Page 84 of Kissing the Villain

I sucked in a few breaths, attempting to still my racing heart. “Are you going to kill me?”

Luca flashed a cruel smirk. “Death is too kind.”

His face was the last thing I saw… and then nothing.

35

ALEX

My eyes shot open,my heart thumping as a surge of emotions ripped through my chest. Pressing my palm to the mattress, I pushed myself up, and my fingers grazed something wet and thick. I raised my hand and inspected the sticky substance.

It wasn’t a dream, which meant…

I was in danger.

Running my hand over the soaked sheets, my fingers brushed a cold, metal surface. Blood dripped from the knife.

No.

“Not real.”

Dropping the knife, I slid off the bed and rushed into the bathroom. I turned on the water and scrubbed my hands. Streams of blood dripped from my fingers, staining the white porcelain.

There was so much blood.

Too much.

You’re imagining it.

Not real.

Adding soap to the mix, I cleansed myself of this nightmare. By the time I finished washing away the past, my skin burned. I threw cold water on my face and stared in the mirror.

“I stabbed him,” I whispered. “I tried to kill Luca.”

Shame washed over me, sinking deep into my bones. I did the worst thing imaginable.

And he wanted revenge.

I clutched my chest to still my rapid heartbeat. It hurt to breathe, the ache so intense it felt like I’d stabbed myself.

In and out. In and out.

Five, four, three, two, one.

My head pounded, working in unison with my heart. I tried to kill my future husband because I thought he had murdered my brother.

Did I kill Aiden?

I rushed out of the bathroom and opened my bedroom door, surprised to find the hallway empty. Dressed in lacy pink pajamas, a shiver raced down my arms. Tiny bumps dotted my sweat-slick skin.

Where were the guards?

Where was Marcello?

What happened after Luca and his brothers chased me through Beacon Bay?

I had no idea.

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