Page 125 of Ruthless Sin

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Yelena.

Mila.

God. Mila.

Three years I told myself she was dead.

Three years I stopped looking. Then I found her. And I didn’t tell her.

I marked her last night with my teeth.

While knowing.

I love her.

She knows what kind of man I am now.

There’s a knock at the door.

I don’t answer.

The door opens anyway.

Gia. My twin.

She walks in without permission. Closes the door behind her.

She sees me on the floor.

Her mouth presses into a line. She crosses the room. Sits down on the floor next to me. Back against the wall. Shoulder to shoulder.

We sit like that for a long time.

Then she speaks.

Quiet. Doctor voice pulled tight over something that wants to crack.

“I just came from her room.”

I don’t move.

“She has new wounds. Fresh. Her skin is raw. Red. Like she was trying to scrub something off.”

My chest stops.

“Her hands are shaking. She won’t speak. Not even to Sofia. Not even to Nonna.”

She stops.

“I gave her pain medication. And a sedative. She needs to sleep. Her body can’t take much more of this.”

My jaw tightens. My hands press flat against the floor.

Giada’s quiet for another moment.

“What did you do, Nico.”

It’s not a question.

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