Page 109 of Wicked Savage

I’m so damn sorry.

I miss you.

I could’ve loved you.

She’s the first to pull away, and I know: this is too much. Too much for her. Too much for me. I rest my forehead against hers right before I press a kiss there, a silent goodbye neither of us wants to say.

“Go,” I whisper. “Please…just go. And don’t look back. Because if you do, I won’t be able to stop myself.”

Her fingers brush mine—hesitant, lingering.

“I…” she falters.

I hold my breath. Waiting. Dreading.

But she doesn’t finish. Whatever she wants to say, whatever confession is on the tip of her tongue, she swallows it down and lets me go. And just like that, she turns and walks away.

The silence she leaves behind is unbearable.

And I know I will never be whole again.

CHAPTER27

DINARA

I tossand turn in bed, the memories of the night pressing down on me. Hours ago, I could still hear the ache in his voice, the desire he couldn’t hide, but it all dissolved into the bitterness of his hatred for my family.

There’s nothing I can do to change his mind. But I can’t do this either. I can’t let him turn me back into that heartbroken girl I was when he first left me. I won’t go through that again.

Time slips by, each minute dragging me deeper into a restless pit. The clock ticks to three in the morning, and I still haven’t slept a single second.

Footsteps in the hall thud in the distance. Slow, measured. Maybe just the bodyguards on their rounds. But then they stop outside my door, and my heart races.

The door creaks, and I freeze, my eyes shut tight, pretending to be asleep, even as every nerve in my body awakens.

Is it him? Could he have broken in again?

I can’t shake this feeling that I’m right.

And if that’s true, I can’t let him know I’m awake. I want to know what he’ll do.

I hear him inch closer, each step a whisper against the silence. The room is drowned in darkness, only the faintest light sneaking through the curtains. I’m almost holding my breath, every second stretching into eternity.

Then I smell him. His cologne. That familiar, intoxicating scent that’s been burned into my memory.

My body trembles, a shudder running through me as I feel his finger brush my temple, as if pushing away a stray lock of hair. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, trying to stop the ache that’s tearing me apart.

I can’t do this. I can’t let myself fall to pieces again. But I can’t stop wanting him either. He’s a part of me now, whether I like it or not.

“God, I miss you,” he whispers.

My breath falters, caught in my chest.

“Dinara?” His hand pulls away, and it feels like the distance between us has grown unbearable.

My lashes flutter open, and he’s there, towering over me, his presence filling the room, gaze shadowed by regret. He stands there like he doesn’t know what to say or how to fix this.

“What are you doing here?” The words are out before I can stop them.

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