Page 35 of Jetmir

Liana smiled coldly. “Understandably.”

But I didn’t think she understood at all.

“Please excuse me,” Jetmir said, taking a step back.

“If you ever go near my daughter again, Jetmir, I will gouge your eyes out and then end you.”

As if I hadn’t spoken, he addressed Liana. “Mother, I’m sure you can handle the remainder of the evening. Have a lovely night, everyone.”

Liana and Sailor shared a look when he slipped away—in the opposite direction to Anya’s, thank God.

“Well, this is going swell,” Sailor said nervously.

“Let’s hope nobody dies tonight,” Liana deadpanned.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ANYA

Ibreathed in deeply the moment I stepped outside, welcoming the silence after the suffocating tension inside the ballroom. Jetmir had clearly lost his mind talking to my papa with such disrespect, and my papa… God, he itched to pull that trigger and end my ex-husband.

My chest tightened at the thought of Jetmir dead, but I refused to dwell on it. It was pointless anyhow, because the damage done to our family was irrevocable.

Rain had started sometime during the past hour or so, softly at first, but now it poured relentlessly, drumming against the stone steps and black town cars lined along the curb.

This event seemed pointless to me, but nonetheless I went along with it in order to fix what I had broken. Nobody said I had to stay for the whole night though. Truthfully, I didn’t think I could remain strong now that I’d seen Jetmir.

God, how was it possible that my soul still shuddered whenever I saw him? I should have chalked up what had happened between us three years ago to my eagerness for a love I’d yearned for in my books. I should have moved on.

Instead, I still dreamed about him. I still… wanted him. But I knew those were silly dreams. Whatever we had was dead and behind us. After years of constant messages and demands to see me, the annulment had gone through.

I can’t go and ruin it, I thought to myself as I descended the steps from the hotel to make my way toward the car that would take me away from here.

“Miss Santos?” A bellboy hurried forward with an umbrella.

I shook my head.

“No need,” I said. “I’ll walk the rest in the rain.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but thankfully he didn’t. I hurried through the parking lot, and within seconds, my dress was soaked, plastering the silk to my skin. Mascara probably streaked beneath my eyes and my hair was already ruined, but I couldn’t have cared less.

I kept walking.

One foot in front of the other. Away from my ex-husband. Away from the man who somehow still had the ability to turn my world upside down with one look.

You’ll always be mine, and I’ll always be yours. His words echoed on repeat until my ears rang.

Arrogant, infuriating, impossible man. Why did he have to say that? Why couldn’t he just pretend we were never anything to each other? Hadn’t we both caused enough damage already?

He blinded my brother, and I poisoned him in return. It seemed the scales had been evened… maybe? I recalled that fateful day I’d left my husband. That day I baked him a peace offering. It was something I was deeply ashamed of—especially after I learned that he almost died—but it was also the day I realized I was just as ruthless as Gabriel and my papa. It had to be the Santos blood.

That was three years ago. Three years since I’d last seen him. Since I’d walked away. Since I broke his, and my own, heart.

And somehow one meeting, one conversation had cracked every wall I’d built.

I hated him for that.

“… Anya!”