Chapter b30 /b

Niki’s POV

My waste–of–space little brother banged on the door like a fucking animal as I moved to open it

It wasn’t like I hadn’t expected him toe. I had. That’s why I didn’t change the passcode to my private clevator. I’d even anticipated him showing up at the wedding and bmaking /ba mess of things, only to end up being dragged out by the guards. Yes, I was petty. And yes, I was an asshole. But I’ve already said I’m not a good man.

1 wanted my father to be embarrassed. I wanted them to feel humiliated. Elena had asked me earlier if I felt bad that bthey’d /bwalked out of the wedding that way. No, it hadn’t felt bbad/b. It had felt fucking fantastic–watching them squirm, seeing the superiority slip from their expressions, just for once. It felt like justice for all the times they made my mother and me feel like nothing

Every damn time, my belongings had been handed down to my little brother. It wasn’t like we couldn’t afford to buy two of everything, but no Dmitri always got mine. My toys, my food, my electronics, and even the time that had been scheduled for me with my father. Because he was younger. Because he was the golden child.

If it had stopped there, maybe I would have btolerated /bit. Maybe I could have byed /bthe mature older brother role. But it didn’t. I wasn’t just expected to sacrifice–I was expected to do it silently, to apud them while I faded into the background. There was no apuse for me. No

affection. Not even the bare minimum of Esimess.

Neither 1 nor my mother were treated with the same warmth bor /brespect as Dmitri band /bhis precious mother. And now! Now I wanted them to feel even a fraction of the degradation they’d inflicted upon ine. I wanted to see the cracks in their perfect world.

bI /bclenched my fists. Puck. I was letting those buried thoughts leak out again. My therapist had warned me about this–howpartmentalizing too hard would make the bdam /bbreak eventually. But even he bhad /bagreedb, /bsometimes channeling the darkness served ba /bbpurpose/b.

This wasn’t about inferiority anymore. That had been years ago, back when Dmitri got bhis /bfirst girlfriend and I struggled to make a connection thatsted more than a month. I’d since gotten over that phase.

Now! Now I was bjust /bcurious. I wanted to watch his reactionb. /bI wanted to see him fall apart. It soothed something old and bruised binside /bme.

The lock clicked open, and Dmitri stumbled in like a rabid dog, scanning the room for her.

Elena stood up from the bed, blinking sleep from her eyes, wearing nothing but soft grey shorts and a white tank top that I had put on her before we slept. My bjaw /bclenched as I caught him ogling her legs.

“What the hell are you looking at I growled, stepping forward and pushing him back when he dared take another step toward her.

His

gazes

snapped to mine, eyes zing with fury.

“I have nothing to say to you, he spat. “You’re just a bitter bastard. Always have been. bJealous /bthat I had what you never could. So bwhat /bdo you do? You steal my fiancée to make yourself feel better!”

I let out a slow exhale and crossed my arms. “Don’t tter yourself. You’re not that important.

“Fuck you” he snarled. “You couldn’t stand that she chose me. That she loved ine. That father loved me and no one bgave /ba shit about you. So you waited for your moment and the second she wavered, you pounced like the predator byou /bare

My mouth twisted into ba /bsmirk. “Wavered? She broke up with you. She ended the engagement

His eyes were red rimmed now, “At least I actually love her, and I am not using her to get revenge!

I scoffed, “Funny, I didn’t realize cheating on someone counted as love.”

“You think byou’re /bbetter than me? You’re not. bYou’re /bjust as bdisgusting/b. Wone even, bernise you pretend to care

And that’s when Elena broke.

“That’s enough” Her voice tracked like a whip through the room, and both of us turned to look at her. Her eyes burned, but her voice was steady furious

“You should be begging for forgiveness. After everything you did, after the betrayal, the liesb, /bbyou /bstill have the audacity to insult Nikit The one who helped me when my father died? The bone /bbwho /bmade sure I wasn’t alone when my mother was going through surgery. deep in some other bwoman/b!” She paused as though it pained her to even bspeak/b. “You didn’te find me even once Daniul You KNEW my Father was in an ident and 1—I can’t even “Her voice broke and I felt my chest tighten bas /bthe continued, “You should be ashamed of yourself And |_ I

while you were balls am ashamed that I ever loved someone like you.”

Tears streamed down her face, but her bspine /bstayed straight.

And for the first time, I saw it.

8:41 PM

Pain.

bNot /bbjust /banger. Not just exhaustion, Real, tangible pain. I’d seen her cry before–from pleasure. I had actually enjoyed the tears in her eyes back then. But not like this. These weren’t tears of joy or pleasure. These were the kind bthat /bshe tried to hide, the one that tore open old scars and bled fresh.

And fuck, it made something in me snap.

“Oh,e on.” Dinitri scoffed. I’m a bman/bb. /bWhat did you expectb? /bbThat /bI’d act like ba /bdog? Be yours forever? Elena, I’m a mant Men are allowed to do that? You need to get over it-”

I didn’t even think. bI /bmoved

My list mmed into his face before he could get another word out. The sound of knuckles against cheekbone cracked through the air as Dmitri flew back, sprawling onto the floor with a grunt.

His bhand /bwent to his jaw, eyes wide, stunned.

I stepped over him, fiers clenchedb, /btowering

“You don’t get to talk to her like that.”

He looked up at me, fury twisting his face.

But I didn’t bcare /bbas /biny mind kept rewinding the image of Flens, ber shoulders trembling as she wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands. bMy /bheart ached

bAnd /bjust like that, I knew, I never wanted to see her cry again Not like this. Never like this.