Adrik's patience finally snapped. He understood that keeping a venomous snake like Maya alive would only invite future danger upon his family—or upon Soha again. And when he heard the words "blood for blood" from Soha's lips, the murderous entity sleeping deep inside him fully awakened.
Adrik pulled a revolver from his belt and handed it to one of the bodyguards. His voice was emotionless, yet chilling enough to freeze blood.
"Don't take her to the dungeon. Take her to the far end of the dock. Slaughter her with your own hands. I want her blood to mix with the salt of the sea. There should be no trace left of her existence on this island."
Maya turned to stone. She had never imagined Adrik would order her death so coldly. She screamed in terror.
"Adrik! No! I've done so much for you! Please forgive me! Soha—say something!"
Soha said nothing. She covered her baby's ears so the child wouldn't hear Maya's monstrous screams. There was no mercy in Soha's eyes—because a woman who could try to poison a ten-month-old child deserved none.
The bodyguards clamped a hand over Maya's mouth and dragged her out of the palace. Moments later, a muffled groan echoed in the distance—then silence. The waves rolled in, erasing the final trace of Maya's sins.
Adrik returned to Soha's room with slow steps. Drops of blood still stained his hand. He stood before her.
"Are you satisfied now? You wanted blood. I gave it to you. This is how justice works in my empire."
Without turning away from the baby, Soha replied calmly, "You only dirtied your hands further, Adrik. Killing Maya doesn't make you innocent. My parents' blood is still on your hands."
In one sharp motion, Adrik spun her toward him. His eyes were crimson.
"Stop turning me into the villain every time!" he snarled. "Everything I do, I do for you and this child. If I hadn't killed her today, she would've found a chance to kill you—or our child. I may be a beast, but I protect what's mine."
Soha looked into his eyes and saw a terrifying truth—this man loved her with the same intensity he could destroy her.
Suddenly, Adrik froze.
Soha picked up the small knife lying on the table. Before he could react, she sliced deeply into her own palm. Fresh red blood spilled out. She didn't even flinch. In a strange trance, she dipped her fingers into the blood and smeared it across her lips. Her lips burned crimson—not with lipstick, but with her own blood.
She stepped toward Adrik. Her eyes blazed with a mixture of primal desire and vengeance. Grabbing his collar, she pulled him down and pressed her blood-soaked lips against his in a brutal kiss.
The taste of Soha's blood flooded Adrik's mouth. This was not a kiss of love—it was a pact. A blood contract.
Whispering against his lips, Soha said, "You love blood, don't you? Then take mine. From now on, every breath we take will carry its taste. You destroyed me—and now I'll poison you with my blood."
Adrik lost all sense of reason. Soha's madness ignited the beast inside him even more. He wrapped his arms around her waist and crushed her against him, the taste of blood fueling his obsession.
Meanwhile, as the bodyguards dragged Maya toward the shore, she glanced back at the palace one last time. Through a window, she saw Adrik and Soha lost in each other. She finally understood—she had stepped into the world of a terrifying couple, where love and hatred were equally lethal.
At the edge of the dock, the bodyguards carried out Adrik's order. As Maya's lifeless body sank into the depths of the sea, inside the palace room, Adrik and Soha were beginning a new kind of hell.
Adrik sucked the blood from Soha's lips and murmured, "You truly are a mafia queen, Soha. Today, you've turned me into your slave forever. I'll remember the taste of this blood for the rest of my life."
Soha rested her head against his chest, but her eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the window. She knew this bond of blood was dragging her deeper into the abyss—and she was no longer afraid.The clock strikes 1:00 AM. Inside the grand, dimly lit suite, the air is thick with a suffocating intensity. Outside, the waves of the ocean crash against the rocks, mirroring the turmoil within these walls.
Soha is lying on the bed, her fingers trembling as she tightly clutches the silk bedsheet, her knuckles turning white. The fabric is crumpled and torn under her grip. Her body is racked with a mixture of exhaustion and a strange, cold numbness.
"Hmmmm..." a low, pained moan escapes her throat as she closes her eyes, trying to block out the reality of the night.
Soha (in a faint, broken whisper):
"No more... Adrik... please... no more..."
Her voice is barely a shadow of its former strength. The "Mafia Queen" persona she had donned earlier has been stripped away, leaving behind a woman vulnerable to the overwhelming power of a man who knows no limits. The blood she had smeared on her lips earlier has stained the pillows, a crimson reminder of the dark pact she made.
Adrik, hovering over her like a predator who has finally cornered its prey, ignores her pleas. His eyes are dark, filled with an obsessive fire that was ignited the moment she kissed him with the taste of blood.
