The Man Who Would Burn the World

Theo's World Collapses

The hotel room was eerily quiet, save for the steady ticking of the clock.

Theo sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers gripping the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Kade had just been released.

But Evelyn was gone.

And he knew exactly where she was.

He should have noticed earlier—the way she had been restless, distant. The way she avoided his gaze after the photos Elias sent.

She was planning this all along.

"That stupid—" Theo exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.

Kade, still weak from his injuries, sat on the couch, rubbing his face. "She made a deal, Theo." His voice was hoarse. "For us."

Theo's jaw clenched. "That's not a deal." His voice was dangerously low. "That's a death sentence."

Kade flinched at the rage in his tone.

Theo shot up from the bed, grabbing his coat.

"Where are you going?" Kade demanded.

Theo's eyes burned with an intensity that could destroy everything in its path.

"To end this."

---

The Devil's Castle

Elias leaned against the headboard of his massive bed, watching Evelyn with lazy amusement.

She sat stiffly at the edge, wrapped in a silk robe, her fingers gripping the fabric so tightly her nails dug into her skin.

She hadn't said a word since she arrived.

She hadn't fought back when he traced his fingers over her arm.

She had simply endured.

And that was what fascinated him most.

"You think you can suffer for them and walk away unscathed?" Elias mused, sipping his wine. "That's adorable, Evelyn."

Evelyn didn't respond.

Elias chuckled, setting the glass down. "You belong to me now." He reached out, brushing her hair back. "Theo will never—"

A loud bang shattered the quiet.

The doors burst open.

Elias barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his jaw, sending him crashing off the bed.

Evelyn gasped, snapping her head up.

And there he was.

Theo.

Breathing hard. Eyes ablaze. A storm of fury incarnate.

His hands were still clenched into fists, his knuckles already bruised from the force of the punch.

Elias groaned, wiping blood from his split lip as he chuckled. "Well, well. