جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 300

AstridI was dead asleep when my phone started to ring on the nightstand.I fumbled for it in the dark, wanting to turn it off before it woke up Theo. I finally found the button and rejected the call so the ringing would stop. The screen was still lit up, but my vision was blurry so I couldn’t read it.I immediately checked the bed beside me and hoped Theo was still asleep.He wasn’t there.His phone was gone from his nightstand, which meant he wasn’t in the bathroom.I panicked and grabbed my phone, wondering if he’d been the one who called.I fumbled with my phone, and it started to ring again.It was Bolton.I sat upright and searched the darkness for Theo, hoping he would appear from the shadows and tell me what to do. But he wasn’t there…and something told me that wasn’t a coincidence.I took the call and put the phone to my ear, the light from the screen bright against the side of my face. All I did was breathe because I couldn’t speak, the sleep still heavy in my eyes, my mind

A minute later, Axel walked inside, the color back in his face but the spring absent from his step. He approached one of the armchairs and sat down, hands together in his lap. He looked at the surface of my desk before he looked at me. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”“I figured you didn’t want to hear from me.”Axel looked away.“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted me out of your life, Axel.”“Well, I don’t.” He looked at me again. “And neither does Scarlett.”I expected him to tell me we needed to part ways. That they’d decided to relocate to Paris or something. Start over. Didn’t expect there to be a friendship between us at all. “You know this is all my fault, Axel. I shouldn’t have asked you.”“It’s my fault, because I could have said no,” he said. “We can play this game all day long. It’s not going to change anything. It took a couple weeks for me to be able to let Scarlett even leave the room, but I’m in a better place now.”“How is she?”“She’s doing well. Bounces back a lo

I woke up in the middle of the night for no reason at all. Maybe it was a bad dream that disappeared so quickly I couldn’t recall it. Or maybe my body was just on alert, even when I was dead asleep.I left the bedroom and headed downstairs. We had a large terrace out there, a firepit surrounded by couches, underneath the tall trees that were sprinkled across the property. Bolton still had his security with him, even though he’d retired from his career.I turned on the gas and started the fire before I opened a bottle of wine. Instead of drinking out of a glass like a lady, I drank straight from the bottle, because fuck it, who gave a shit at this point?I sat in front of the fire and drank alone…and cried.Cried because Theo had replaced me so quickly. Chose to move on rather than mourn what we had. He’d left me to my fate and got back to his reality like there’d never been a disturbance. From an outside point of view, it would be easy to believe that my life hadn’t changed at all, th

She gave a slow nod before she sniffed. “I didn’t think you were going to come.” Her eyes remained down, like she didn’t want my explanation.“I wasn’t going to…until Axel talked me into it.”She lifted her gaze and looked at me.“I couldn’t risk Axel’s family. But he said you were family too.”She’d just stopped crying, but now her eyes watered once more. “I love him.”“He and Scarlett love you too.”She sniffled again before she wiped her tears with her forearms. Dawn had arrived an hour ago, and the sun shone directly in her face, making her eyes sparkle like a flowing river in the light. With red eyes and puffy skin, she was an emotional mess, but she was vulnerable and real…and beautiful.“As do I.”Her eyes had been on the window as I spoke, but she flicked them to me at hearing my words. Her body went still. Even her breathing stopped. Time seemed to stand still as she absorbed the echo of my words.“I love you, sweetheart.”I hadn’t touched her things in my bedroom or removed

“If I ask for Killian’s bones, they probably won’t even care. Just not sure if I can carry them.”“Well, he’s been dead a while, so…” Axel didn’t elaborate. “I think you can manage it.”“Then let me go in alone. I’ll text you if I can.”Axel nodded before he kissed Scarlett. “See you in a bit, baby.”“Be careful.” She looked at Axel then at me. “Both of you.”Axel parked at the curb and killed the engine. “You sure about this?”I nodded.“Just because he buried Bolton doesn’t make you obligated to do this.”“I know, but I want to. Theo deserves peace.”“You already give him peace, Astrid.”I looked out the window at the sidewalk. “Give me thirty minutes.”He gave a nod.I left the car then approached the club. People were gathered outside, and the music was loud. They had no idea what lay underneath. I moved to the front, and no one stopped me from entering the hallway and going down the stairs to the basement entry.The two bouncers were there, and they recognized me without saying a