Didn't get time to proofread 🫠

Haven paced the length of the grand bedroom, her chest tightening with every second that passed. Vincent leaned casually against the doorframe, watching her with the same dark intensity that always unsettled her.

She finally stopped, her fists trembling at her sides. "How long, Ivan? How long have you known that Hayden is Aerius?"

His smirk faded, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "Why does it matter?"

Her heart clenched. "It matters to me!"

Vincent pushed off the doorframe and approached her, his steps deliberate and slow, like a predator stalking its prey. "Two days," he said finally, his voice low. "I found out two days after I came with the marriage proposal. But I had a suspicion on him since a long time back"

Haven's breath hitched. "You.." She repeated the words, letting them sink in like shards of glass piercing her chest. "You m...monster. How could you?"

Tears blurred her vision as she glared at him. "You let me love you. You let me believe you cared for me. But you're no better than him. At least Aerius didn't pretend to be my savior!"

Vincent's jaw tightened, his dark eyes narrowing. "I did care for you. I still do."

"Care?" she spat, her voice trembling. "You sent me back to the man who destroyed me! You stood by and watched while I was dragged back to hell!"

His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her close. His grip was firm, possessive. "I saved you, Eva. You think anyone else could've kept you alive? Kept you out of worse hands?"

Her voice cracked, her defiance melting into anguish. "You didn't save me. You broke me. I don't want to live with someone like you"

Before she could pull away, he grabbed her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're mine, Eva," he growled, his voice a low rumble. "You belong to me. I'll burn the world for you, but you'll never escape me. Never."

She stared at him, her tears falling freely. For a moment, she saw a flicker of something human in his eyes—pain, regret, love—but it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Since when did love become chains and cages?" she whispered.

HAVEN POV

His lips curled into a bitter smile, dripping with mockery. "Since it became you," Ivan said, his voice laced with a twisted kind of affection that made my stomach churn.

I froze, disbelief and rage warring within me. How had I ever believed this man could be my savior? How had I been so blind to the darkness that had always been lurking just beneath the surface?

He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "Eva..." he started, his voice deceptively soft, like poison wrapped in silk.

"No!" I snapped, retreating a step, my chest heaving with fury. "Don't call me that. Don't you dare call me that! You're a monster. You disgust me. I hate you." My voice cracked, but I pushed through, refusing to falter. "I will never let you destroy me."

For a moment, his eyes narrowed, and I thought I saw the briefest flicker of hurt. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a darkness so consuming it made my knees weak.

He chuckled, low and menacing, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "Hate me all you want, Eva," he sneered, taking another step forward, his eyes locking onto mine with terrifying intensity. "But let's get one thing straight: I am your only savior. No one else is coming for you. No one else can protect you."

"Protect me?" I spat, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "From who? Aerius?

I scoffed at his audacity.

"You yourself threw me back in his den"

And From what you will protect me? From the lies you've buried me under? From you?"

His smirk vanished, replaced by a deadly calm. "Enough," he growled, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"Behave," his voice growled, low and threatening "Or I'll show you who I really am."

But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. The anger bubbling inside me refused to be silenced. Before I even realized what I was doing, my hand shot up, connecting with his cheek in a sharp, ringing slap.

The sound echoed in the room, and for a split second, everything stilled.

His head snapped to the side, his jaw tightening. Slowly, deliberately, he turned back to me, his eyes burning with an anger so fierce I took an instinctive step back.

"Did you just—" he started, his voice low and dangerous, but he didn't finish.

Instead, his hand lashed out, grabbing my wrist in a bruising grip and yanking me toward him. The sudden movement sent me stumbling into his chest, my heart pounding in terror.

"You don't get to do that," he hissed, his face mere inches from mine. His grip on my wrist tightened, pain shooting up my arm as he twisted it just enough to make me gasp. "You don't get to slap me and get away with it just because I love you ."

"Let me go!" I shouted, struggling against his hold, my free hand pushing against his chest, but he only pulled me closer, his breath hot against my face.

"You're mine," he snarled, his voice venomous, his eyes wild. "Do you understand? You are mine. No one else can have you, and no one else ever will."

