Page 161 of Konstantin
“Emilia?” he groans, and relief hits me instantly. His eyes flicker, slowly opening. “Are you okay? The b-b-baby?”
Oh God, he knows. How?
I nod, my thumb running across the stubble of his jaw. “We’re both okay. I’m going to get you out of this.”
“I-I love you, Emilia.”
The words hit me like a wave, crashing into my chest, and I choke back a cry.
He loves me?
When his eyes meet mine, hazy but full of something so real, I feel it. Deep in my soul, I feel the truth of his words. It’s more than just the words—it’s everything behind them. The sincerity, the rawness, the weight of everything we’ve been through together.
My hands tremble as I cup his face, pulling him closer, kissing him with everything I have. My heart is overflowing with love, with every emotion I can’t quite articulate.
“I love you too, stupid.”
The kiss lingers, a desperate need to feel him, to have him know how much he means to me. How muchwemean, despite everything.
He manages a laugh, soft and pained, his voice barely there. “That’s so romantic.”
Even through the fog of the drug that clouds his mind, his gaze sharpens for a split second.
“You-you put yourself in h-h-harm’s way for me again. I should punish you for this.”
“But you won’t.” My lips hover near his ear, my breath warm against his skin. “Or you will, and I’ll like it,” I tease, trying to inject some humor into the moment, or maybe just to quiet the anxiety churning in my stomach.
His hand reaches up to touch my face, his fingers grazing my skin like he’s memorizing the feeling of me.
“You are everything to me, lubov moya,” he whispers. “I will love you until my heart gives out, and even then, I-I don’t think I could ever stop loving you.”
And before I can suppress it, my eyes well with tears. “I’m really glad we’re expressing our feelings and all that, but right now, we need to get out of?—”
A sudden creak grabs my attention, my pulse jumping to my throat.
The rest happens in a blur. One second, I’m standing in front of Konstantin, and the next, he’s attempting to push me out of the way, but he’s not strong enough.
“Look out,” he tries to shout, but the words come out small.
As I turn, a man stands at the threshold, a gun drawn at me. And all the blood rushes out of my body.
Because I recognize him.
No, Iknowhim.
What the hell is going on?
“What are you doing? Lower the fucking gun and help me!”
I wait for him to say something, anything that wouldexplain what is happening and why he’s not helping me.
Instead, he lowers the weapon just slightly, his eyes meeting mine with a hint of something like regret. Or maybe it’s resignation. The expression on his face almost makes me feel…sick.
“It was never supposed to be like this, Em.” He grabs the back of his neck. “Why couldn’t you just stay out of it? Mind your own damn business? But no, you had to go snooping, stir up a hornet’s nest. And now I have no choice.”
No.
Nonono!
