A glint flickered in his deep green eyes as he leaned closer to Charlotte one more step, like a predator encircling its prey with disarming grace.
"I'm glad to see you're well."
He whispered it against her skin, his voice slipping over her like venom. Then, barely audible:
"It's been a long time… and it makes my heart beat a little too fast."
A soft laugh followed unhinged, hollow, as though it belonged to a man who no longer remembered what real joy felt like.
He reached for her trembling wrist, fingers crawling slowly until they clasped her small hand. With deliberate gentleness too careful to be kind he lifted it and pressed it against his chest.
"Feel that? Can you… meet me there?"
He looked almost moved. Or wanted to.
Charlotte, meanwhile, felt every fiber of her body scream to run, to grab Natalia and flee before another horror unfolded.
But her body refused to obey.
Tears welled in her eyes, her soul shrinking under his weight.
Devin saw the turmoil flash in her gaze and smiled the kind of smile that feeds on helplessness. He relished the way his presence wrapped around her like a noose without touch.
"You don't need to say it..."
He released her hand. It dropped, limp, like it had never been hers at all.
"Your eyes already did."
He stepped even closer, his stare mapping every quiver in her expression.
"Still so gentle… beautiful in a way that makes me ache. Sweet enough to ruin me. And I'm barely holding back right now."
His smile slowly faded. His eyes traced her bruised cheek, her trembling lips… then settled on the necklace.
"Your defiance… that, too, draws me in."
He said it with a chill in his voice, before reaching up and seizing the necklace.
He pulled, sharp and sudden.
Charlotte gasped, shutting her eyes against the pain that coiled around her throat like the past itself tightening its grip.
"I told you to get rid of this necklace."
His voice cracked like a lash.
Memories of being choked in the grocery store stormed her mind.
Tears streamed. Her legs buckled.
"I don't understand you."
He spoke as if puzzling over a riddle he found both maddening and fascinating.
"Instead of holding on to this necklace and fighting with that woman over that insignificant drug addict… why don't you choose me?"
He tilted his head slightly, the smile returning, soft now, but edged with something dangerous.
"For the record… I'm still giving you the chance to choose me."
"What did you just say?!"
Natalia screamed, fury igniting in her voice as if a hidden spark had suddenly restored her pride. She rose slowly, her eyes locked onto Devin, and stood her ground without flinching.
"Who exactly are you calling an insignificant drug addict?!"
Charlotte, in contrast, was slipping between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her eyes barely opened, dark and pleading, locking onto Natalia's with silent desperation.
She was begging her without words not to interfere. To run.
But Natalia ignored the look. She wasn't ready to back down or bite her tongue.
She needed to vent her anger, and for some reason, Devin had become her preferred target. Ever since their first encounter in the elevator, she had loathed him instinctively and intensely.
And she still didn't understand what connection Charlotte had with this strange, unhinged man.
"This woman never stops causing trouble…"
Devin muttered coldly, casting a deathly glance at Charlotte before turning toward Natalia.
"You ask, yet you know exactly who I meant. Listen, girl… you should be grateful I haven't laid a hand on you. Yet."
His voice was sharp like a blade.
He let Charlotte's necklace fall back against her neck, then reached out, his fingers brushing over the bruise on her cheek as though trying to soothe the pain… despite the look in his eyes.
"Luckily, I heard what happened. And while I wonder why no one stepped in, I'm rather pleased to find that the other party in this little quarrel was my favorite lady."
Natalia's eyes widened in disbelief, fixed on that brazen hand gently stroking Charlotte's face.
"How dare you speak to me like that?! And whatever's going on between me and Charlotte it's none of your business! Unless… you're her secret lover?"
"Her secret lover?"
Devin echoed the words calmly, as if they had struck some hollow wall inside him. For a moment, his expression froze dead, lifeless before a scowl began to creep across his features.
"The young lady is… virtuous."
He paused.
Then added, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper:
"And that's exactly why I'd take great pleasure in breaking her."
A slow smile curled on his lips growing out of the scowl like a poisonous vine sprouting from the darkest depths of his soul. A satisfied grin, soaked in shadow and cruel intent.
"Break her? Those are bold words."
The unfamiliar voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere.
Natalia quickly turned around, scanning the source of the voice, to find two police officers slowly approaching.
It was Pyotr, accompanied by Alia, walking with confident strides.
Natalia blinked slowly, trying to process the situation... then her heart trembled. Had they been reported for causing a disturbance?
But she remembered.
She had seen them before, that was true. They were part of the team that came the night they raided Charlotte's apartment... the night Leonid's puppy was killed.
