56. Nik

Chapter 56

Nik

Even under the faint light in the vast, dark chamber, I spot Giuseppe Salvatore right away. He’s standing a dozen yards away, his pale blue eyes glinting with smug satisfaction. The flickering fluorescent lights cast sharp, uneven shadows across his face, making his greasy smirk even harder to stomach.

The others stand silently around us in a wide circle, watching. Judging. I take him in—the perfectly tailored suit, the way he grins with his hands casually in his pockets, like he’s already won. My rage simmers just beneath the surface, clawing to get out.

I’ve never wanted to kill someone so badly as I do right now, knowing everything this man has done to Dmitri, Maxim, and Kat.

I’ve never wanted anything as much as I wanted a life with Kat. A full life. But thanks to Salvatore, that’s never going to happen.

Even now, being kept from her makes my skin crawl, like a part of me is missing. The empty space where she should be gnaws at me, leaving me restless and on edge. But at least I have one thing to hold onto: Kat will be safe. After everything I’ve put her through, at least I can give her this. My death will mean something.

Still, it’s hard not to think about what could’ve been. I wanted more time. A lifetime to earn her forgiveness. I would’ve cherished every second of a life with her.

Will she think about me? Wonder what we could’ve had? A selfish part of me hopes so. I hope she remembers me fondly once in a while, but not too often. I hate the idea of her wasting her life on me. She deserves more than that.

None of it will matter much longer, anyway. Shackled and unarmed, I’ll die tonight. Salvatore will kill me, and Kat will be safe. That’s the deal. That’s all I care about.

The faint hum of the overhead lights buzzes in the silence, cutting through my thoughts as I glance around the room. The dirty paneled walls stretch endlessly into the shadows, cracked and water-stained in places, like the ghosts of deals made here are etched into the plaster and wood.

When Dmitri brought me here earlier, I couldn’t stop thinking about my past. He used to ask me about it all the time when he was younger. He’s always been fascinated by it, always wanting to know how Maxim and I survived on the streets with nothing. To him, it probably felt like a fairy tale—something out of a folk tale or legend.

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t a miracle. There was no divine intervention, no higher power stepped in to save the day. It was just pain, violence, and sheer stubbornness to survive.

Earlier, when he dragged me into this room, all of those memories hit me like a freight train. The years of struggle. The senseless violence. The constant fight to keep going.

I’ve done a lot with my life. More than anyone expected. But standing here now, all I can think about are the things I didn’t do. The mistakes I made. The regrets I’ll never get to fix.

Would I change anything if I could? I don’t know. Maybe. But if I did, maybe I wouldn’t have met Kat. Maybe I wouldn’t have found her at that party and felt my whole world tilt the second I looked into her eyes.

Even now, I can picture her so clearly—her dark blue eyes sparkling with mischief, the curve of her lips when she smiled at me like she knew what I was thinking.

By some miracle, I got to know her. To love her. To hold her.

I’ll regret the pain I caused her until my last breath, but at least I’ll die knowing I protected her. That’s got to count for something.

If I’d known she was going to come into my life, even for a little while… maybe I could’ve been better. Done better.

Most of my life, all I cared about was survival. No matter how bad things got, I just kept going. But for Kat? For her safety, her happiness, her future? I’ll give it all up without hesitation.

Salvatore takes a step closer, the click of his polished shoes echoing in the chamber. His smirk deepens as his eyes rake over me, his gaze gleaming with triumph. He’s enjoying this, eating up every second of it.

I square my shoulders and hold his stare, refusing to look away. Let him think he’s won. I know better. The truth is, I’ve already won. Kat will be free—from him, from me, from all of this.

The only thing I regret is that I hurt her. That we wasted so much time we could’ve spent being happy together.

As Salvatore approaches, I close my eyes for just a second. Kat’s face flashes in my mind—her smile, her warmth, and the way she made me feel like I mattered.

She’ll be my last thought.

My life ends here. But hers is just beginning.

And that’s enough.