A Forced Contract Marriage with the Devil novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jack asked, for the hundredth time this morning.

I didn’t answer. I just stared at the blood swirling down the drain as I rinsed my knuckles. They were cracked and angry- looking, skin split over swollen bone. The alcohol burned like hell but I welcomed it.

Jack didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, watching me wince as I dabbed at the torn skin. The silence between

us was heavy, stretching out like an open wound neither of us could stitch closed.

It was already late.

“You know,” he said finally, his voice softer this time, “you keep doing that, you’re going to lose full use of your hand.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” I muttered, not looking up.

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, then. Self–destruction it is. Great plan.”

I snorted bitterly, tossing the bloodied gauze into the sink. “You don’t get it, Jack.”

“Talking won’t fix anything,” I muttered again but my voice was hoarse, like I hadn’t used it in days.

“Neither will punching brick walls, but here we are.”

I didn’t smile. Couldn’t. The weight in my chest wouldn’t let me breathe, much less pretend.

My hand was killing me, my head was pounding, and my heart… well, I didn’t want to talk about that.

I hadn’t slept since I walked out on Alessandro. Walked out? No. I ran. Like a coward. Like a fucking fool who realized… far too late that he’d been playing checkers while the person he loved played chess.

“It’s official,” I said, my voice hollow. “My life fucking sucks now.”

Jack didn’t argue.Didn’t tell me I was being dramatic. Didn’t feed me false hope.

That’s why I was here. Because he knew how to sit in silence without trying to stitch it back together.

I grabbed the towel beside the sink and pressed it to my knuckles. The blood soaked through almost immediately.

“I saw her name,” I said finally. “On his phone. Babes. With a little heart.”

Jack raised a brow. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “She called. I answered. Thought it was work. But it wasn’t. It was her. His girlfriend. Or ex. Or… hell, I don’t know anymore. But she sounded sure. Like they still talk every night. Like I never even existed.”

Jack shifted, expression unreadable. “What did he say?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “He told me I was being paranoid. Said I was overthinking it. Like Babes with a heart emoji is something totally normal when you’re with someone else.”

Jack whistled low. “Wow. That’s… bold.”

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Chapter 108

“No, that’s Alessandro,” I snapped, finally letting some of the venom out. “He’s so fucking bad, so dangerous, always a step ahead. Makes you feel insane for questioning him. Makes you think you imagined the whole thing.”

Jack was quiet for a second but his next words disappointed me. “But you didn’t imagine it.”

“No,” I whispered, staring down at my shaking hands. “No, I didn’t.”

And God, I wish I had.

Because then maybe I could still pretend.

Pretend I was enough. Pretend he chose me. Pretend the way he touched me meant something real.

But now?

Now I was just someone who let himself believe in a fantasy. And the crash back to reality hurt like hell.

Jack walked over, gently pried the towel from my hand, and began wrapping fresh gauze around it.

“You’re not staying here forever but for now stay,” he said.

“I’m fine, I will leave“, I spoke a sigh escaping my lips.

Jack’s face dropped. “Nikolai, you should stay, man.

“I think you need to talk to someone… professionally about this. It’s not healthy.”

I scoffed and shook my head.

“I know you’re trying to help, but don’t. It’s fucking annoying. Everyone tells me what to do on a daily basis, I don’t need that from my fucking best friend.”

Jack didn’t flinch at the outburst. He just kept wrapping my hand, slower now, more careful. Like he thought if he moved gently enough, I might calm down too.

“I’m not everyone,” he said quietly. “I’m the guy who picked you up off the curb when you were too wrecked to stand. I’m the guy who didn’t ask questions when you showed up at two in the morning with bleeding knuckles and eyes that looked like they’d seen hell.”

I clenched my jaw, looking away. I hated this.

“I didn’t come here to be fixed,” I muttered.

“Good,” Jack said, tying the bandage off. “Because you’re not broken. You’re just hurting. There’s a difference.”

I let out a breath, shaky and bitter. “I don’t even know who I am without him.”

Jack stood and tossed the bloodied towel in the bin. “Then maybe now’s the time to figure that out.”

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