He reached for me again and his fingers gently brushed my cheek. “I was afraid something might happen to you.” His lips trembled, and the sincerity in his eyes threw me off balance. The Ivan I knew was cold, calculating. This—this felt wrong. Like a mask he’d worn so many times he’d convinced himself it was real.
I didn’t know how to react, didn’t know if this was part of his game or if I’d somehow misjudged him all this time.
We drove for what felt like hours, the city lights fading into darkness until we pulled up to an abandoned building. I tensed, alarm bells ringing in my mind. This wasn’t the park Ivan had promised.
“This isn’t—”
“Change of plans,” his voice was colder now, the warmth from earlier fading into something harder. I nodded.
My stomach twisted as I followed him insid
