Page 26 of Delirium
“Storm.” I placed a hand on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat slamming against my palm. “We should really go out. Let me do the talking.”
“Lazar isn’t taking you from me,” Storm bit out, his eyes moving to me. Pain, love, anger and in the end, fear, all swam in those depths. “I’m not letting you go, Sunshine.”
“I’m not going,” I murmured. “Lazar isn’t Nikolai and he wouldn’t force me.”
“But he knows,” Storm stated. “He knows how I’ve treated you.”
So much regret washed over the sharp features of his face, and I wished I could give him a better answer. I wished I could calm him down and tell him that Lazar didn’t know, but he did. He knew what Storm did.
He knew about Nova, about all the secrets, and all the lies.
But he also knew I wasn’t a saint, and he was the one pushing me to go with Storm. So if he came all the way here to try and tell me that I needed to go back to Russia with him, he had another thing coming.
“Yes, he knows.” I rubbed his chest, feeling his deep breaths beneath my palm. Atlas gave us one last look and exited the car as if he didn’t just cause a fucking shitstorm with his actions. Indigo followed a second after, scowling the entire time at Atlas.
“But I’m not the girl from a couple of months ago, Storm.” I smiled. “I’m not running away. You know I could have been on the other side of the planet by now if I wanted to, but I didn’t run. I’m here. I’m still here.”
His hand wrapped around mine, squeezing, holding on, as if he couldn’t believe I was still here.
The door slammed as Creed exited, but I paid him no attention.
“We need to stop this darkness taking over our lives,” Storm said, his eyes closed. “I want you to forgive me for sleeping with her.” He exhaled.
I froze at his words, trying to remove my hand, but he wasn’t having it.
“I know you didn’t cheat on me,” I mumbled. “Because we weren’t together, not at that moment.”
“Ophelia.” He placed his hand beneath my chin, lifting my head to look at him. “My heart belonged to you ever since you crossed that road and walked straight toward me. My heart knew no other person. Even when I hated the things you did, the way you acted, it still wanted you. God, I wanted to rip it out of my chest, because it never wanted to betray you.”
“But you did,” I mumbled. “You betrayed me.” I smiled hollowly. “I know you’re afraid I’ll run again, but I’m right here. I want to be here for my kids—our kids. I just don’t know if I can forgive you right now. Not when she’s still there, and when she’s still clinging to you like a fucking koala to a tree.”
“What do you want me to do!”
“I want her gone,” I gritted out. “But you’re not going to do that, I know. She’s too important right now. But I can’t help the way I feel, Storm. I can’t stop from wanting to murder her, to carve out that smug smile from her face. I can’t help it!”
We stared at each other, both of us breathing heavily.
How was it possible that at one minute we were okay, talking and laughing, and in the next one we were at each other’s throats? How was it possible that I could love someone this much, and also hate them for the things they were doing?
I looked toward Lazar who was staring at the two of us even while he spoke with Atlas. His guards were ready to attack if needed, but I didn’t want bloodshed today. I promised Storm I wouldn’t run, and I planned to fulfill that promise.
That didn’t mean that I had to do it with a smile on my face.
I detached myself from him, scooched to Indigo’s side of the car and opened the door, letting the cold, fresh air filter through the car. It slowly drowned out the emotions choking us inside. As I stepped out, I finally felt I could breathe.
“Ophelia,” Storm called out after me, but I drowned out his voice by slamming the door closed. I turned toward my father whose eyes drank me in from head to toe, and I knew what he was doing.
He was checking to see if I was hurt.
Lazar Asterov wasn’t a man I wanted to have in my life, at least not before, but I knew I needed him. He’s been trying to stay aside, letting me deal with this in my own way, but it was getting harder and harder pretending that I didn’t want to have a proper relationship with him. That I didn’t want a dad.
One look at him, one tiny smile on his face, was all I needed to run toward him, surpassing Atlas, Creed, and Indigo who stood on the side, looking at me as if I’d lost my goddamn mind.
I launched myself into Lazar’s open arms, clinging to him, burrowing my face in his neck, needing someone to hold me because they really loved me. Maybe I’d lost precious years with him, maybe I’d been a target for Nikolai’s rage, but I had a second chance now.
I had a chance to change my future.
“Ya skuchal po tebe, Katya,” he murmured against my hair, his arms tightening around my middle. He was saying he missed me, and God, I missed him too.
