Chapter 122

Nial. The morning air was crisp, biting against my skin as I stepped outside. My breath formed soft clouds in the cold dawn light, but I barely felt it. My body was exhausted, but my mind? My mind was sharper than ever, wired from a night spent pacing, replaying every single word Sofia had said. Every damn second of that confession, like a knife twisting in my gut over and over again. Arsen. The name alone made my blood burn. I found him near his training grounds, stretching, rolling his shoulders like he knew this was coming. Maybe he did. Maybe he was fucking waiting for me. His eyes flicked to mine as I approached, his face unreadable, controlled. Like he had the right to be calm. "Nial Alexeyev." His greeting was even, but I could hear the tension underneath it. "Didn’t think I’d see you this early." I stopped a few feet away, fists clenching at my sides holding back the hell I wanted to unleash on him for touching my wife. "We need to talk." Arsen exhaled, nodding slowly. "Yeah. F