Chapter 74: Spiralling Out of Control

For a moment, Lucas stood there in the silence, savoring the residual tension that still hung in the air. The corners of his mouth twitched as if the encounter had amused him.

He moved slowly to the window, hands still in his pockets, and looked out at the world beyond the hospital. It was still dark out but he guessed in maybe two more hours the sun would begin to rise.

Everything felt sharper now—each sound, each breath, each thought—like the revelation had cut away any remaining pretense.

Evelyn had tried to save him. **Tried.** The futility of it all only amused him further. What had she hoped to accomplish? He never needed saving from Dimitri. If anything, Dimitri was the one who needed to fear **him**.

Lucas pressed his forehead lightly against the cool glass, his thoughts drifting to Dimitri—and then, inevitably, to the gun. That moment gnawed at him. How the hell had Dimitri even gotten a gun? Lucas couldn't remember ever seeing him with one before, and it didn't make sense for Dimitri to have something like that. Someone must have given it to him—or Dimitri had been hiding more than Lucas realized.

And then there was the way Dimitri always found him. No matter where Lucas went, no matter how carefully he tried to disappear, Dimitri was always there—just in time, just close enough. It couldn't have been coincidence. Was Dimitri tracking him somehow? Watching him from the shadows, waiting for the right moment? How much had Dimitri really been hiding? And how long had he been playing this game?

The idea of Dimitri killing Evelyn had already shattered the illusion of his weakness. He'd never been the timid, helpless follower Lucas once thought—just a controlled, calculating monster in disguise. And now, the realization that they were both monsters filled Lucas with a strange, bitter satisfaction. Yet beneath that satisfaction, doubt festered. What if Dimitri's actions were part of a larger plan? What if Kane's death wasn't just an accident, but something Dimitri had orchestrated—another piece of a puzzle Lucas hadn't seen coming?

And if Dimitri had been outmaneuvering him all along, then Lucas was no longer in control of the game. And that, more than anything, made his blood run cold.

His eyes flicked toward the reflection in the window, and for a moment, he thought he saw a shadow shift under the closed door—just the briefest flicker of movement. Dimitri, perhaps? Watching. Waiting. As always. But it didn't matter.

What did matter—what made his breath catch for the briefest second—was the face staring back at him from the glass. His own. And yet, it felt like someone else entirely. A slow, sinister smile curled across his lips, sharper and darker than he realized he was capable of. His eyes crinkled in pure delight, glinting with a malicious gleam, It wasn't just amusement—it was something much deeper, something ravenous. Sadism. Pleasure. A thrill that curled like smoke inside his chest, wrapping tight around his lungs and making it hard to breathe.

He tried to pull the smile back, smooth it away into something neutral, but it lingered. Stubborn. Alive. His lips twitched wider, the corners stretching almost painfully, as if his body refused to let go of the sick joy running through him. His pulse thrummed with an electric excitement, the kind that made his skin hum, as if anticipation itself were pumping through his veins instead of blood.

And it wasn't just the smile—it was his eyes. They sparkled with a manic intensity, the blue brighter than usual, as if lit from within by something wild and uncontrollable. Something unhinged. There was no mistaking it. This wasn't the face of someone calm or reflective—it was the face of someone who found joy in torment, in chaos, in the idea that things were spiraling beyond repair.

For a moment, Lucas just stared at himself, transfixed by the image. The smile stayed, lingering like a ghost, daring him to embrace it.

With one last glance toward the darkened horizon, he turned away from the window and headed for the door. Mrs. Bennet's words echoed faintly in his mind, but he shoved them aside. She had been wrong about him, just like Evelyn had been. He was no victim. He was no helpless boy in need of rescue. He had become exactly what he was meant to be—a predator in his own right.

Lucas peeled off his ruined clothes, letting them fall in a limp, blood-streaked pile on the floor. He glanced toward the neatly folded clothes waiting in a corner of the room.Lucas had just assumed a nurse had left it there when he had returned from visiting Ryan.

Moving silently across the cold tiles, he picked up the shirt and slipped it over his head, the fabric soft and cool against his skin. The jeans followed, pulled on with ease, the button snapping into place with a familiar click. His movements were steady, unhurried as he turned and headed for the door, leaving the weight of it all behind him.

Lucas slipped into the hallway, sticking to the edges where the shadows were thickest.

He peered cautiously into the hallway, his pulse steady but alert. Dimitri was nowhere to be seen. The thought lingered, gnawing at the edges of Lucas's mind. Dimitri was always there—watching, lurking just out of sight, like a ghost waiting for the right moment to appear. But now? Nothing. Only empty corridors and the distant hum of fluorescent lights.

Lucas allowed himself a small, satisfied grin. Good. If he isn't here, I'll make it count.

He passed nurses and patients without a second glance, his expression serene and unreadable. No one noticed as he slipped out the side entrance of the hospital, the cool evening air wrapping around him like an old friend.

He paused briefly, eyes scanning the street ahead. Then, without hesitation, he disappeared into the night, his heart light with the thrill of whatever was coming next.

And if Dimitri thought he could keep watching from the shadows without consequence… well, Lucas would enjoy showing him just how wrong he was.