Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 96404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
The nerdy pen pal that I always pictured to be quiet and introverted with some sort of a behavioral problem isn’t my husband. He’s not the man I married, distrusting every word he said in his letters because of his elusive nature.
Akira is none other than Sebastian.
I read and re-read his words, thinking I’ve missed something or that it’s a figment of my imagination. Maybe I’m so worried about Sebastian’s state that I’m starting to see things.
But the words in front of me don’t lie. Every confession aligns with what I’ve known about Akira all along. And it’s not only his way of talking, but also the little things that have stood out over the years for me when it came to Akira—my husband—and I brushed them off as unimportant.
Such as his lack of a sense of humor. My husband is cold and calculated, and no one can accuse him of being playful. There’s also the age part and how he’s not from Tokyo, and lately, I discovered he’s into knife play, not breath play like Akira from the letters—Sebastian.
All of those things should’ve been signs, but I wouldn’t have suspected him, not when he was being judgmental over my fantasies that he himself triggered. Asshole.
And yet, a smile breaks on my lips and my nose tingles as moisture gathers in my lids.
Akira from the letters is Sebastian.
He’s not my unfeeling husband. When I thought he was, I mourned the friendship we could’ve had but didn’t.
Turns out, it’s been an entirely different person all along.
I’m mad about the whole double identity thing, but at the same time, I can’t help the giddiness at knowing he was there for me from the beginning. Even before we were officially together.
“Something good?”
I lift my head from my phone to stare at Kai. He’s driving the car after he insisted on escorting me to wherever I wished to go.
There’s a chance he’s doing this to spy on me for my father, but there’s a reason I’m risking having him with me.
I drop the phone in my bag and stare at him. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
His lips twitch slightly as if he’s well aware of everything going on and is just watching it unfold. “If you say so.”
“Why are you here, Kai? Shouldn’t you be torturing Sebastian, per your boss’s orders?”
“Do you want me to torture him?”
“That’s not what I meant.” The mere thought of him being hurt causes my stomach to cramp.
“Then what do you mean?”
“You shouldn’t be helping me.”
“Too late for that. Besides, I’m along for the ride and to see what you’ll do.”
“You heard me talking to Ren, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you going to tattle?”
“Tattling is Ren’s characteristic, not mine.”
“Are you mad at him for selling out Akira and, therefore, endangering your alliance?”
“I don’t get mad, Ojou-sama. You should know that about me by now.”
“You must feel something for what Ren did.”
“Hmm.” He taps his finger against the steering wheel as he takes a sharp turn to the left that surprisingly doesn’t jolt me from my seat. He drives like he lives, always on the edge but without actually making a fatal mistake.
“What does ‘hmm’ mean?”
“The only feeling I have about Ren’s actions is curiosity. He’s dug himself into deep holes on all fronts and it’ll be nearly impossible for him to escape them all with his head in place, no matter how otherworldly he thinks he is. It’ll be fun to watch.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t punish him?”
“If Abe orders it, of course I’ll cut him limb from limb and feed him to my dogs.”
“So much for loyalty.”
“I’m loyal to principles, not to people, as Ren should’ve been.” He brings the car to an abrupt halt. “We’re here.”
My insides knot as I stare through the window at the grandiose mansion sitting on a large piece of land. I’ve been here before, but it was under different circumstances.
I suck in a sharp breath, then step out of the car. Kai accompanies me as I stand in front of the large metal gate and retrieve my phone.
My hand trembles when I dial Nate’s number. I called him as soon as I found out about Sebastian’s captivity and convinced him to be the meditator between me and his parents.
I could tell Sebastian’s uncle doesn’t like to be in debt to his parents, but since it’s about his nephew, he agreed.
Nate picks up after one ring. “Are you here?”
“Yeah.”
“Come inside.”
The line goes dead as the gate opens with a creaking sound. I hesitate and Kai watches me closely as if ready to catch me if I fall, even though both his hands are inert by his sides. He’s armed, though. He always is.
“I can go on my own,” I say.
“Nonsense.”
I lift my chin. “You don’t think I can do this alone?”
“Of course I do, but you’ll do it faster if they think you could pose a threat.”