Adrik (breathing heavily against her ear):
"You started this game, Soha. You showed me the fire in your blood, and now you expect me to walk away? You are mine—body, soul, and every drop of that rebellious blood. I will break you until there is nothing left but your surrender."
Soha's grip on the sheet tightens even further. A single tear escapes her closed eyes, trailing down her temple and disappearing into her tangled hair. She realized too late that playing with a monster like Adrik comes with a price—and tonight, she is paying it in full.
In the corner of the room, the 10-month-old baby stirs slightly in the crib, oblivious to the storm raging between his parents. The silence of the night is punctuated only by Soha's heavy breathing and Adrik's dominant presence.Soha's body was contorting in sheer agony. Suddenly, she saw Adrik pull out that terrifying loaded revolver from the drawer. Her pupils dilated—not out of fear, but in absolute shock. Adrik pressed the cold barrel of the firearm forcefully against her burning skin.
There was no trace of humanity left in Adrik's eyes, only the madness of a primitive beast. He pinned Soha down against the bed with crushing force.
Adrik (in a feral voice):
"Didn't you say you'd take blood for blood? Did you want to be a Mafia Queen? Then taste this fire! There is no peace in my love, Soha, only combustion."
Soha tried to resist, but Adrik pinned both her hands above her head with one hand. Ignoring her struggle, he began to assert his dominance over her with violent force. Soha felt as if her body was being torn apart. She bit down hard on the bedsheet to keep her screams from escaping.
Soha (struggling in pain):
"Adrik... ugh... let me go! You... you are a beast... you truly are a beast..."
Adrik pressed the barrel of the revolver hard against her neck and throat, as if reminding her that in this palace, both life and death were held in the palm of his hand. The blood from the cut on Soha's hand began to stain the white sheets crimson, but Adrik was oblivious. He was lost in a dark trance.
As the night progressed, Adrik's cruelty only intensified. Soha's muffled "hmmm" sounds had now turned into whimpering sobs of despair. She realized that the game of blood she had initiated had led to a horrific consequence.
Within those four walls of the palace, there was only the sound of Adrik's heavy breathing and Soha's helpless surrender. Soha stared up at the ceiling—feeling as though the souls of her parents were watching her humiliation from above.Adrik's frenzy was at its peak. As he pinned Soha down like a heavy stone, he reached for a condom from the drawer. To Soha, this sight was the ultimate symbol of humiliation. The man who had claimed to love her just moments ago was now treating her as nothing more than an object to satisfy his primal lust.
Adrik ripped the packaging open with brutal roughness. There was no mercy in his eyes—only a demonic sense of possession.
Adrik (hissing poisonously into her ear):
"Did you think I would show you mercy? No, Soha. Tonight, I will drag your dignity through the dirt. You are my captive, and captives have no will of their own."
Soha caught the glint of his cold cruelty from the corner of her eye. He was still pressing the cold barrel of the revolver against her throat. With a swift, mechanical motion, he prepared himself and lunged over her with even greater force.
Soha's body arched like a bow in sheer agony. Her nails, digging into the bedsheets, were on the verge of breaking. Every movement Adrik made felt like he was shattering her very existence. She realized that to this man, her body, mind, and soul held no value at all.
Soha (screaming internally):
"I made a mistake touching you with my blood, Adrik. You aren't a man; you are a demon from hell."
In the midst of this barbaric assault, Soha noticed her baby stir in the crib. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She didn't want her child to hear even a whisper of her degradation.
As the night grew deeper, Adrik's violence only intensified. Soha lay there like a lifeless doll, her eyes now filled with nothing but infinite hatred and the smoldering fire of revenge.When the light of dawn pierced through the curtains and entered the room, it revealed the aftermath of devastation. Half-burnt cigarettes lay scattered on the floor, a glass of water lay overturned, and dark, dried stains of Soha's blood marked the white bedsheet—every detail carried the brutal memory of the previous night.
Soha lay numb in one corner of the bed. Her entire body was bruised and aching. Adrik's oversized white shirt clung to her, crumpled and stained. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. She stared toward the window, but there was no life left in her gaze.
Adrik was still asleep beside her, wrapped in deep slumber. In sleep, he looked disturbingly peaceful—as if he had committed no crime at all. The revolver still rested on the drawer near his head.
Soha (to herself):
"This morning has arrived as a curse for me. Does this rising sun know how much of my soul died last night?"
