God of Mischief (Light of Obsession #2)

Chapter 18

Yuto

The moment I stepped out of the bar, the rain hit me like a thousand icy needles. My jacket wasn't nearly enough to block it, but I barely noticed. My mind was too busy replaying Theo's smirk, his words coiled tight around my brain like a noose.

"Use her however you see fit."

The thought made my stomach churn.

The streetlights buzzed faintly as I made my way back to my apartment, their pale glow reflecting in the puddles pooling along the cracked sidewalk. My boots splashed through the water, each step heavier than the last. Amelie's face kept creeping into my thoughts—her laugh, her defiance, the way her eyes sparkled with fire one second and clouded with shadows the next.

She wasn't like anyone I'd met before. Hell, she wasn't like anyone I could've met before.

And that was the problem.

I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag, letting the burn fill my lungs. I didn't even smoke regularly—it was just something to keep my hands busy, to keep me from losing my mind.

The plan was simple. Get close to Amelie, gain her trust, and subtly get the details I needed. No messy emotions. No complications. But somewhere along the line, I'd screwed up. I'd let her get under my skin, into my head, into parts of me I thought I'd locked away for good.

Now, instead of thinking about how to use her, I kept thinking about how to protect her.

The cigarette burned down to the filter, and I flicked it into a nearby gutter. I rubbed a hand over my face, rain mixing with the faint sheen of sweat on my skin. I couldn't afford to get soft. Not now.

As I reached my apartment, I paused at the door. The light in the hallway flickered, casting eerie shadows along the peeling wallpaper. I stood there for a moment, drenched and unmoving, trying to pull myself together.

"Get it together, Yuto," I muttered under my breath, echoing the mantra that had been keeping me on track for weeks.

But when I opened the door and stepped inside, the sight of the cluttered table full of files and photos hit me like a freight train. Her face stared back at me from a photograph, wide-eyed and oblivious, and I felt like the world's biggest piece of shit.

I dropped into the chair with a groan, leaning my elbows on the table. Every instinct screamed at me to walk away from this. To protect her from the mess I was dragging her into.

But I couldn't.

If the man I was hunting found out she was the key to his downfall before I did, she'd be dead before she even realized she was in danger.

I stared at the files, tracing the lines of my own haphazard notes with my finger. A name. A place. A clue. That was all I needed. And Amelie, whether she knew it or not, was holding onto the final piece of the puzzle.

My phone buzzed on the table, snapping me out of my thoughts. I grabbed it, frowning at the screen. Theo.

"Don't screw this up. I need that info as much as you do."

I tossed the phone back onto the table, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. Theo could go to hell. He didn't care about Amelie or the collateral damage this plan might cause. He just wanted revenge.

But then again, so did I.

I ran a hand through my wet hair, the strands sticking to my forehead. I was so close to getting what I needed, but the cost was starting to feel too high.

Amelie had no idea she was caught in the middle of this web. No idea the man who'd haunted her nightmares for years was the same man who'd destroyed my family. No idea her memories could bring him to his knees.

And she definitely had no idea I was using her to get to him.

My gut twisted at the thought, and I slammed my fist onto the table, sending papers scattering to the floor. This wasn't supposed to be this hard. It wasn't supposed to feel like this.

But it did.

I leaned back in the chair, staring at the cracked ceiling. The rain outside drummed against the windows, a relentless rhythm that matched the pounding in my chest.

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stop now. I couldn't walk away.

I'd protect her, even if it killed me.

Even if she never forgave me for what I had to do.

A/N:
Extra chapter today cause I felt bad for such a long hiatus lolll
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