ROLAND’S POV
The air in the small, dimly lit room felt thick, almost electric, as I watched her pace back and forth, her movements sharp with frustration. Sasha.
The name had echoed in my mind for months, growing louder with every passing day until I couldn’t silence it anymore.
And now, here she was, right in front of me, her defiance burning brighter than I had ever imagined. She was more beautiful up close than I could have prepared myself for, even in her fury.
“Why?” he demanded, spinning around to face me.
Her arms crossed over her chest as she fixed me with a glare that could cut through steel.
“Why did you do this, Roland? Why kidnap me? What do you even want from me?”
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth. She was bold, sharp-tongued, and utterly intoxicating.
I’d spent so long watching her from afar, imagining what it would be like to stand before her, to speak to her without Sebastian looming in the picture.
But now that the moment was here, I found myself savoring it, dragging it out like the finest wine.
“Kidnap is such a harsh word,” I said lightly, stepping closer to her.
Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step back, her instincts clearly screaming to keep her distance. “I prefer to think of it as… borrowing you for a little while.”
“Borrowing?” she repeated, her voice dripping with incredulity.
“You think this is some kind of joke? You think you can just take me away without Sebastian noticing? Do you have any idea what he’ll do to you when he finds out?”
At the mention of Sebastian, my smile faltered for a split second.
It wasn’t fear not of him, anyway but the reminder that she still saw herself as his, that she still believed he was the only one who could protect her.
I pushed the thought aside and focused on her, on the fire in her eyes that made my chest tighten.
“Sebastian doesn’t know everything,” I said, my tone measured.
“And, frankly, I don’t care what he thinks or does. This is about you and me, Sasha. No one else.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she turned away from me. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and I could tell she was trying to keep her composure.
“There is no ‘you and me,’ Roland. There never will be. You’re insane if you think”
“I’m in love with you.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and the room seemed to freeze. Sasha’s head snapped toward me, her eyes wide with shock.
For a moment, neither of us spoke, the silence stretching between us like a taut rope.
“What did you just say?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I stepped closer, my heart pounding in my chest as
I finally let the truth spill out. “I said I’m in love with you, Sasha. I have been for a long time.”
“Watching you with him, knowing I could never have you, it’s been torture. I’ve tried to fight it, to ignore it, but I can’t anymore. I had to do something. I had to take a chance.”
She stared at me, her lips parted in disbelief. And then, to my surprise, she laughed. It wasn’t a warm or kind laugh, it was sharp, bitter, and laced with disbelief.
“You’re insane,” she said, shaking her head. “You have to be. Do you even hear yourself? You think this, whatever this is, Is it love?”
“Kidnapping me, dragging me away from my life, from my husband? That’s not love, Roland. That’s an obsession.”
“Call it what you want,”
I said, refusing to back down.
“But it doesn’t change how I feel. And deep down, I think you know I’m right. Sebastian doesn’t deserve you, Sasha.”
“He never has. You deserve someone who sees you for who you truly are, someone who would do anything to make you happy.”
“And you think that’s you?” she snapped, her voice rising with anger.
“You think this, this madness, proves anything other than how selfish and delusional you are?”
Her words stung more than I cared to admit, but I refused to let them deter me. I had come too far to turn back now.
“You can call me selfish,” I said quietly, taking another step closer to her.
She didn’t back away this time, but her body tensed, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
“You can call me whatever you want. But I’m not the one who’s lying to myself.”
Her eyes flashed, and I knew I had struck a nerve.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, but I do,” I countered, my voice softening.
“I know you’re strong, and stubborn, and so fiercely loyal that it blinds you to the truth.
I know you’ve been through hell and back, and yet you still keep fighting. And I know that deep down, you’re not happy. Not with him.”
Her gasp was almost imperceptible, but I caught it. For a brief moment, her mask slipped, and I saw a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes.
It was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same fiery defiance she had shown since the moment I brought her here.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, her voice wavering slightly.
“Don’t I?” I challenged myself, stepping closer still.
We were only a breath apart now, and I could see the rise and fall of her chest, the way her fingers twitched as if she wanted to push me away but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Tell me I’m wrong, Sasha. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re truly happy with him.
That you’ve never wondered what it would be like to be free of all the lies and the danger he brings into your life.”
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
The silence stretched between us again, heavier this time, charged with unspoken truths and emotions neither of us could fully articulate.
“Release me,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
“What?”
“Release me now, Roland,” she repeated, her tone hardening.
Her eyes met mine, and the fire was back, burning brighter than ever. “If you don’t, I swear there will be trouble. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
I chuckled, the sound low and rumbling in my chest. Her defiance only made her more captivating, more irresistible.
“I’m ready for anything, Sasha,” I said, my voice steady.
“Anything you want to throw at me, I’ll take it. But I’m not letting you go. Not yet.”
Her jaw clenched, and I could see the storm brewing behind her eyes. She was a force to be reckoned with, and I knew I was playing a dangerous game.
But I had made my choice, and I wasn’t going to back down. Not now. Not ever.