Chapter 25: The Confession in the Dark
Janet jolted awake, gasping for air. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as if she had just been pulled from drowning. Her hands clutched the sheets tightly, her whole body trembling.
"Janet... Janet," Luca whispered urgently, rushing to her side.
He held her arms and rubbed her back gently, trying to soothe her panic. "Breathe, Janet. It's okay. You're safe." He handed her a glass of water, which she sipped with shaking hands, still breathing through her mouth.
She couldn't speak. The nightmare still clung to her like cold sweat.
"What happened, Janet?" Luca asked softly, brushing her hair from her face.
She hesitated, but slowly nodded.
Then the words poured out—halting, cracked, soaked in pain.
She told him everything.
About the boy in high school.
About how she rejected him.
How he and his friends kidnapped her and took her to a gangster den.
How they threatened her, tore her clothes, and left her broken.
Luca's eyes darkened with every word. His fists clenched.
The name that left her lips struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Dmitri Ivanov.
His enemy. The one trying to destroy him now.
That Dmitri?
He didn't let her know he recognized the name. But inside, his fury burned hotter than ever.
"How dare he… touch my Janet," Luca seethed in silence.