Suddenly, the sound of the baby crying came from the cradle. The moment Soha heard it, life surged back into her stone-like body. With great effort, she dragged herself upright. Every bone screamed in pain.
She staggered toward the cradle. As soon as she lifted her child into her arms, she realized—this child was now her only reason to live. She pressed a long kiss to the baby's forehead.
At that moment, Adrik stirred on the bed. Opening his eyes, he saw Soha standing by the window with the baby in her arms. In the soft morning light, the bluish bruises on Soha's body became visible. The haze of intoxication vanished from Adrik instantly. As memories of last night flooded back, his chest tightened.
He sat up on the bed and reached out toward her.
"Soha…" he called softly.
Soha did not turn around. She remained still, her voice as calm as a grave.
"Don't come near me, Adrik. The wounds you gave me are still fresh. My body may have surrendered to you, but my hatred has reached the sky."
Adrik glanced at the revolver on the drawer, then back at Soha. He understood—trying to conquer her, he had lost her forever.
The baby's cries grew louder. The ten-month-old child had perhaps subconsciously sensed the terror of the night and the sound of his mother's sobs. More than hunger, he wanted the familiar, safe warmth of his mother.
In Soha's arms, the baby cried until his face turned red, clutching at her shirt with tiny hands, trying to say, "Ma… Ma…" Though her body felt like it was splitting apart, Soha ignored her pain and rocked him gently.
Adrik stepped closer. Guilt flickered in his eyes, but his voice remained heavy.
"Give him to me. You're exhausted. You need rest."
As Adrik reached for the baby, Soha stepped back sharply. The look in her eyes made Adrik freeze. There was no fear left in them—only intense revulsion.
"Don't you dare, Adrik!" she screamed.
"Don't touch him. Don't you dare touch my pure child with those filthy, murderous hands. After what you did last night, you have no right over this child."
Frightened by her scream, the baby cried even harder. Adrik clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay in control.
"He is my child too, Soha. Whether you accept it or not, my blood flows in him."
Soha's voice trembled.
"Don't speak of blood. A man who tears apart a mother like a beast in front of his child has no right to be called a father. Get out. Leave my sight."
Seeing Soha's shaking hands and the baby burying his face in her chest in fear, Adrik realized the situation would only worsen. He picked up the revolver from the table, slipped it into his pocket, took one last look at Soha—and left the room.
As he went, he ordered a bodyguard,
"Send fresh milk for the baby and breakfast for Soha immediately. And listen—she is not to leave the room."
Soha stared at the door. Then she sat on the bed, clutching her baby to her chest, and broke down in sobs.
Amid Soha's heart-wrenching cries and the baby's wails, sudden footsteps thundered toward the door. Before Adrik could leave the corridor, the door burst open and their two older children rushed in—seven-year-old Arian and five-year-old little Ira.
They had been with the nanny in another room, but missing their mother, they had run here. The moment they entered, they froze. The room was wrecked. Their mother sat on the floor crying with the baby in her arms. Their father stood nearby, silent and grim.
Ira ran to Soha and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Amma! Why are you crying? Why is there blood on your hand?"
Arian looked at his father.
"Papa, did you scold Amma? Why are her eyes so red?"
Their innocent questions pierced Adrik's chest like arrows. The man who ruled the mafia world with a single command now stood exposed as a criminal before his own children.
When Ira noticed the bruises on Soha's body and reached out to touch them, Soha quickly pulled her shirt tighter to hide them.
Wiping her tears, Soha forced a smile.
"No, my love, I'm not crying. Your little brother was crying, so Amma felt sad too. And I hurt my hand a little—it'll be fine."
As Ira tried to take the baby from Soha's arms, Arian continued staring at his father. There was something unfamiliar in his eyes—suspicion. He knew his father's temper, but seeing the room like this, he felt a storm had passed through.
"Papa," Arian said quietly, "say sorry to Amma. You hurt her. I know you did."
Adrik couldn't meet his son's gaze. The man whose power made the world tremble now stood with his head lowered before his own child.
"Arian," Adrik said gravely, "take Ira downstairs. Your mother and I need to talk."
"No," Soha said firmly. "They're not going anywhere. They'll stay with me. You leave, Adrik. At least hide your beastly side in front of your children."
Hearing the word "beast," the children clung to Soha in fear. Adrik saw it clearly—his own children were afraid of him, seeking shelter in their mother's arms.
This defeat hurt Adrik more than all his victories of the previous night combined.
Without another word, Adrik left the room. But as he walked away, one thought echoed relentlessly in his mind—
Soha had been right.
In trying to conquer her, he had lost his entire family.