Chapter 805: Secrets you can't hide

Nefretiri

Addiction is a dangerous thing.

Everyone thinks it's limited to substance and bad behavior, but it can be so much worse. Anything can become an addiction, and most people won't get a grip of it before it gets out of control. It consumes you and eats away at your identity until you aren't yourself. That's not only dangerous. It's also easy to miss.

Unfortunately, I hadn't missed it.

I knew it was a problem when I refused to share the voicemails with anyone, keeping them to myself and hoping for a new one. They were as terrifying as they were exciting to receive because they gave me a very uncomfortable timeline. In the span of twenty-four hours, I got ten messages. Ivan would call me at the same time every night when he was sure he was alone. That meant one day for me was a week and a half for him. He'd only been gone for a few days, but from his perspective, it was weeks.