Chapter 35: The Spark They Didn't See Coming
They hadn't left.
It had been two days. Two nights.
Longer than I thought it would take for the men to snap.
But they hadn't.
Because deep down, they were all still tangled in their pasts.
And the past had perfect nails, sharp heels, and knew how to hit where it hurt.
I stayed quiet.
I didn't have energy for fights.
But silence doesn't mean surrender.
And just because I hadn't moved, didn't mean I wasn't watching.
Eva's Poison
She waited until Leo wasn't looking.
Slid next to me like a whisper and leaned in like we were friends.
"You think he loves you?" she said under her breath. "He loved me once. Said I was the only one who understood him."
Her fingers trailed the edge of the chair I was sitting in.
Her smile never reached her eyes.
"You're just leverage. A breathing contract. Nothing more."
I didn't look at her.
I didn't speak.
But something inside me twisted.
Because deep down, some part of me feared she wasn't wrong.
Carla Plays With Fire
Later, it was Carla.
She didn't whisper.
She made sure everyone could hear.
"Adrian, you remember that party in Milan?" she asked, swirling her drink. "When you said you'd rather die than be tied down?"
Adrian didn't look up.
"Now you've got this one knocked up and mute," she said, gesturing to me. "How's that working out for your freedom complex?"
The smirk Adrian gave her could've cut steel.
"I'm not tied down," he said. "I'm in control."
Carla raised a brow. "Sure. She looks like a symbol of power."
Everyone looked at me.
I just sat there.
Small.
Quiet.
Coiled.
Like a fuse waiting to be lit.
Nico's Past, Still Breathing
The third girl never told me her name.
She didn't have to.
She carried herself like Nico—quiet, poised, eyes that didn't blink unless they needed to strike.
She never addressed me directly.
But I caught her watching me when Nico left the room.
More than once, I saw her touching something of his.
His books. His coat.
His gun.
She wasn't just here to win him back.
She wanted to dismantle what had replaced her.
Me.
The Breaking Point
By the third day, the tension was unbearable.
The air felt sharp.
Like the house itself was waiting for someone to explode.
And it was Eva who pushed the button.
We were in the kitchen.
She came in while I was alone, forcing myself to drink water just so Leo wouldn't lose it.
She walked behind me.
Didn't speak.
Didn't warn me.
Just grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back.
"Look at me when I talk to you," she hissed.
I dropped the glass.
Water spilled everywhere.
Her grip tightened. "You're pathetic. I should've been the one pregnant. Not you."
My body locked.
Every part of me screamed to shut down.
To take it.
To survive.
But something else surfaced instead.
Something I hadn't felt in weeks.
Rage.
The Spark
I grabbed her wrist.
Hard.
She didn't expect it.
Didn't expect me to move.
Didn't expect the thing she thought was dead to fight back.
I stood. Slowly.
Eyes locked on hers.
"Don't touch me again."
My voice was hoarse. Quiet. But lethal.
Eva tried to laugh. "Or what? You'll cry?"
"No." I stepped closer. "I'll bury you."
She froze.
Not because I was loud.
But because I wasn't.
Because I meant it.
And behind her, I saw Leo.
Standing there.
Watching.
Eyes unreadable.
The Shift
Eva backed off.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she saw it now.
The thing inside me they thought they'd crushed.
It wasn't gone.
It was sleeping.
Waiting.
Growing.
And now it was awake.