Page 16

CHAPTER 16

DINARA

I’ve lost track of time, sitting here with my knees drawn to my chest, quietly sobbing in my bed.

The sound of his footsteps as he walked away still lingers in my ears like an unbearable echo, a reminder that he’s gone. Now he’s nothing but a shadow I can’t reach, a dream slipping through my fingers, while all I can do is sit here, broken, feeling the pieces of my heart scatter with every passing second.

I called him, desperate for him to pick up. To say something. To tell me this isn’t really over.

But he didn’t answer. He’s done.

And that realization slices through me, sharp and unforgiving.

Sonya was the one who found me. It felt like hours before she helped me up and guided me to my room. I wanted to fight it, to stay curled on the floor where the pain felt easier to bear, but her presence was like a raft pulling me back to something, anything that wasn’t just the crushing pounding of loss.

She helped me into bed, but the tears never stopped. Not even after my eyelids swelled, after my body shook with the kind of sobs I didn’t know I could make.

It shouldn’t hurt this much. But it does.

And the more I replay those final moments in my head—the way he looked at me, the hesitation in his voice, the cold finality of his words—the more I cry, like I can somehow undo it all. Like maybe if I just cry long enough, he’ll come back. But I know he won’t. He’s already made his choice.

“Din, you’ve gotta eat something,” Natalia says softly, rubbing my back.

I completely forgot she was here. Her touch, warm and soothing, tries to pull me out of my misery. I shake my head, wiping my eyes roughly, but it doesn’t stop the tears from coming.

“I don’t want to eat,” I manage to say.

I can’t even remember how to breathe right now. My body is so heavy with grief that I’m barely aware of anything else.

She sighs beside me and then, without saying a word, she shifts, lying next to me in a protective curl. She pulls me into her, her arms surrounding me like a shield, her warmth seeping into my frozen soul.

“He doesn’t deserve you. Fuck that guy, okay? None of this is your fault.”

I bury my face in her shoulder and cry harder. She holds me tighter, but nothing changes the fact that he just shattered everything we could’ve had into pieces.

“Crap.” She laughs weakly. “I thought I was making you feel better.”

“No, it’s not you,” I sniffle. “I just miss him. I miss him so much, and I don’t understand why this is happening.” I clench my comforter, clutching at it like it’s the only thing holding me together. “Why the hell did the universe mess with us this way?”

Natalia doesn’t answer immediately. She doesn’t need to. She just holds me, her fingers gently stroking my hair, steadying me.

“I don’t know, but I swear you’ll be okay. You’ll meet someone who deserves you. Someone who sees you for everything you are , everything you deserve. If he can’t see past what happened when it wasn’t even your fault, then he sucks. And I mean that.”

I shake my head, the ache in my chest only intensifying. “But he didn’t suck. That’s the problem. He was…good. He was everything I wanted, and I thought we could make it through. I really thought…” I falter, a hollow laugh escaping me. “I really thought he was the one. That maybe I was enough.”

Her body sags beside me, her worry palpable as she tries to find the right words. “You’ve gotta just forget him.”

I nod, squeezing my arms tighter around her. “I know. But how do you just...forget someone like that? Someone you thought you had a future with. How am I just supposed to erase him from my life?”

“You’re right,” she says gently. “But you can’t let it eat you alive either. Don’t let him take more from you than he already has.”

Before I can respond, my phone vibrates on the bed beside me and a rush of hope floods my chest. I sit up quickly—hoping, praying it’s him. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he’s realized what he’s done.

My fingers tremble as I reach for the phone, but Natalia snatches it from my hands before I can even check.

“Let me see,” she says, low but sharp.

She glances down at the screen and shakes her head. “Not him.”

Disappointment hits me but I hide it.

“Too bad, because I was looking forward to telling him to go fuck himself.” She glares at the screen like she hopes he calls.

With my eyes still raw, I manage a weak smile. “As much as I’d love for you to do that, I’m capable of telling him myself.”

She raises a brow, her expression skeptical. “Right now, you look like you’d jump right back in if he asked you to.”

I swallow hard, the lump in my throat almost choking me. “Well, why not?” I whisper. “It’s not like he cheated or anything. His mom was murdered, for God’s sake. Doesn’t he get a pass for not being sure about things?”

