Chapter 3

Months slipped by since the last unknown mesage. Nella’s anger grew, tangled with

confusion that never let her rest. Questions echoed through her mind until they hurt

Why can’t he just come to me?

Why is he playing games?

Stay loyal, Bunny? What does that even mean?

Every time she replayed his words, her chest ached. The silence between them became heavier than the memory of his voice.

Overthinking turned into wounds she couldn’t heal. She buried herself in work at the flower shop, arranging roses, tying ribbons, serving customers with a smile that never reached her eyes. But behind the counter, grief waited. Her mother’s illness worsened. Cancer ate away at her strength, leaving her pale and frail. Doctors exchanged looks of helplessness, their shrugging shoulders a cruel reminder that hope was slipping away.

Each night, when the shop closed and the city fell silent under the snow, Nella curled into her bed and wept. Tears soaked her

pillow as she whispered prayers into the

darkness, begging for her mother to survive, begging for answers that never came. And always, in the back of her mind, the shadow of that man lingered. Watching. Waiting.

Months deepened, and with it, Nella’s loneliness. The shop felt colder, quieter, even when filled with flowers. Her mother’s cough grew harsher, her father’s eyes more tired. Nella did everything she could delivering bouquets, scrubbing floors, counting every ruble for medicine but no amount of work could chase away the shadow in her heart.

And then, one evening, the bell above the shop door chimed.

Nella looked up, expecting a customer. Instead, her breath caught.

He was there.

The man from the alley, alive, whole, more dangerous than ever. Snow clung to the shoulders of his black coat, and his dark eyes locked on her the way they had that night as though she belonged to him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Her chest tightened with anger, relief, and something far more dangerous. She wanted to scream at him for disappearing. She wanted to thank him for surviving. She wanted answers.

But his voice came first, low and certain, the same voice that had haunted her dreams.

"I told you, Bunny… we’d meet again."

Her big brown eyes widened in disbelief, her dark brows furrowing as she turned away, anger and frustration burning through her.

He only smirked, lips curling into a small, cocky grin, his eyes gleaming with a teasing spark

“Is this how you greet a customer?”

Nella spun back to him, her voice sharp

"You disappeared. Months. Not a word, not

a sign and now you just stroll in like nothing happened?!"

His smirk deepened, though his gaze softened, almost as if her fury amused him.

"I told you we’d meet again, Bunny. You should’ve trusted me"

"Don’t call me that"

she snapped, though her chest tightened at the sound of it.

"I’m not your…. whatever you think I am."

He leaned casually against the counter, watching her with those unreadable eyes

"Your my bunny."

Her lips parted, but no words came. Heat rose to her cheeks, betrayal warring with something she didn’t want to name. Love.

"You don’t know anything about me"

she said finally, forcing her voice steady

His smile faded into something darker, his tone dropping low

“You’re wrong bunny. I know everything. And that’s why you will never be able

to escape me."

He straightened to his full height, towering over her 6’6 of shadow and presence while she stood barely 5’5. His sharp features softened into a gentleman’s smile, in contrast to his dangerous aura. When he spoke, his voice was low and gentle, so gentle it almost didn’t match the man standing before her

"Even though I already know your name"

he said smoothly,

"my mother raised me to be a gentleman. May I ask you… what is your name, beautiful?"

Nella’s breath caught. She tilted her head up, her stormy brown eyes clashing with his, emotion swirling between defiance and something softer she didn’t want to admit. Heat flushed her cheeks, a delicate pink blooming as she broke eye contact, forcing the words past her lips

"I… I’m Nella. And you?"

His expression shifted. The teasing spark dimmed into something darker, more

commanding. Slowly, he lifted his hand and tilted her chin upward not harsh, but firm enough to

remind her who held control. His touch was warm, electric, impossible to ignore

"Look at me,"

he murmured, his voice threaded with steel and temptation

"And repeat it, Bunny"

Nella’s pulse quickened as his fingers rested

beneath her chin, tilting her face toward his. She met his gaze, but once locked in, she couldn’t look away. Those deep brown eyes seemed to strip her bare, leaving her naked, pulling at thoughts she hadn’t dared to form

Her lips parted, breath shaky

"…Nella."

The faintest smile ghosted over his mouth, as though the sound of her name pleased him more than he cared to admit. His thumb brushed her jaw lightly, deliberate, making her shiver.

"Good girl"

he whispered, the words soft yet commanding

Heat rushed through her cheeks, her chest

tightening. She wanted to shove him away, to tell him he had no right but her body betrayed her, leaning ever so slightly into his touch.

"You still haven’t told me your name"

she managed, her voice barely above a whisper

For a moment, his eyes flickered with something unreadable. He leaned closer, close enough that she caught the faint scent of smoke and

expensive perfume on his coat. His breath warmed her ear as he murmured

"Names have power, Bunny. Mine is one you’re not ready to carry"

Her heart pounded, her mind torn between fear and a strange, aching pull toward him.

And still, she couldn’t step away.

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