“Kira—” Maksym started, but I was already moving.
Back down the hallway. Back into the study.
My father was still there. Still breathing.
I didn’t hesitate.
I tipped the canister. The gasoline poured over him, soaking into torn skin, open wounds, his clothes, his face.
For a second—nothing.
Then he screamed—raw, animal—the last cry of a monster.
I flinched.
The sound cut through me, but it didn’t stop me.
I kept pouring.
His body jerked weakly, every exposed nerve screaming under the burn. His voice broke, twisted into something inhuman as the gasoline hit his eyes, his mouth, every place already ruined.
I finished. The silence returned, thick and suffocating, broken only by the ragged pull of his failing breaths.
Maksym stepped in behind me.
“I thought you wanted to leave him,” he said.
I looked at my father for one last second.
Then I turned away.
“Yeah,” I said, handing the canister back to the man as we stepped out. “But I also want to make sure the bastard actually dies.”
Maksym’s mouth twitched, just slightly.
“Fair,” he muttered.
I shrugged. “Can’t risk it.”
He studied me for a second, something dark and almost amused flickering in his eyes.
“Remind me never to piss you off.”
I smirked. “Too late.”
He huffed a quiet breath—almost a laugh—and took my hand again.
He led me upstairs in silence, the weight of everything still tightening his grip around my fingers. When we reached my bedroom, he turned to me.
“Pack only what you need,” he said, cupping my jaw for a moment.“I’ll get you everything else.I’ll buy you the world if I have to.Let’s not waste another second in this place.”
I nodded and moved to gather a few clothes, the sketchbook with my drawings, and my laptop—whatever I could carry that actually meant something. The rest could burn.
He turned and disappeared into his own room. When he returned, he was in a clean shirt and jeans, his hair wet where he’d scrubbed his face and hands.
Downstairs, the acrid smell of gasoline already filled the air.
Maksym’s men were moving fast—soaking curtains, dousing carpets. One of them nodded at us as we passed. No words. Just understanding.
