Page 4 of Obsession of the Bratva

His gaze returned to mine. “You love me. You have loved me from the very first moment you met me, and you know it. I know it. You cannot stand here and tell me that you have never loved me and force me to believe it, Vera.”

I almost shattered right there and then. The certainty in his voice was unbearable because he was absolutely right. God help me, he was right. I loved him so much that I was standing here destroying both of us. I loved him enough to let him hate me. I loved him enough to lose him. And that was exactly why I couldn’t stay.

I forced a smile.

A cold one. An artificial one. The kind he hated.

“I thought I did.” His expression didn’t change. “I don’t anymore.”

That was when the silence returned.

Only this time it felt different.

Heavier. Final.

And for the first time since I walked into the office, genuine fear settled inside my chest. Because I could see it happening. I could see him starting to believe me. I knew I had successfully broken Nico’s heart to pieces, and there was no coming back from that.

Nico Romanov finally hated me.

Chapter 1 - Nico

The church looked beautiful.

I hated it.

White stone glowed beneath carefully positioned white lights, transforming the old building into something almost ethereal against the darkening Miami sky. Luxury vehicles lined the street outside, and men in tailored suits escorted women dripping in diamonds toward the entrance. Valets moved efficiently while the extensive amount of security remained visible without appearing intrusive.

Everything had been planned meticulously.

Every flower. Every guest. Every single detail about the wedding, which was set to unfold soon.

Including the groom. Especially the groom.

I sat in the back of a black SUV across the street and watched it all unfold. It had been six months since Vera walked into my office and destroyed my life forever. Six months since she told me she had cheated on me and refused to name the man. Six months since she stood before me and claimed that she had never loved me. Six months since she looked me in the eye and turned all of our history into absolutely nothing.

At least that was what she wanted me to believe. And I believed her now.

Beside me, Viktor remained silent. Most men can’t tolerate silence for more than a few minutes, especially in situations such as these. But Viktor had worked with me long enough to understand that silence wasn’t always empty. Sometimes it was calculation. Sometimes it was patience. Sometimes it was violence waiting for permission.

And tonight, it was all three.

“The eastern entrance is clear, Nico. The guards have been taken care of by our team.”

Viktor’s voice broke the quiet. My soldiers were roaming the vicinity, ready to move on a single command, but I didn’t need anyone to do anything except for the basics. This was an operation I needed to carry out alone. All by myself. I glanced at the tablet resting on his lap, where live security feeds filled the screen. I could see church entrances and hallways. Parking areas and private rooms. Every single corner of the building was displayed before me, and those inside didn’t even know it was monitored.

I acquired access three days ago. It was not because I had needed it, because this was an operation that I could have started and ended with my eyes closed. But only because I preferred certainty. I couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong when something so important was on the line.

“How many guards are inside?” I asked.

“Twenty-two.”

I nodded. “Any surprises I should stay ready for?”

“No. None.”

Of course, there weren’t. I didn’t allow surprises. Not anymore. Not after Vera. It was best to eliminate surprises before they had a chance to jump at you from behind, and this was something I had only learned after a painful experience. My gaze returned to the church where guests continued arriving. The wedding would begin in less than an hour.

I checked my watch, followed by the photograph displayed on my phone. It was Vera. The image had been taken yesterday by one of my photographers who had been tailing her for months now, bringing me news of every single thing that went on in her life. We might not have been in contact, but I still knew everything that was happening in her life. She had been leaving a bridal boutique downtown, and her hair had been pinned up.