Chapter 73 DarknessIII
Maverick’s brows slammed together, eyes snapping to her.
Before he could speak, a guy pushed through people her boyfriend, breathless, eyes wide with embarrassment.
“Bro…seriously, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, yanking her wrist. “She’s drunk please just ignore her, man.”
She shook him off, blinking like the room was spinning.
“No! He needs to know!” she insisted, pointing in the vague direction of the ocean.
He forced a smile at Maverick, tugging her away roughly.
“Sorry, man. Really. Enjoy your night.”
The boyfriend pulled her further away from Maverick
Maverick barely registered them.
The music swallowed their words whole.
All he saw was Heaven’s tear-streaked face And her voice pleading with him.
All he felt was the violent, consuming need to destroy every piece of her before she destroyed him.
“That blonde girl…the pretty one…she…she pushed herself over the railing…Okay?… I saw it. She…she didn’t push her!” She lowered her voice even though she was still shouting. “I think they were both arguing over him…. He must be fucking them both..”
The boyfriend stiffened.
Panic flashed through his eyes.
“Samantha you will be the death of me. Thank God the music is loud,” he hissed at her. “Thank goodness he can’t hear you and you’re not making sense. Stop embarrassing us.”
“But….”
“It’s a family matter, they will handle their issues… you can’t make such accusations ” he growled under his breath. “Stay out of it.”
Maverick couldn’t count how many bottles he had drained, but finally, he forced himself upright, the alcohol buzzing in his veins like wildfire.
His feet carried him, unthinking, back to Heaven his chaos, his ruin, the one person who drove him crazy yet could never let go.
He staggered into her suite. Broken glass glittered across the floor, catching the dim light like shards of his own fury.
The room was silent, dark. No sound. No pleading. No voice. Panic gripped him tighter than the drink ever could.
He rushed to the closet where he had locked her, fumbling with the latch. The torch on his phone flickered to life, casting jagged shadows across the walls.
Heaven lay there, fragile, passed out. Sweat dampened her hair and clung to her skin, tears still glimmering on her lashes. His chest tightened painfully. What have I done?
He placed a trembling hand under her nose, checking her breath. She was still alive. She was still here. But the knowledge that he had driven her to this his anger, his obsession, his punishments slammed into him like a physical blow.
His mind swirled. Rage at her for making him feel this helpless. Rage at himself for the way he couldn’t protect her from what he’d become.
And yet, beneath it all, a twisted ache of possession, of desire, of something darker than he wanted to admit, burned hotter than the liquor coursing through him.
Slowly, he laid down beside her, pulling her close, clutching her like she was the only anchor in the storm of his own making.
Her fragile warmth pressed to him, and for a moment, the fury dimmed, replaced by something deeper, something almost suffocating in its intensity.
I’m the only one who can keep you. The only one who should. Even if it destroys us both.
He closed his eyes, letting himself feel the ache of what he’d done and what he could not undo.
A figure slipped into the room, silent, face unreadable, taking in the glittering shards across the floor, taking in Maverick holding Heaven to his chest, both of them sprawled on the ground as though the world had shrunk to that one chaotic, broken moment. Without a word, the figure turned and walked out, leaving the room to the heavy, unspoken tension, the quiet storm that raged between them.
\~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The helicopter waited, engines humming, ready to return them to Ivory City. General Richard had called off the vacation, the cruise over, the fun cut short.
The last to board was Heaven. Her steps were slow, her eyes empty, reflecting nothing. She didn’t see anyone neither Maverick, standing rigid with his jaw clenched, nor the sharp, judgmental stares from Eleanor or the thinly veiled smugness of Eva. Her mind was blank, a hollow space where thoughts once lived.
When she woke, the closet door was already open. The only sign that Maverick had returned was the bed beneath her he had laid her down.
“Do we have to wait for you all the time?” Eleanor’s voice cut sharply, a jab aimed at Heaven.
She didn’t answer.
“I’m talking to you, Heaven. Why did you come out late?!”
Still, no reply.
“I said this now your true colors show, right? Pushing Eva off the cruise, ignoring everyone… y’all can see it…”
Heaven kept silent, as if Eleanor’s words didn’t reach her ears.
“I get it. Now I understand why your parents sold you so easily…did they shift their problems to me? Once you get back home, you’ll be locked away, Heaven. No food, no water… Boyle, I’m sorry I married a wicked one for you…”
Eva smirked, savoring Eleanor’s verbal assault, while Maverick’s hands clenched at his sides.
“Apologize to Eva now,” Eleanor demanded, venom dripping from her words.
Heaven said nothing.
“I’m talking to you!” Eleanor shouted, raising her hand and slapping Heaven across the face, whipping her head to the side.
Maverick stepped forward, the tension in his muscles taut, threatening to snap.
Eva rushed to Eleanor, feigning sympathy. “Mother, please. I have long forgiven her. We’re friends. Just a little quarrel there’s no need to apologize.”
“Oh, sweet child… friends don’t push others over the cliff,” Eleanor shot back, her hand rising again.
“Enough, Eleanor,” General Richard’s voice rang out, calm but ironclad. “This will be handled at home. Let’s go.”
Heaven didn’t speak. She didn’t cry. She was numb, a ghost moving through their world.
Maverick stole glances at her, unease flickering across his features. Her silence, her stillness, unnerved him more than her tears ever could.
The journey back to the Richard estate was quiet. Servants and Butler Rose waited as they landed, heads bowed, aware of the tension but careful to avoid stirring it.
“Heaven…to my study. Now.” General Richard’s command was sharp, final. He turned and walked away without another word.
Everyone dispersed…except Maverick.
He caught Eva’s wrist, his eyes drilling into her.
“Did Heaven really push you?” he asked, his voice low, heavy, dangerous.
Eva’s heart stuttered.
Why was he asking again?
“She did…” she whispered quickly. “There’s no need to talk about it. It’s in the past. I-I forgave her already.”
Maverick leaned close, voice colder.
“You reeked of alcohol yesterday. You had quite a lot.”