He marches off down the hall, leaving me alone in the corridor. I glance at the door, hating that I fear facing him, even after he’s been shot and drugged up.
I shake my head and force myself to open the door, finding Adrik lying in the bed with his eyes shut. When he hears the door shut behind me, they fly open.
“Eliza, come here.” Even in a hospital bed, he’s still ordering me about.
I walk toward the bed and look into those odd hazel eyes of his.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” he murmurs, a whisper of a smile at his lips. “I know you were hopeful it would be more serious.”
Guilt coils through me even though I have nothing to be guilty about. This man is heartless and I won’t apologize for wishing that bullet freed me from his grasp. “Are you expecting me to deny it?” I wrap my arms around my waist.
“No, because you’re smart. Come here.” He holds his hand out.
I swallow hard, wanting nothing more than to walk the opposite direction, but I remember my plan. Once he trusts me, then I can plan my escape.
So I ignore the churning in my stomach and walk closer, placing my hand in his. He yanks me toward him forcefully and then wraps his hand around my throat, searching my eyes.
The pressure of his hand around my throat is forceful, but he’s done it before. I don’t fear that he’ll choke me to death, so I return his gaze.
“You believe me a monster, but you’ve not seen anything yet, Ana.”
My brow furrows. “Who is Ana?”
His face pales, and he releases my throat. “What?”
“You called me Ana.”
His jaw clenches. “You misheard me.”
I shake my head. “No, I heard it clearly. Who is Ana?”
His chest rises and falls with rasping breaths. “My mother.”
That’s not who I expected him to say as I narrow my eyes. “And were you in the habit of calling your mother by her first name and strangling her?”
For the first time in my life, I see true emotion in those hazel eyes.
Pain.
Deep and unrelenting pain, but it’s quickly gone as he slides his mask of steel in place. “No, she died when I was six years old.”
I hate feeling feel any pity for this creature, but it’s there. “How did she die?”
He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he does. “It’s not important.”
I sense that there’s something dark surrounding his mother’s death. Perhaps it’s the key to why he’s so heartless. “Since you’re fine, I’m going to go home.” I turn to leave.
“Wait.” His voice doesn’t sound commanding now. It sounds almost desperate. “Stay here with me.”
I look into those blue flecked eyes and wonder why he’d want me here. A woman who practically admitted she wished he had died in the operating theater. “Why?”
He shakes his head. “Because you’re my wife.”
“Are you going to tell me about your mom?” I ask, hating that I’m intrigued by what made this monster. It’s like a puzzle I want to solve.
His jaw clenches. “She was murdered.”
I swallow hard. “Oh, I’m sorry.”