“No.” Her grip on my arm tightens. “He doesn’t get a pass. Not from me, and not from you. If he can just leave you like this, without even trying to fight for you, then he’s not the guy you thought he was, and you need to let him go.”

Despite the tears still streaming down my face, I manage a small smile. “Fine. We won’t give him a pass, then.”

“That’s my girl.” She smiles softly at me, but it’s tinged with sadness. “Now, how about you get cleaned up and we hit the sauna? Sonya said she can make us drinks too, if you’d rather drown in liquor instead.”

The thought of the sauna sounds like a kind of sweet release—letting the heat wrap around me, suffocating the sorrow until it’s just a distant memory.

“Okay.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I want to be obliterated. Just…don’t let me drown, okay?”

“I promise.” Her hand’s warm on my back, steady and sure.

And for the first time since he walked out that door, I feel like maybe, just maybe, I’ll survive this.

* * *

CILLIAN

There’s nothing worse than sitting in a board meeting when your mind’s elsewhere.

Like on her. The woman I can’t stop thinking about, even after I left her heartbroken.

I tried texting her all night, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. What’s the point? I can’t be with her. It’d only drag it out, and we’d both end up worse for it.

But still, I can’t forget her. The way she smelled. The way she felt in my arms. Her taste still haunts me. I was pissed at myself after jerking off to thoughts of her and realizing she wasn’t there.

I was alone again.

For the longest time, that didn’t bother me. Until she came along.

I grip the edge of the table, pretending to care about some proposal to expand our hotels. I’d rather be anywhere else. When the meeting finally ends, I’m the first one out the door.

“What the hell’s wrong with you today?” Tynan asks as he catches up with me, Fionn right behind him.

“Nothing. I need to get home.”

“Nah, something’s off.” He grabs my arm. “Come on, let’s go to my office. You can tell us what’s got you so wound up.”

Great. Just what I need.

“You seriously look like shit.” Fionn gives me a quick once-over. “What the hell did you do last night?”

Stayed up all night trying to figure out how to be with her. Got nowhere.

I bite back a response, and he assesses me even more curiously.

We head into Tynan’s office, and I slump onto the leather sofa, Fionn plopping next to me.

“Talk.” Tynan crosses his arms. “What happened?”

I let out a heavy sigh and rub my face. “Where do I even begin?”

“At the beginning,” Tynan insists.

“Fine.” I take a deep breath. “I met someone.”

“That girl from the club?” Fionn smirks. “Is that why you’ve been smiling more than usual?”

“Probably.” I shrug

“So, what happened?” Tynan gestures for me to continue.

“I found out she’s a Marinov.”

“No way.” Fionn leans forward, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Yeah. Found out yesterday, so I ended it.”

Fionn snickers. “Why the hell did you do that? You need to let it go. She’s not?—”

“Don’t you fucking dare.” My voice hardens.

Fionn holds his hands up in surrender. “Fine. But just hear me out. Messing up your future over something she didn’t do...that’s damn stupid. Mom wouldn’t want this for you.”

My chest tightens, anger bubbling up. “What do you know about what Mom would’ve wanted? Not like we can ask her. We didn’t even get a body. Konstantin’s fucking father took that from us.” My hand clenches, trembling with rage.

Fionn stays silent. I know it hits him.

“If I’d kept going, it would’ve been bad for both of us. I can’t marry a Marinov. I can’t have kids with her. The thought of our blood mixing…it makes me want to burn everything down.”

Tynan exhales. “Look, I’m not gonna tell you what to do. You’re a grown man. But don’t let this consume you. And get some sleep. You look like shit.” He smirks.

“Yeah, yeah. Fuck off.” I shake my head. “Are we done here?”

“Yeah, go. But get your head in the game. The board doesn’t need to see you like this.” He waves me off.

“Right.”

I head for the elevator, almost bumping into a woman. My pulse falters, because for a second, I swear it’s her.

“Dinara?”

She turns, a look of confusion crossing her face, and my stomach clenches.

It’s not her. Of course it’s not her.

“Sorry,” I mutter, stepping aside as the woman enters the elevator.

I wait for the next one, my stomach sinking.

This is crazy. She isn’t here. I’ll never see her again. And it’s all my fault.