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But I didn't look back. I bolted to my room, slammed the door, and slid to the floor, my back against it.

Tears poured out, unstoppable. I finally understood the real danger I'd faced today, and my own stupidity. But I also saw the deeper truth: Gennady and I were divided, fundamentally, on what mattered most.

I loved him, but I couldn't lose myself to love him.

Downstairs, something shattered, followed by heavy footsteps and the front door slamming shut.

I hugged my knees, sobbing, caught between fear of what I'd walked into and despair for what lay ahead.

But one thing was clear: there was no going back now.

Chapter 19

Gennady

Three days after our fight, I sat in my office on the top floor of Sokolov Industries, staring at a blur of papers. I hadn't slept, and hadn't eaten much either. Cassie's words kept echoing in my head, sharp and relentless: "That’s not love, Gennady. That’s possession!"

It was like poison seeping through my veins, eating away at me. I told myself she was just pissed, that she didn't mean it, but deep down, I knew she might be right. My hand shook as I reached for the whiskey, the bottle already half-empty. When did I become the monster in her eyes? I thought I was protecting her, but maybe I was just caging her.

The whiskey didn't dull the ache in my chest, just made it sharper. I missed her smile, the way she felt in my arms, the softness in her voice when she said my name. Now, she looked at me like I was a stranger, and it was fucking killing me.

The office door burst open.

Dimitri stormed in, pale as a ghost, sweat beading on his forehead. "Boss, we've got a problem. A big one."

I snapped to attention, the buzz of the whiskey gone in an instant. "Talk."

"Marco's teamed up with the Petrov Family, Costa Family, and Bologna Family. They've declared all-out war." Dimitri's voice shook. "They hit our East End and South Side spots at the ports tonight. Both blown to hell. We lost at least thirty men."

His words hit like a thunderclap, my head splitting with rage. "What?!"

"It gets worse," Dimitri said, swallowing hard. "They knew our routes, our schedules, like they had a damn playbook. Boss, we've got a traitor."

Fury erupted in my chest. I grabbed the whiskey glass and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, crystal shards flying, amber liquid dripping down like blood.

"Find that traitor," I growled, my voice low and deadly, straight from the pits of hell. "I want to rip every bone from their body and watch them choke on their own screams."

"Yes, Boss," Dimitri said, nodding quickly.

"What about the estate?" I asked, forcing the rage down, my voice tight.

"Aisor just reported. Three perimeter guards are missing, and the front gate's surveillance system was sabotaged. Boss, I'm worried—"

I didn't let him finish. I bolted out of the office, fear coiling in my gut like a snake.

Cassie. Anya. Are they safe?

I tried to stay calm, but my hands shook so bad I could barely dial my phone. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead. Every second felt like it could be the one where everything went to hell.

"Lock it down!" I roared into the phone, my voice hoarse with panic. "Seal every entrance! Shoot anyone who gets close! If Cassie or Anya lose a single hair before I get there, you're all fucking dead!"

I sent the message and threw myself into the car, yanking the door open so hard the metal groaned. I slammed it shut, the impact rattling the frame.

"Drive!" I barked at the driver, pounding the armrest. "Get to the estate in ten minutes, or I'll throw you out and drive this thing myself!"

The driver's face went white, his foot slamming the gas like his life depended on it. The engine roared, the car tearing into the night like a wild animal.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it'd explode. Images flashed in my mind—Cassie kidnapped, Anya crying, the estate soaked in blood. No. I won't let it happen again. I can't.