Page 151 of Cold Mercy

“Everything I’ve done, everything I became, is for you,” he says, throwing me on the ground again.

“You didn’t do anything for me,” I say, and this time there’s no tremor in my voice. “You destroyed me. You broke my life, ripped everything I trusted out from under me.” I shake my head slowly, disbelief sharp and ugly.

“That’s not love. That’s you justifying what you did, because you're a fucking coward.”

I finally lift my head and look at him, and the sight makes my stomach twist. It's not the boy I loved, that's the monster who wore his face.

My voice cracks wide open.

My hands tremble, nails digging into my palms as I choke on the truth.

“I spent two years training my body so I could put a bullet in the monster who murdered you.” My breath shatters. “...and the monster was you.”

Noah flinches, but I don't stop, even though every instinct tells me I should.

“I begged whatever god was left to just let me die because I didn’t know how to live without you.”

“I tried—” My voice fractures, tears spilling hot and humiliating down my cheeks, “I tried to kill myself more times than I can count, because loving you hurt more than staying alive.”

I suck in a sharp, shaking breath.

“And the whole fucking time? You were alive, hiding. Watching the ruins you left behind.” I choke out again, a whisper soaked in venom.

His jaw clenches, eyes soften, only for a breath.

“You survived,” he whispers. “I knew you would.”

“Why?” I wheeze, the words tearing through my throat. “Why did you do this to me? Why did you let me believe you died that night?”

Noah lets out a mocking chuckle. He looks at me with arrogance and a twisted smirk on his lips, as if he finds the whole situation amusing.

“Oh, Sophia…you've met Sterling by now, so you know what kind of greedy old man he is. He doesn't like sharing his toys and definitely doesn't like when his subordinates are smarter than he is.”

Noah stops, sweeping his arms wide to encompass empathy as if it were a grand stage and we were his audience.

“He saw my genius, Sophia, like once you did,” he continues.

“He saw my potential, so he started cutting me off before I could eclipse him. I was so close to giving us everything we ever dreamt of that I couldn't let that happen. So I performed a gorgeous and very, very tragic ending on a rooftop in the heart of New York.”

He slowly lifts the gloved index finger to his eye, tracing a phantom tear down his cheek with a jagged, sickening, playful smile.

“I faked my exit so I could build a life for us. And guess what? It worked better than I ever imagined! I have half of New York in my pocket now, love,” he pauses then, tilting his head as he mocks my face.

“The ‘honorable’ judges, the ‘brilliant’ surgeons, the ‘brave’ feds, and so much more. They're all mine. And the best part… I did it all for you.”

I stare up at him, his look crushing me over until i can barely feel the pulse in my own veins.

“I built this empire so we could finally have power over people who failed you, over the system that turned its back on that little girl while she was fighting for her life in her own home. I'm handing you your justice and your vengeance, Sophia.”

“You’re out of your mind,” I spit, and the words mix with the iron taste of blood in my mouth as I glare at someone who wears my dead fiancé's face.

“If you’re such a genius, do you honestly plan on returning to the city after being dead for almost three years? You think everything is just going to fall into place? That you can just walk up to Sterling and tell him everything he has is half yours, and he will just give you a high-five? You think he's going to bow to you?”

Noah's face splits into a wide smile, his eyes alight with maniacal amusement as if I've just told him the best joke he's heard in a decade.

“Exactly!” he exclaims. “I mean, that’s certainly what he should do if he has even an ounce of self-preservation left, but that’s only plan A, Sophia. I think we all know now that I'm not a man who settles for just one option, right?”

“Yeah?” I hiss. “Then enlighten me, you fucking sicko, what's your other plan?”