Page 147 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

“If you truly love him, you will not ruin his life anymore than you already have.”

I stayed frozen as he strode to the door.

“Think carefully,” he said, his hand resting on the handle. “Your choice will decide how much he suffers. I will give you five minutes. Then I’ll return for your answer.”

He paused on his way out.

“Do not make me your enemy, Kaylani.”

The door clicked shut behind him, the sound sharp and final like a gunshot. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. My chest hurt as if something inside had been ripped open and left exposed.

The silence in the room was louder than any scream. All I could see was Goran’s face in the dirt, his eyes locked on mine. He had been trying to tell me he loved me.

Goran knew. Part of him knew that last night would be our last together, and he had made it unforgettable. I covered my mouth as the evening replayed in my mind. It had been perfect.

I lifted my hand slowly to the necklace at my throat. My fingers closed around the gold band as tears ran unchecked.

Mine.

His.

Our secret.

For the first time since the police had shoved me to my knees, I felt fear in its purest form. Fear of what I was being forced to do, and knowing I would carry the secret to my grave. The secret that should have brought us so much happiness.

I caressed my stomach, and the tears fell harder.

I’m sorry.

I’m so, so sorry.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

GORAN

They put me in a room without windows. No bars. No cellmate. No noise. Just painted concrete walls, a one-way mirror, and a single metal table and chair bolted to the floor. This tactic wasn’t about punishment. It was about pressure. I knew the training well.

I didn’t sit or pace. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at whoever watched from the other side. I would not give them the satisfaction of thinking they intimidated me.

The floor was hard beneath my boots, and the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. I took it all in. My knuckles were scraped. My hip throbbed where they had driven me into the ground. I catalogued the damage, giving my mind something to focus on besides what they might be doing to Kaylani.

I had no serious injuries. Nothing physical, anyway. The real damage was the thing clawing at my ribs. The moment they forced Lani to her knees, and she winced, my brain fried. That scene replayed on loop like a broken record, each repetition another knife to the chest.

It was my job to protect her, and I should have seen this coming. Dylan had given me more than enough reasons to believe he had called her father. But I ignored every single one. I wanted to give Kaylani a chance to win, to smile before the next layer of chaos was forced on us.

Now Dimitri had the upper hand, and I didn’t like that. Not one fucking bit.

The door opened.

I didn’t turn immediately, but I knew who it was. Even if I hadn’t seen his reflection in the mirror, the scent of his cologne gave him away.

Dimitri shut the door behind him with a thud. Slowly, I turned to face him.

He stood tall, chin up, as arrogant and cold as ever. He looked like he owned the building as if the state answered to him. His suit was immaculate. His expression was unreadable.

“You lied to me.”