Phantom Rider: The Aftermath | Book 1

I Hate You!

The morning sun was harsh. When Mila woke up, he was not in the bed. Instead, there were new clothes placed on the chair next to it. She hated when men dressed her, but when Bill did it, it felt different, like he cared about her. Shit, he had even bought her undergarments. How does he even know what size clothes she wears?

She felt like she had dreamed it all, only to be brought back to reality when she walked into the living room. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, eyes empty. He was still angry.

"Can we talk? I can explain everything!" Mila didn't waste any more time.

He braced himself, inhaling deeply. "You met me knowing you had killed my parents and decided to go after me? How do you expect me to believe anything you say?" He started pacing restlessly around the small living room.

"I didn't know!" Mila's voice cracked as she slumped into the corner of the sofa.

"How the fuck could you not know?! Stop fucking lying to my face, it gets more and more pathetic!" Bill's voice grew hoarse, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. The veins in his neck bulged with anger.

"My father told me when we were in Germany, before he took me back to Russia." Mila's eyes were red, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

"Stop crying for once in your life - I hate your tears! You are manipulating me!" Bill's face flushed, and his hands slammed against the table, causing the dishes to rattle.

"I can't stop! It hurts!" Mila whispered through her tears. She clutched her knees, pulling them up to her chest as she rocked back and forth.

"I showed up every time for you! I fucking crossed countries to get you! I made everyone else follow me to rescue you, risked Georg and Gustav's lives, Tom's life. I convinced everyone that you were worth it, that you were the one!" Bill's voice cracked, and he slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. He buried his face in his hands. "I was ready to die to have you!"

"Bill, my father wanted to kill you." Her voice wavered, and she looked down, avoiding his eyes.

"He should have!" Bill got up, and his fist smashed into the kitchen shelf next to him.

"He'd let you both go if I returned home. If I didn't, he'd kill Tom and let you know that I killed your..." Her voice broke, unable to finish the sentence.

"Say it! Killed my family!" He started screaming at her. "Say it! That you ran away to save your own ass!" Bill's anger intensified, his eyes narrowing.

"I had no idea I had killed your family when I met you!" Mila's voice rose in desperation. She stood up abruptly.

"Do you fucking hear yourself? 'Had no idea'... killing someone when you are 15 must be a canon event. You don't just simply forget about it." Bill's voice was harsh, his eyes burning with pain.

"You have no idea how many people I killed. I didn't even know who I killed. I had to do it. I had no choice!" Mila's scream echoed through the room, her face streaked with tears as she slammed a coffee mug against the floor.

"So they were just a bunch of fun for a spoiled little princess playing with guns?! Someone not worthy enough to know their names?" Bill's anger was a physical force, his breath coming out in harsh bursts as he stepped closer to her.

"It was not like that! Are you even listening to me, or are you just waiting to shout?" Mila's voice rose in frustration as she stood in the narrow space between the sofa and the table. "Fucking listen to me! I won't talk if you don't listen!"

"Lower your voice," Bill's eyes were filled with darkness. The small apartment felt even smaller under the weight of their anger.

"What will you do?! What the fuck can you do to me that I haven't done myself?" Mila now screamed even louder.

"Come on, shoot me! Can you? Because I apparently can shoot anyone, even you!" Her frustration built to a peak, her face flushed and her eyes got wild.

"Stop trying to turn this around, making everything about yourself. I won't fall for your gaslighting. Sit down and talk." Bill's voice was sharp, his hand gripping her arm tightly as he guided her back to the chair. She slumped into it, her breath uneven.

"Bill, I love you!" Mila said quietly, her voice trembling as she sat down. Her hands clutched the edges of the chair, her eyes locked onto his with deep sorrow.

"Can you stop saying that?! It does not matter!" Bill's scream was guttural, tears streaming down his face. He pretended not to notice them. "I loved you! I gave you everything! I tore the world apart for you!" His voice broke.

"What did you give me? A pile of empty promises! You ditched me the second I went out the door, choosing every bitch you could find!" Mila's voice was edged with bitterness.

"How fucking dare you!? You left without explaining. We could have figured it out together! You watched me fall on my knees for you - for the killer of my family!" Bill's voice rose to a roar as he hit the side of the chair she sat on.

"But you never did get on your knees! You promised to marry me over and over again. All empty words." Mila's eyes were fierce, she was ready to fight him.

"Are you fucking serious? In what sick delusion are you living? Marry you? I will never marry you, you should have known that." His voice broke from shouting.

"I love you! What we had was real for me." Mila's voice softened. She shrank into the chair, trying to disappear as he stood large and scary next to her.

"So you decided to never tell me? Get away with it? Keep me in the dark?" Bill's voice was strained, his eyes searching her face for any sign of sincerity.

"I was afraid to lose you!" She looked him in the eyes.

"Well, you did. You know what? I would have chosen the ugly truth over those beautiful lies." He kept shouting at her. "But you keep lying to me over and over again!"

"Have you ever thought that you are hurting me too? I didn't choose this! He forced me to kill! I was a kid just like you!" Mila stood up abruptly and, in desperation, shoved the plates off the table.

He grabbed her by the arm. "Stop being a psychopath for once!" His grip was like iron as he tried to hold her still.

"Oh, I am now the crazy one?" She grabbed him by his hair, pulling with all the force she had.

"Let go of me!" Bill pushed her away. "I hate you! It's impossible to even talk to you normally. Who even are you?"

"You made me like this!" Mila's voice was a raw, pained cry. "You promised me everything and gave me nothing! You are just like my father!"

"I don't kill innocent people like he and you do!" Bill stepped back, his face twisted in disgust.

"But you do, Bill! Do you remember every person you have killed?" Mila took a step closer, her voice filled with accusation. "That man you killed when you got back to Tokyo - he had a wife and two kids. Did you fucking care to ask?!"

"I didn't know!" Bill's voice was a defeated murmur, his shoulders sagging as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I didn't know either! I didn't know!!! I fucking didn't know!!! I was 15!!! I was trapped and scared." Mila's scream was raw and pained, her body trembling as she yelled, her voice reverberating through the room.

"Shut up!" Bill's hand covered her mouth, his fingers pressing down. Mila bit him, the pain was sharp and sudden.

"Don't bite me like an animal," Bill said through gritted teeth, pulling his hand away. Mila's lips suddenly crashed against his in a desperate, frenzied kiss. He pushed her away, only to pull her back against his lips.

Mila bit him again, her teeth sinking into his lip. Bill tried to pull her off, but she didn't release her grip. "You won't let it go, will you?" he hissed through the pain.

"Never!" Mila screamed, finally letting him go. His lip was bleeding.

"Then take what you deserve, don't say I didn't warn you." Bill's voice was cold, almost mechanical, as he pushed her against the wall.