Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
His lips pressed against mine with a hunger that sent a shockwave of heat through me as if he had been holding back for too long and couldn’t wait for another second. The force of it left me breathless, and I found myself melting into him, my hands instinctively reaching for his chest, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as I tried to steady myself.
Every part of me responded to him, as though my body had been waiting for this, waiting for him to pull me under, to take me to a place I didn’t fully understand but couldn’t resist. His tongue teased the seam of my lips, and I opened for him, letting him deepen the kiss until it became something more.
His hand slipped to the back of my neck, pulling me closer as his kiss grew even more fervent. I couldn’t think, couldn’t focus on anything but the way his mouth moved against mine, the way he was so thoroughly taking control of me, making it impossible for me to resist.
I didn’t want to.
Alexander pulled away from the kiss slowly, and the intensity between us simmered, a quiet tension settling into the air. The connection we’d just shared left me breathless, but I could sense something shifting in him, something darker, more deliberate.
His eyes grew serious as he looked out toward the lake, his jaw tightening.
“Anya,” he said, the word sharp and cutting through the soft lull of the evening like a blade.
My heart sank at the sound of her name. The bubble we had been in—the closeness, the calm—it all shattered in an instant.
“I promised I’d lay the topic to rest,” he continued, his tone firm, though there was a softness there as well, as if he knew this was something I wasn’t prepared for. He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapping the screen a few times before sliding it across the table toward me. I stared at it, my lips pressing together tightly as I realized what was on the screen—an audio file.
“Hit play,” he said softly, his gaze unwavering.
With trembling hands, I pressed the button, bracing myself for what I was about to hear.
The sound of Anya’s voice filled the air, and it hit me like a punch to the chest. I hadn’t heard her voice in so long, and now it was like she was right here, standing between us, unraveling everything.
"Will you let me out of this cell if I beg? Or should I promise to be good?" Her voice was laced with defiance, but underneath it, I could hear her desperation, an edge of fear she couldn’t hide.
Alexander’s voice followed, cold and unrelenting. “When has begging ever gotten you anywhere with me? It’s not going to work, Anya. You don’t have anything left to offer.”
There was a pause before Anya’s voice came back, shaky but full of determination. “You took Lolita. You could have me instead. Your cousin didn’t have a problem with me. I remember him, you know?”
The words felt like a sharp slap, my heart twisting painfully in my chest.
I stared at the phone as the realization settled in. Anya... with his cousin? Did she mean Bishop? When had that happened? It had to be before we came to the Isle. She never told me, hadn’t mentioned anything. My mind reeled, my emotions crashing into one another—shock, betrayal, anger.
I didn’t even notice that my hands were shaking.
Alexander’s voice came again, unphased by her revelation. “You think that matters to me? I feel nothing but sorrow for his troubles. You don’t even know how far gone you are, do you? You’re nothing, Anya. You were never more than a pawn, a distraction. Lolita is mine, and you can’t do anything to change that.”
Anya’s voice cracked, her desperation creeping in. “You’re making a mistake. Lolita isn’t built for this life. She’ll break, and when she does, you’ll regret choosing her over me. I could have thrived here.”
There was a pause, and then Alexander’s response was final, lethal. “Lolita won’t break. She’s stronger than you’ll ever understand. This was always her world. Here she is a queen. You could never compete where you can’t even begin to compare.”
The recording ended abruptly, and the silence that followed was suffocating. I stared down at the phone, tears welling in my eyes, my throat tight as I tried to make sense of everything I had just heard. Anya had slept with his cousin? She had tried to convince him to replace me with her, that I wasn’t strong enough for this life.
The betrayal hit me hard, a sharp pain stabbing through my chest. My best friend, my family, someone I trusted more than anyone had been desperate enough to throw herself at him even if it meant harming me.
I couldn’t process it all, couldn’t reconcile the Anya I knew with the one in the recording. Maybe it all came from a place of desperation.