TANGLED LOYALTIES: BOUND BY VENGEANCE 2 (CIRO'S STORY)

I. KATYA. I won't do it. I refused to. I didn’t want to die—yes, and disobeying Cerci was the key to death, but I'd slaved away for years, done every last thing he asked, hoping one day… that once, he’d see me. I wouldn't dare ask for love, I didn’t dare ask to stand by his side, but I wanted nothing other than being with him from beneath. “Katya… It's time. You’ve spent years beneath me, I've trained you for years, it’s time for you to leave,” Cerci spoke. Not once did he seem bothered; his tone was cold just as usual, not even a slight change of emotion for me. “I can't… I won't. Cerci, I have nowhere else to go, I've known this my entire life! I—” Cerci slammed the cup in his hands harshly against the table, tilted his head, a slight grin dipping on his lips. He blew out a harsh breath before standing to his feet. My body trembled, fear coursed through my veins as Cerci stepped forward and stopped right before me. “Really? You won't?” he asked. His hands shot out, wrapping firmly around my neck, cutting off air from my lungs. But I'd gotten used to being choked, brutally beaten, drugged, abused—this was my life, and I'd do it all over again for him. But this time tears stung my eyes, threatening to spill free, my heart ached terribly. “Leave while I'm being nice. You should have thought carefully before letting the girls go. You dared defy me—not once, not twice. I'd lost count, and now you are worthless. You aren’t worth the headache and countless drama. I’m tired of you being useless,” Cerci spoke even colder, his voice dripping to a low menacing tone. “They weren't old enough… they… they were barely eighteen,” I breathed out, my voice strained, my eyes blurry and my head swirling in heavy clouds. I was losing my breath. He was strangling me now, and I'd as well just die by his hands. But of course, Cerci must have noticed. Also, I wasn’t worth dying by his hands. He pulled away from me, irritation filled his gaze as he stared down at me. I coughed continuously, tears now spilling from my eyes. My heart ached so much. I loved Cerci, I'd do anything for him. And he knew it. “Barely eighteen?” he asked, his voice dripping with mockery and sarcasm. “I didn’t w***e them out, Katya. I'm no monster. They were meant to drop off the shipments and then attend Mira’s birthday! Vaya was worried no one would turn up at his daughter’s birthday. I asked the girls to go—for that! Not to make them sleep with Vaya’s friends… the f**k do you think you were doing meddling? Causing a scene? Embarrassing me?!” Cerci snapped, his voice raging now. I felt every discontent, hate, and irritation thrown my way. I didn’t know. I thought—f**k. I screwed up real bad. And now I realized the reality of what I'd done. Vaya held the borderlines, he was of course a corrupt government official who stayed in Cerci’s pockets, enabling the smuggling of arms and drugs into the country. But now… after I accused him openly of being a pedophile at his daughter’s birthday party, it's no surprise he'll be cutting off Cerci. I'd just cut out his only means of smuggling. And here I was… still breathing. “Cerci…” I breathed out, lost at words, my heart slamming harder in my chest, beating so hard and fast I'd swear Cerci could see it. I had caused him to lose a whole lot. “It pains me to discard you, but you are a mess, Katya. Useless. Weak. Pathetic… wasted my efforts raising you,” he spat bitterly, venom in his words. He wouldn’t even look at me. “I'll make it right, I swear. Please, Cerci… please let me sort this out,” I pleaded, clinging to his feet. A dark bark of humorless laughter coursed free from his lips before shoving me off angrily. “I don’t see any other means except a border. Vaya won’t pick my calls, and you of course caused a scene before all his friends. Every other important person was there. Who would want to work with me? Leave, Katya! Do not make me repeat myself. You should pray to me—be thankful I didn’t put a bullet in your head as soon as I saw you,” he spoke again. I watched him dust invisible specks of dirt from his feet like I was bacteria of some sort. “Cerci… I have nowhere else to go. I'll make it right. I… Cerci, I love you,” I breathed out, dropping my gaze away from his. But all that welcomed me was silence. We stood like that for several beats before a genuine laughter freed itself from Cerci’s lips. “I know, Katya. But what wild dreams have you had? I’m twice your age. I picked you up from the streets, I had you trained by my men. Katya, you've f****d men I asked you to, drugged those I asked you to, killed those I asked you to. Did you think I'll ever take a woman tainted like you? That I'll build a family with the likes of you?” His words sliced through my heart. My world stilled. It came dawning on me all at once—the pain of rejection. I'd known we couldn’t be together, but this… hearing it from him, it gutted me afresh, ripping my insides apart. I felt so sick. So sick I couldn’t breathe. “Pathetic,” he spat again. Walking toward the door, he turned the knob, leaving me there, but he stopped to a halt, turned toward me one last time, a smile stretching on his lips. “You were useful, Katya. But who would ever choose a used nobody like you? I'm letting you live because you were loyal. Now get your bags. I spared a few cash—enough for you to live by for a few months. Be gone in five, or you'll certainly be getting a bullet in your head then.” He slammed the door shut in my face, leaving me with those daunting, heart-wrenching words. This was it. I was left alone, back to the beginning with nothing… a used person? A tainted woman? A nobody? The words hurt. They made me ache. It hurt so bad. And instantly, whatever f****d-up twisted love I felt for him morphed into hate. A nobody?… a f*****g nobody? He dared call me a used, pathetic nobody? I'll f*****g make him pay. I swear it.