Chapter 13
701 Words
Alexander POV
The city turns against me the moment she disappears.
Not because it wants to—but because I force it to.
I tear through every option like a man possessed. Airports. Private runways. Border crossings. Hotels. Cameras. Credit cards. Nothing moves without my permission in this city, and still—Angelica slips through my fingers like smoke.
That terrifies me more than any enemy ever has.
“She could be in Greece already,” Ivan says carefully.
“No,” I snap. “She wouldn’t land without telling Elena.”
“She didn’t tell anyone,” he replies.
That’s the point.
She didn’t want to be found.
I send men everywhere. Not to capture—never that—but to see. To make sure she’s alive. Breathing. Safe.
I call her phone until the battery dies.
I leave messages I never thought I’d say out loud.
Please.
Talk to me.
I didn’t choose her.
The house feels wrong without her. Too quiet. Too large. Her dance studio is untouched, mirrors reflecting nothing but absence. I stand in the doorway longer than I should, fists clenched, jaw locked, trying not to break something just to feel real.
This isn’t rage.
It’s fear.
I don’t sleep. I don’t eat. I live off adrenaline and the constant hum of motion, waiting for any sign of her.
Then my phone rings.
Nicko.
I answer before it finishes the first vibration.
“Alex.”
His voice is tight. Controlled.
“You found her,” I say immediately.
“She’s here,” he replies. “In Athens.”
Relief slams into me so hard I have to sit down.
“She’s safe?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says. “Physically.”
My chest tightens at the unspoken.
“She didn’t tell me she was coming,” he continues. “She showed up at my door and asked to stay. That alone should tell you something.”
I close my eyes.
“Nicko,” I say quietly, “I didn’t choose Anna.”
“I believe you,” he replies. “Angelica doesn’t.”
Silence stretches between us.
“She thinks you did,” Nicko says. “She saw you with her. She didn’t wait for an explanation.”
“I didn’t know she was there,” I say hoarsely.
“I know. But Alex—” Nicko exhales. “You broke her once without meaning to. You don’t get to do it twice.”
“I will come to Athens,” I say immediately.
“No,” Nicko says sharply. “Not yet.”
I stiffen.
“She’s not ready to see you,” he continues. “And if you push, she’ll shut down completely.”
I drag a hand down my face.
“What do I do then?” I ask. It’s not a question I ever thought I’d need to ask another man.
“You wait,” Nicko replies. “And you prove—with actions—that she’s not second place in your life.”
“I already did,” I say bitterly.
“No,” he corrects. “You proved you would burn the world for her. Now you have to prove you can choose her quietly.”
I swallow hard.
“She asked me something before she went to sleep,” Nicko adds.
“What?”
“She asked if you ever said Anna’s name in your sleep.”
The question cuts deep.
“And?” I ask.
“You didn’t,” Nicko says. “But that doesn’t matter right now.”
I grip the phone tighter.
“She needs time,” Nicko continues. “And honesty. No chasing. No threats. No grand gestures.”
“That goes against everything I am,” I admit.
“I know,” he says. “That’s why it might actually work.”
We hang up.
I sit alone in my office long after the call ends.
For the first time, I understand the cruelty of restraint.
Because I could take planes, men, power—and bring her back by force.
But if I do that…
I’ll lose her forever.
So I wait.
And waiting is the hardest war I’ve ever fought.
- Writer
