Page 133 of Manic

“Yes.”

“He’s stripping you of everything.” My voice rose slightly, enough that it wavered. I felt like vomiting. “You clearly won’t be able to set foot in Vancouver or take anything with you.”

“We changed a few things. The contract is temporary,” he explained after a long moment, averting his eyes. “I told Ronan that I would come back after a few months to take over. After I cleared my head.”

“What?” I breathed.

“It was the only way I could ensure Dmitri wouldn’t get you,” he said. “I’m sorry⁠—”

“Don’t,” I blurted.

I didn’t want to hear whatever half-hearted apology left his mouth. It would mean nothing at this point.

Was this what he was doing with Axell for the last week? Securing his assets? Preparing to leave, only to come back as Ronan’s life-long prisoner? Were those inmates permanent or temporary replacements? Was Manic staying in the mafia because of me?

Relief flooded me first—at the thought of him eventually staying in Vancouver—but guilt was quick to follow. It was sharp and painful. I knew just by looking at him that I was the reason. Even if I shattered from his absence, he couldn’t stay.

Not with Ronan. Not for me.

“You can’t stay,” I said, fighting the sting of heartbreak behind my eyes. The sting of needing to let him go.

Instead of arguing with me like I assumed, his mouth tilted into a sinful smile. “Are you saying you want to get rid of me?”

“No—”

“That you still hate me?”

I growled. “That’s not⁠—”

“Then what are you saying?”

“If you’d let me fucking talk, I’d tell you,” I clipped.

His brows lifted as he tossed the rag onto the counter with that same dark smirk on his face, like this entire situation was amusing. Then he crossed his arms and waited for me to continue. How was this funny?

I gritted my teeth, exhaling through my nose.

“I don’t want to leave the penthouse without you,” I confessed. “But you can’t stay here either. I don’t want to be the reason you can’t leave this place. Permanently.”

“You’re not.”

I almost rolled my eyes. Liar.

“But if this is what it takes to make sure you’re safe from Dmitri, I’d sign whatever contract he wanted,” he said quietly. “A few months is all I need, and I’ll come back.”

That should have relieved me, but it didn’t.

“Were these the details you spared me from? That you’d decided to stay by signing that stupid contract?”

He only blinked.

“What if…” I trailed off, biting my lip because the thought that just surfaced would have sent me straight to the looney bin. My sanity, what little I had left, soared right through the balcony windows and splattered on the concrete. Gone.

“What?” he pressed.

“What if I went with you? Would you leave for good?”

Manic stilled, his eyes solely fixed on me.