"You don't own me," I spat, tears of pain and fury pricking at my eyes. "You will never own me, Vincent!"

His smirk returned, darker and more twisted than ever. "Oh, Haven," he murmured mockingly. "You think you can fight me? You think you can run from me? Let me remind you of something: I don't lose what's mine. You hate me? Fine. But you'll hate me in my arms, where you belong."

My voice cracked as I pushed against him, my wrist throbbing under his cruel grip. "You're sick! I hate you!"

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, "We'll see how long that hatred lasts, won't we, my little queen?"

I choked back a sob, my body trembling as I felt the weight of his twisted obsession pressing down on me. This wasn't love. It had never been love. This was possession, control, and it terrified me.
.
.
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Rafael stood on the darkened balcony, his eyes fixed on the scene below. He held the tranquilizer gun steady, his fingers curling tightly around its grip. A biting wind swept past him, but he didn't flinch. His focus was singular—on her. On Haven.

There she was, standing in the center of the grand bedroom, her small frame trembling as Vincent loomed over her. Rafael's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together as he watched the way Vincent moved—his calculated, predatory steps, his hand darting out to seize Haven's wrist.

Rafael's blood burned when Vincent yanked her closer, twisting her wrist. The muffled sound of Haven's gasp reached his ears, carried by the wind. His free hand clenched into a fist, every nerve in his body screaming to storm the room and end Vincent then and there.

"Behave," Vincent's voice growled, low and threatening, though Rafael could hear every word clearly. "Or I'll show you who I really am."

Rafael's grip on the tranquilizer gun tightened. "Shut the fuck up bastard," he muttered under his breath. The urge to pull the trigger surged, but he held back. Timing was everything, and his mission demanded precision, not impulsiveness.

Haven's defiance was evident, even as tears stained her cheeks. Her lips moved, but Rafael couldn't hear her words this time. Whatever she said must have enraged Vincent because, in the next instant, Vincent's fingers dug into her jaw, forcing her to look at him.

A sense of pride filled his heart when she slapped Vincent but even before he could think of praising her in his head, Vincent grabbed her towards him, followed by a series of threats.

"Enough," Rafael hissed under his breath, raising the gun. He aimed it squarely at Vincent's neck, his fingers steady despite the storm of rage inside him. "This is it."

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

The tranquilizer dart struck Vincent cleanly in the side of the neck. The mafia king's body tensed, his hand falling from Haven's wrist as he stumbled back in shock. His dark eyes darted around, confused, before they locked onto the balcony.

"The fuc-ck" Vincent managed to snarl, his voice slurring as the tranquilizer began taking effect. His legs wobbled, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the wall. "Wh-who..." he started, but his words died in his throat as his body gave out, collapsing onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Rafael wasted no time. Shifting his aim, he targeted Haven next. His hand faltered for the briefest of moments as he looked at her fragile form, her tear-streaked face. But he steeled himself. This was for her protection.

"I'm sorry, little one," he murmured, his voice soft, almost broken. He fired.

The dart struck Haven in her arm. She barely had time to register what had happened before her body began to sway. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the plush carpet, her head lolling to the side.

Rafael slung the tranquilizer gun over his shoulder and climbed back inside, moving swiftly but silently toward the room. His boots made no sound as he approached Vincent's unconscious form.

He crouched beside him, his cold eyes studying the fallen mafia king. "You were threatening my blood," he said quietly, his voice dripping with menace. "Now, you'll know what that costs."

Rafael stood, his gaze hard as he turned to Haven. His movements softened as he knelt beside her, gently scooping her into his arms. She felt so small, so fragile. Her head lolled against his chest, and he adjusted his hold to ensure she wouldn't be jostled.

Before leaving, Rafael paused. He looked back at Vincent one last time. With a sharp, deliberate motion, he kicked Vincent hard in the ribs, the force of it echoing in the silent room.

Satisfied, Rafael turned and strode toward the exit, Haven cradled protectively in his arms.

As he disappeared into the shadows, Vincent's unconscious body lay on the cold floor, a forewarning of the storm that was about to engulf him.

THIS BOOK IS GIVING ME THE HARDEST TIMES 💀