But Devin?
He hadn't moved, didn't care about them. It was as if their presence was nothing more than a flicker of light on a dark wall.
With lethal calm, Devin extended his free hand, continuing to wipe Charlotte's tears with the back of his fingers, as if the entire world had disappeared, leaving only the two of them.
"Let's meet later... this time, I'll leave you unharmed."
He whispered in a cold voice, barely audible, as if his words belonged to nothingness. Then he finally left her, turning back toward his apartment with steady steps, as if nothing had happened.
"Wait, man! We're not finished talking!"
Pyotr called out from behind, but Devin completely ignored him, entered his apartment, and closed the door behind him with a soft click.
The moment the door shut, Charlotte closed her eyes as if she had finally allowed herself to breathe. She sighed deeply, then swayed slowly, losing her balance against her will.
But before she fell, Pyotr moved quickly, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward him just in time.
"Charlotte Smith, are you alright?"
He called her with concern as he wrapped his arm around her waist, gently patting her cheek with his other hand.
"I'm fine... really."
She answered quietly, too quickly, as if trying to reassure herself more than him.
Pyotr felt the weakness in her body, then turned to Alia with serious eyes.
"She's tired. She needs somewhere to lie down immediately."
He then looked back at Charlotte and asked gently:
"Can we come into your apartment?"
Charlotte didn't answer with words but nodded her head, trying to move a little away from him.
"Alright, let's go."
With her permission, Pyotr slowly moved forward, helping her into her apartment.
Natalia stood behind them, staring at Charlotte's back with a vague expression, as if something was beginning to become clear to her. The paleness of her skin and the trembling of her legs spoke louder than words.
"Miss!"
"Huh?"
Natalia finally responded to Alia's call, but the realization silenced her pulse for a moment.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
Then she added with concern:
"But... why are you here? Did you receive a report about something?"
Alia shook her head and replied calmly:
"No reports. We're here to talk to Charlotte... and someone else."
"Talk to Charlotte... about what?"
Natalia asked in a soft voice, turning towards Alia.
Alia noticed her curiosity but responded firmly:
"I'm sorry to say this, but from this moment... it's none of your business what goes on between us and Miss Charlotte."
She then turned quietly, entered the apartment, and closed the door behind her without looking back.
Inside the apartment, Alia felt a slight discomfort, but she quickly glanced around the place.
This was the apartment where Leonid had spent most of his time since he met Charlotte. She sighed lightly and moved further in.
The sun was creeping through the open windows, the curtains and blankets dancing with the breeze. Everything here had an odd sense of calm and purity, which didn't fit with what had just happened.
Pyotr, for his part, was inspecting the place, helping Charlotte sit on the sofa, and noticed how much brighter the apartment had become since his last visit.
"Ah…"
Charlotte sighed softly as she sat, a sharp pain sweeping through her head and body.
Every cell screamed from exhaustion.
"Are you really okay?"
Pyotr repeated the question in a concerned tone, but Charlotte answered calmly:
"Yes... I'm just tired."
"Tired? Why?"
Alia intervened in a soft voice, stepping closer to stand beside Pyotr, her gaze on Charlotte filled with many questions... and, if we're honest, disdain.
Charlotte was clutching her stomach with one arm, resting on her other hand.
Her black eyes were staring at the floor with buried fear, before she closed them for a moment and whispered:
"I'm fine now... you can leave."
"But you didn't answer—"
Pyotr suddenly extended his hand and stopped Alia with a silent gesture.
He bent carefully, maintaining a safe distance, and said:
"There's been a misunderstanding. We weren't here just to help you... we came to talk to you."
"Talk... to me?"
Charlotte slowly opened her eyelids, unable to hide the anxiety creeping into her features.
"Why?"
Pyotr smiled a calm smile and said:
"I'll answer you gladly... but first, let's put a cold compress on your cheek. It seems like you had a violent altercation."
On the other side, inside the grocery store, Leonid was standing in line waiting for his turn. For some reason he didn't understand, the place seemed more crowded than usual.
"Did someone announce that today is the end of the world?"
He muttered to himself, tightly closing his eyes, trying to suppress his frustration. There was no doubt that Charlotte had grown tired of waiting... and perhaps she had fallen asleep.
He sincerely hoped she was asleep now, rather than enduring the pain alone and wishing he were there with her.
"Sir, please... step forward."
He was jolted back to reality by the voice of the cashier. He moved forward quickly and placed his items on the counter.
Finally... he could go back to her.