Page 222 of Maddening Fixation

Every step brought the memories rushing back.

The locked doors.

The endless silence.

The walls closing in around me.

The nights I cried myself to sleep wondering if anyone even remembered I existed.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides as the anger inside me grew hotter, stronger, until it felt like my entire body was burning.

When he stopped in front of me, I didn’t think.

I simply struck him.

My palm connected with his cheek, the sound of the slap exploding through the peaceful morning.

His head turned slightly.

And for once, I didn’t care who he was.

I didn’t care that he was a monster who had slaughtered an entire generation of his own family.

I didn’t care that he had sent men after Zachary’s crew knowing exactly what it meant to spill the blood of a Chicago mafia boss.

I didn’t care that I had watched him tear Egor’s heart from his chest without a flicker of remorse.

That was Romeo.

The ruthless man everyone feared.

But standing there before him, I wasn’t thinking about his reputation.

I was thinking about what he had done to me.

The four months he had stolen from my life.

The loneliness.

The locked doors.

The way he had reduced me to a prisoner in my own home.

My hand trembled at my side.

I hated him.

Not quietly. Not anymore.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then my fury exploded.

“You monster!”

My voice cracked as tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

“You locked me up for four fucking months!” I screamed. “Four months, Romeo! Do you have any idea what that does to a person?”