t matter?

But instead, I swallow the words. I swallow the fire in my chest because, for some reason, I can’t bring myself to push him away. Not completely.

Gabriella’s voice cuts through the moment, sharp and unwavering.

“You broke her, Misha,” she says, her eyes burning with fury. “You broke her, and now you think you can just—what? Apologize and everything will be okay? You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to walk in here and make her feel like this is something she can just fix with you.”

Her words sting. I know they’re true. I know she’s right. And yet, there’s something inside me that refuses to let go of him completely. Even now, after everything.

Misha turns toward her, his eyes pleading. “I’m not asking for forgiveness from you, Gabriella. I’m asking for it from her.”

My breath catches. I can barely breathe.

I finally look at Gabriella, and she sees it—sees the cracks, sees how close I am to shattering in front of him. Her gaze softens, but only for a moment. Then she looks back at Misha, and I can see the tension in her body.

“I don’t know what to say to you,” she says finally, her voice shaking with restrained fury. “But I’m not the one you need to talk to. Not anymore.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut.

Not anymore.

I look at Misha. His face is a mix of confusion and hurt, but there’s a resolve in his gaze. Something hard and unyielding. Like he’s ready to take whatever punishment I give him, if only to reach me.

“I’ve made so many mistakes, Luna,” he says quietly. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, not right now. But I need you to hear me. Please. I need you to hear me.”

I want want to hate him. But instead, I find myself stepping forward, just a little, unable to resist the gravity of his presence.

Gabriella’s voice breaks through the quiet, a little sharper than before.

“This is too much. I’ll give you both some space,” she says, her eyes flicking between the two of us, an unspoken warning flashing in her gaze. “You’ve said what you needed to say. But Luna... don’t make any decisions right now. Not in this moment.”

I nod, but it feels like a lifetime before she leaves the room. I watch her go, her footsteps echoing down the hall, leaving me alone with Misha.

Misha takes a deep breath, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world is still pressing down on him. His eyes never leave mine, though—there’s an urgency in them now, something raw and real that I haven’t seen before.

“I wasn’t there for you, Luna. I know that.

And I don’t expect you to forgive me for that.

But I need you to understand something.” His voice is rough, thick with emotion.

“When I became Pakhan, I thought I had to carry everything. I thought being in charge meant I had to do it all alone—shoulder every burden, bear every responsibility. I didn’t prioritize you.

I didn’t prioritize what mattered most.”

His voice falters, and he steps closer, like he’s trying to close the distance between us, but he stops himself.

“I let you slip away. I see that now. I should have shared the load earlier, let others carry it, and made you my priority. I’m free now, Luna, free in a way I never was before. And I should’ve done this from the start.”

I swallow hard, the weight of his words sinking in, but I don’t speak. I can’t. Not yet.

“I didn’t understand what I had until you left. I thought I was invincible. But when you walked away... I realized I was the one who was broken. The one who didn’t know how to keep the most important person in my life by my side.”

He reaches for me then, his hand trembling slightly as it hovers near mine. “I’m sorry, Luna. I’m so fucking sorry for abandoning you. For thinking I could do this without you. I can’t.”

I feel the heat of his apology, the sincerity in it. I want to hate him for what he’s done. I want to push him away and never look back. But something inside me won’t let me.

I can feel my walls starting to crack, the anger and resentment fading just a little, replaced by the vulnerability that’s been buried deep inside me.

“Why?” I manage to say, my voice shaking. “Why should I believe you? After everything?”

His eyes search mine, pleading. “Because I’ve learned.

I’ve learned that family comes first. You come first. I would give up everything to have you back in my life.

I’ll spend every single second of the rest of my life trying to make it right.

Not just because I want to, but because I need to. I need you.”

I want to yell at him but the sincerity in his voice is enough to stop me.

“I... I don’t know how to forgive you,” I whisper. “I don’t know if I can.”

“I don’t need you to forgive me right now,” he says, his tone steady but full of hope. “I just need you to know that I’m not giving up on you. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to forgive me.”

I stand there with him, trembling, a mixture of fury and longing tearing me apart.

And then it happens.

I break.

I don’t know what makes it happen, the way he’s looking at me, or maybe the softness in his voice, but I start to cry.

Silent tears at first, and then they come harder, crashing over me in waves.

I feel the rawness of everything I’ve been holding in.

All the pain, all the hurt, all the memories I’ve buried.

Misha reaches for me then, and this time I don’t pull away. He pulls me to him, his arms wrapping around me, and I let myself fall into him. His hands move over my back, soothing, like he’s trying to hold me together as I break apart.

“I’m sorry, Luna,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. “I swear to you, I’ll never make you cry again. Never. If you give me the chance, I’ll spend my life making it right.”

I can’t speak. I can barely breathe, my chest tight with everything I’ve been holding in. But somehow, in that moment, I feel like I can’t keep running anymore. Like I have to face this—him, us—head on.

“I... I still love you,” I whisper through my tears. “I always have.”

His hands freeze on my back, and he pulls away just enough to look at me, his eyes wide with shock. He’s shaking, too, his chest rising and falling with the weight of everything that’s just been said.

“I never stopped loving you,” he whispers back, his voice hoarse.

There’s a moment of silence, and then he pulls something from his jacket pocket. A small box. He opens it, revealing a ring. It’s simple, elegant, but there’s something about it that makes my heart stop.

“I want to do this right, Luna,” he says, his voice low and serious. “I know I don’t deserve you, but I want you to know that I will never force you into anything again. I want to marry you. With your consent this time.”

I stare at the ring, my breath catching in my throat. It’s too much. All of it.

“I... I can’t...” My voice falters as I try to find the words. But he’s already kneeling in front of me, holding the ring out.

“Please,” he says, his voice breaking, “marry me. In your own way. On your terms. Let me prove to you that I can be the man you deserve.”

I close my eyes, the tears still falling, but this time, I don’t try to stop them. I’m too tired to fight. Too tired to run.

“I love you... so much,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

He presses his forehead against mine, and I feel his relief, his gratitude, his love, all wrapped in that single moment.

“Then I’ll change the plans,” he says softly.

“How about you and Gabriella come live with me in Yakutsk? You’ll have your own space.

She’ll have hers. She can continue her college there, live her life however she wants.

But at least then, we’ll be together. And you’ll never have to feel alone again. ”

The offer is too much to process. But somehow, in this moment, it feels like it’s the only thing that makes sense. The only thing that might allow me to keep my heart from splintering into a thousand pieces.

I nod, still trembling in his arms, my tears slowing. But as he holds me, I know one thing for sure—this time, he’s not going anywhere.

And neither am I.