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“I suppose you have never loved anyone other than yourself, so you wouldn’t understand,” I say, and he tuts at me.
“Love isn’t real, Wryn. It’s made up. Look at you—convinced you loved a man, but you still betrayed him. What does that say about your so-called love? The whole concept of love is meant to enslave us to our feelings, and aren’t we better than that as a progressive society? It’s how I’ve become so successful. Feelings should be left out of decisions.”
“Says the least progressive man I know,” I mutter, and Viktor doesn’t respond, merely acts as if I were an amusing child.
“And now, we will have some fun while we wait until your beau arrives. There’s no reason for him to show up and play savior if there’s nothing or no one to save.”
Viktor winks at me and presses a small button on some sort of remote. A voice crackles over the remote speaker, and I see it’s a type of radio. Viktor mutters something into it, and then we wait, the silence stretching on until the door behind me finally opens. I tense, not daring to hope that it’s someone coming to help me, but at the same time hoping Connor doesn’t show his face here.
“My dear,” Viktor says, smiling as he stands.
I would almost describe his expression as loving if he didn’t shit over the whole idea of it. Footsteps echo across the wooden floor until they become dulled by the carpet. Viktor opens his arm, and I look up to see a woman tuck herself into his side. Her face is obscured by long, straight hair, and I wait until she turns to face me. Then, a strangled sound wrenches itself from my chest.
“Ruby?” I ask.
She stares at me, her eyes guarded. I can’t speak for the longest time, and no one fills the silence. I let my gaze drift across her, seeing her healthy face, clean clothes, blemish-free body, and the way Viktor has a grip around her hip, his fingers digging into her flesh as he molds her against him. Then, my eyes shoot to his smug face.
“You told me she was dead,” I accuse.
“I never said any such thing. You drew your own conclusion based on Connor’s words, and I didn’t correct the assumption.”
Ruby flinches at the mention of Connor. I’m extremely confused, and I can’t grasp what is going on.
He did say that she was dead, didn’t he?
I rack my brain, trying to remember.
I recall he said,“It was all so easy.”
I was easy to manipulate, and he made me believe things that weren’t true. He didn’t even have to lie to me.
I’ve been so stupid. So gullible.
“You are working here? For Viktor?” I ask Ruby, and her face is pale. Something isn’t right. “He stole you and made you work for him? I’ve been searching for you this whole time.”
“Ah, searching. Is that what you call marrying your sister’s man and playing wife? You only thought you were helping, didn’t you?” He ridicules, but I don’t answer.
My eyes are fastened on Ruby, willing her to understand.
“She didn’t need the help though. My sweet little Ruby, so eager to please.”
I’m sorry, she mouths to me.
My brows pull down as I struggle to see the bigger picture.
“I didn’t know you would try to follow.”
“Quiet, dear,” Viktor says, squeezing her tighter, and a flash of pain shoots across her face, but she does as he said. “It’s interesting what a desperate person will agree to. Take yourself, for example, Wryn. You wanted to find your sister, so you infiltrated a mob boss’s house, murdered him, and married his son. Because you knew you couldn’t do it alone.”
I want to stop him, tell him that wasn’t why I married him. That I was blackmailed into it by Connor, but it’s not the full truth, and I can’t do it. I can’t lie to myself any longer. I did it for the help and because I knew having Connor on my side would be beneficial. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.
“Don’t be upset with Ruby. She was only doing as I asked.”
“Ruby?” I question, and she won’t meet my eyes.
“Seems your friend made some enemies and owed me quite a bit of money. Drug problems will do that to a person.”
Ruby stares at the floor, unwilling to look at me.
