52| mastermind

DIANE

I tossed and turned, but I couldn't fall back asleep. I could feel Isaak's arms wrapped around me, his body warm and comforting. But I had to get up, to move.

I carefully slipped out of his grasp, careful not to wake him. I grabbed his blazer, inhaling the familiar scent as I wrapped it around myself and I walked to the balcony.

I opened the doors, stepping out into the cool night air. The moon was high in the sky, its light bathing everything in a soft glow.

I knew I couldn't stay here, not with Isaak and Sebas. If I stayed, I would have to face them in the morning, and I wasn't sure I could do that.

My thoughts drifted back to a time when things were almost perfect, before everything went wrong. I say almost because things are never perfect.

The sound of a phone ringing snapped me out of my thoughts.

I reached into Isaak's blazer, fishing out the phone that was vibrating in the pocket. The screen lit up, the caller ID reading "Luciano" What was he doing calling at this hour?

I hesitated, unsure of what to do. Should I answer it? Should I let it ring? Or should I just turn it off?

Before I could do anything, the call ended, and a voicemail played. I was taken by surprise, not expecting the voice that filled my ears. "Isaak," the voice said, its deep tone laced with urgency.

"Please call me back as soon as you get this. It's urgent. Something's happened." My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in short, shallow gasps.

What had happened?

The message continued, and I recognized Luciano's voice on the other end. My heart sank, dread filling my body as I listened to his words. "Brother, I have some evidence against Luka. He was there the night Roseline got into the accident." I blinked.

"I'll tell you the rest in person but you need to let Diane know and stop hiding this from her." The message ended, and I stood there in a daze, my mind racing with thoughts. What did all of this mean? What should I do?

My heart dropped, the news hitting me like a ton of bricks.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did Isaak know about all of this and let me blame him? Why hadn't he told me? I felt a mix of emotions, anger, guilt and sadness battling within me.

How could he have kept this from me? Why didn't he trust me enough to tell me the truth? I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, my vision blurring as I fought to hold them back.

I set Isaak's phone on the coffee table, my hands shaking as I tried to still them. My eyes landed on the bottle of pills on the table, I squinted my eyes but my thoughts were too clouded for me to care.

I took one last look at Isaak, lying there so peacefully, completely unaware of the storm raging inside of me.

I couldn't stay in the room, I had to get out. I left the room, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I stood in the hallway, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

I opened my clutch and pulled out my phone, my hands trembling as I found Luka's number and typed out a text.

- Meet me by the pool

I wrote, my heart pounding in my chest. I sent the text, knowing that I had to face him.

I had to know the truth. I turned and headed towards the pool, my mind spinning with thoughts and questions. Why had he done this? How could he have kept it from me? What did it all mean?

My mind kept going back to Isaak.

God no.

I arrived at the pool, and there was Luka, as punctual as always. He was leaning against the railing, a whiskey in his hand, his eyes half-lidded. "My love," he slurred, a wide grin on his face.

I wrinkled my nose as his breath hit me, reeking of alcohol. I pushed him away, backing up a few steps. "Get off me," I said, my voice stern. I wasn't going to let him get away with this. He had to tell me the truth.

"Come on, baby," he said, stepping towards me again. I took another step back, my patience wearing thin.

"I'm serious, Luka," I said, my voice cold. "Tell me what's going on." He stopped, a flash of anger crossing his face. "What's it to you?" he snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"Well it does because this has to do with my sister,"

I tried to speak, the words getting stuck in my throat. "Did you... have something to do with my sister's accident?" I finally managed to get out, my voice barely above a whisper.

He rolled his eyes, a look of annoyance on his face. "Oh, this is what this is about?" he scoffed.

I felt anger rising within me, my blood boiling. "I don't have time for your crap, Luka!" I said, my voice raising in volume. "Tell me the truth!" He scowled at me, his face contorted with anger. "Fine, yes! I left your sister paralyzed. And so what?" His words were like a slap to my face, and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes.

"You- you monster!" I sputtered, unable to find the words to express my fury. He just smirked at me, a self-satisfied look on his face.

"I'm just a monster to you, aren't I?" he said, his tone mocking. "That's all I've ever been to you, isn't it?"

"Crap the pregnancy is a lie as well," my world stilled.

The overload of the news had become too much for me. "That's a lie," I shake my head. I felt my world spinning, my vision blurring.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "That's not true," I said, my voice trembling. "You're just saying that to hurt me." He sneered at me, his eyes cold.

"Isn't that what you wanted? The truth? Well, the truth hurts, babe." I felt a sob rising in my throat, my chest tightening.

He had lied to me, he had deceived me. I felt like my world was crashing down around me, everything I thought I knew was a lie.

I couldn't believe this was my reality, that he had made me believe in something that wasn't real. I felt a sob escape my lips, and I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle the sound.

"Why- why would you do something like this. ," I said, my voice breaking. "Why does it make youso happy to see me suffering?Why are you such a monster," He just shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him. "I'm what they made me, love."

"And besides, this is how I know I'm winning over Isaak,"

I felt like I was spinning, like I couldn't find my balance. Everything I thought I knew was a lie, a carefully constructed façade.

I felt sick to my stomach, my head swimming. I wanted to run, to get away from him, but my legs felt like lead. I couldn't move.

"How could you do this?" I managed to whisper, my voice hoarse. "How could you lie to me like this!"

"Don't you remember?" he asked, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"The tea I gave you?" It all clicked into place, the missing pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place.

The reason I couldn't remember what had happened that night wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because I couldn't. He had drugged me, and I had been too out of it to even realize what was happening. I felt a surge of anger, of rage. "You- you drugged me." I spat, my voice shaking.

"You're sick," I muttered, my voice shaking. "You're crazy." I couldn't believe what he had done, how he had manipulated me.

I felt betrayed, I felt so stupid. I wondered why everyone had been so wary of him, why they had warned me about him, and it finally made sense. They had been right all along.

"It doesn't matter," he said, his tone dismissive. "Everyone will be against you soon enough." I felt my stomach drop, a cold dread settling in my bones.

I didn't understand what he meant by that, but I was too upset to ask him to clarify.

I felt numb, my body numb with fear and anger. And then, something unexpected happened. A bright light appeared in the sky, a flash of blinding white. It was so bright that I had to close my eyes, unable to see anything but the spots that danced across my vision.

I blinked, trying to clear my vision. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer by the pool. I was standing in the middle of a large, open space.

The area was desolate, barren. There was nothing but a dry, dusty ground and a few large rocks scattered about. And there were men, at least a dozen of them, surrounding me with guns in their hands.

"Boss, we found her," I heard one of them say. I felt my heart racing, my breath coming in short gasps. I didn't understand what was happening.

I heard footsteps behind me, someone approaching. "We have her right in front of us boss," a gruff voice said.

I turned, my heart in my throat, my stomach churning. I felt like I was going to be sick. And then my eyes met Viktor's. He was standing there, staring at me, a satisfied look on his face.

Suddenly, it all clicked into place. This had been Luka's plan all along. He had manipulated me, had played me like a fool.

He was a mastermind, and I had been completely blind to it.