Page 1 of Obsession of the Bratva

Prologue - Vera

“I cheated on you.” The words left my mouth before I could lose the courage to say them out loud. It had taken everything in me to even force my tongue to utter them, but I knew I needed to do this.

For a moment, Nico simply stared at me.

I had spent the entire drive here rehearsing this conversation in my head. I had practiced every sentence and every lie until they sounded almost believable even to my own ears. I had imagined anger and disbelief, and him raising his voice or demanding answers. I had imagined him walking away before I could finish. I had imagined him lashing out or refusing to believe me or wanting proof or something. Anything.

But what I had not imagined was this.

Silence. Complete, absolute, utter silence. The office suddenly felt too small, and I wanted to do nothing but stand up and get out. Everything ached within me, but I knew the man standing in front of me must be hurting just the same. I owed him this. One last conversation where I could tell him the truth.

Or the lie I was forcing down his throat. But he was never going to find that out.

Nico turned around and sat down behind his desk, one hand resting on a stack of paperwork he had clearly been reviewing before I barged in without warning. The floor-to-ceiling windows behind him overlooked downtown Miami, the city glittering beneath the evening sky. I had been here countless times before, and all of them had always been happy occasions. I had laughed here with Nico and cried and made love and simply sat in silence and watched him work because I didn’t wish to be alone that day. This office had seen us come closer in the past few months. And now everything was coming to an end. Normally, I loved this office. Normally, it felt warm and familiar.

Tonight, it felt like an execution chamber.

“What did you say?”

His voice was calm. Too calm. I almost wished he had started shouting already because that would have at least made things easier. I clasped my hands together behind my back to stop them from shaking.

“I said I cheated on you.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but nothing in his expression gave anything away. In fact, the movement was so subtle that most people would have missed it. I didn’t. I had spent months memorizing every expression Nico made. I could judge his face with my eyes closed, except today was the first time he was making it impossible for me to understand what he was feeling.

“I heard the words,” he said evenly. “I am asking because I thought perhaps I misunderstood them or misheard you.”

“You didn’t.” The lie scraped against my throat, my nails pinching into the soft skin of my palms. Any more pressure and they would start bleeding, but I didn’t care. The physical pain helped me distract myself from the emotional havoc that consumed me because of the decisions I had made. I had no other choice. This needed to be done, and the best way to end things with someone like Nico was to make sure he ended up hating me.

He had to hate me after this.

Across from me, Nico slowly leaned back in his chair.

I hated that chair. It was ridiculous that my mind chose that moment to think about something so stupid and insignificant. I hated it because I had picked it. Three months ago, he had spent an entire afternoon complaining about office furniture. I had dragged him through six different showrooms before finding one I liked, and he had humored all of my whims. Now all I could think about was how many memories existed inside this room.

Too many. Far too many.

His gaze remained fixed on mine. “When?”

The question was simple and direct. Exactly the kind of question Nico would ask.

I swallowed. “A few weeks ago.”

Another lie. I had never cheated on him. Not once. Not for a second. Both rational and emotional parts of me could not even dream about cheating on him. It was impossible because I loved him so much. Yet I was standing in front of him and hurting him in the worst way imaginable. There had never been another man because, for me, there could be no one but Nico.

But I wasn’t here to tell him that.

My chest tightened painfully.

I thought about my father and the conversation that had taken place less than two hours ago. About the cold certainty in his voice and the threat he had delivered in that cruel manner of his, which reminded me again and again that he didn’t care about me at all. He never had. God. The threat still rang in my ears. Loud and clear.

“You’re pale.” Nico’s words pulled me back into the room, and I forced a smile before feeling awkward and dropping it. He did not want to see me smile. Not after what I had just told him. I didn’t deserve to smile or be happy.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

The concern in his voice almost broke me, and I looked away before he could see it. This was exactly why I had come here immediately. If I had given myself time to think, I would have lost my nerve. If I stayed near him any longer, I would tell him everything, and I couldn’t afford that either. I had to do this at once and be out of here. Out of this office and his life. Forever.