Page 134 of Maddening Fixation

The moment I closed the door behind me, the fragile composure I’d clung to since the wedding ceremony finally shattered.

I collapsed onto the king-sized bed, too exhausted to do anything but breathe.

I didn’t even bother taking off my wedding gown.

Every muscle in my body ached, but it was nothing compared to the weight pressing against my chest.

The events of the day replayed relentlessly in my mind—the vows, Romeo’s hatred, his threats, the empty mansion, and the crushing realization that this was no nightmare.

This was my life now.

For the next two years.

The thought hollowed me out.

Somewhere between one heartbeat and the next, exhaustion won, and sleep quietly claimed me.

I didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep until I jerked awake sometime later, my heart pounding as though I’d been running from something I could never outrun.

The room had changed.

Darkness had swallowed the last traces of daylight, leaving only faint moonlight filtering through the curtains.

Disoriented, I blinked several times before realizing I was lying at an awkward angle across the mattress, one leg still hanging over the edge of the bed.

I pushed myself upright, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

The digital clock on my phone illuminated the room as I picked it up.

2:00 a.m.

My eyebrows shot upward.

“What...”

The word escaped in a whisper.

I had slept straight through the evening.

Panic immediately crept into my thoughts.

I hadn’t checked the locks.

Hadn’t even made sure the windows were secure.

The estate appeared safe enough—wealthy, secluded, and heavily protected—but caution had been woven into me since childhood.

Growing up in the Bratva meant never assuming you were truly safe.

Then another realization settled heavily in my chest.

Romeo hadn’t come home.

Or if he had...

I hadn’t heard him.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, disappointment mixed uncomfortably with relief.