Across town, Fabian sat in the darkness of his apartment, a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the table in front of him. His eyes, bloodshot and heavy with exhaustion, stared blankly at the wall, while his thoughts swirled like a storm inside his head.
He took another swig from the bottle, letting the burn of the alcohol dull the pain that gnawed at him constantly. The guilt, the frustration, the unbearable weight of everything he had done or failed to do was eating him alive.
Ella. The woman he had been hired to kill but instead saved. The woman he had fallen for, despite everything. He should have stayed away, but he hadn’t been able to. Now, her children, Leo and Liam, were a constant reminder of her love for Ethan, a love he could never have.
His lips curled into a bitter smile as he poured himself another glass. What a joke. He had risked everything for her, and now he was stuck here, alone, while she lived her life with those two boys who were the symbol of everything he could never be part of.
The thought of those boys those innocent children made his stomach churn with a mixture of anger and self-loathing. He hated himself for feeling it, but he couldn’t deny it. They were a constant reminder that no matter what, Ella would always belong to Ethan. They were living proof of the love that he could never erase, no matter how much he wanted to.
And then there was Tania.
Fabian’s hands clenched into fists as her name crossed his mind. She had been the one to bring him into this mess, the one who had twisted him into someone he no longer recognized. Now, she wanted Ella dead again, and once more, she expected him to carry out her sick plans.
“I should never have gotten involved,” Fabian muttered to himself, shaking his head as he stared into his glass.
But it was too late for that now. He was in too deep. Too many lies, too many secrets, and now, too much anger, anger that was festering inside him, twisting his feelings for Ella into something darker.
He wanted to protect her, yes. But part of him also hated her. Hated her for making him feel this way. For having those children with Ethan. For not being his.
Fabian let out a frustrated growl and hurled the glass across the room, watching it shatter against the wall.
What was he supposed to do now?
Could he really go through with Tania’s plan to kill Ella? Or had he already lost everything, including his own soul?