Page 163 of Bleed with Me

This couldn’t be right.

As the SUV rolled to a stop and the door opened, calloused, large hands pulled me out. The hood covering my head disappeared. I blinked, forcing my eyes to adjust more quickly. Warm lights illuminated the familiar stone driveway, the Valentino estate standing before me exactly as I remembered it. Proud and intimidating.

“Why here?” I asked the man who squeezed my arm and dragged me inside. “No one has lived in this museum since Grandpa died.”

“No one will look for you here then, right?” He smirked, pushing me past the front door.

My heart dropped. Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse, my father decided to prove me wrong. But what the fuck are you planning, Dad?

-65-

Dorian

Ifell asleep fully clothed, with Aryna curled into my side, hugging her enormous teddy bear. We played a game, then watched TV, and ate a massive bowl of popcorn before she finally showed signs of tiredness. And even after that, she endured a full bath routine, trying Nina’s flowery products, and we successfully won a fight with the hair dryer. All of that kept me away from my demon whispering the same poisonous thought over and over again.

She isn’t coming back.

I stifled every time his devious whisper echoed in my head, but Aryna’s presence kept me grounded. However, at three am, a horrible nightmare combined with his shouting woke me up. In the quiet of my bedroom, disturbed only by Aryna’s soft breathing, all my fears crawled up, ready to bury my brave hopes for a happy family.

Nina took my car and sped off the property as if someone was chasing her. I forced myself not to follow. Every instinct screamed at me to go after her, but I convinced myself she needed space, that she’d calm down and come home. Now, lying awake in the darkness, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

She cared for me. No one could persuade me otherwise. But at the same time, my doubts resurfaced. My past mistakes, terrible decisions, and failures were proof she deserved better than an asshole who forgot to tell her about a child.

“Bloody hell,” I exhaled, freeing my arm from under Aryna’s body when another shadow took the contours of a demon crawling from my subconscious. She wiggled but didn’t wake up, and I quietly left the bedroom.

I checked the window to see if my Jaguar was parked outside, and my heart clenched painfully. The usual place in front of the house was empty, and the pouring rain only underlined the anxiety wrapping around my insides.

“She’s fine,” I muttered, more to convince myself than anyone else. “She just needs time.”

I dragged a frustrated hand through my hair and wandered into the kitchen, putting the coffee machine to work out of pure habit. I wasn’t thirsty. I just needed something to occupy my hands before they started shaking.

My phone lay on the marble counter. I stared at it as the persistent thought resurfaced.

One call. Just one. If she didn’t answer, I’d leave her alone.

I pressed her name. The ringtone echoed through the silent house.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Voicemail.

A knot tightened in my stomach.

“Nina…” I whispered, ending the call before the robotic voice invited me to leave a message, and tried again. This time the call went straight to voicemail.

My heartbeat stumbled. It wasn’t like her. Even angry, she’d decline the call just to make a point. She enjoyed torturing me too much to disappear completely.

I called again. Voicemail.

Again. Nothing.

I lowered the phone, staring at the dark screen. The rain battered the windows. The coffee machine beeped behind me, completely forgotten. Everything looked ordinary while my instincts screamed that something was off.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I opened our text conversation.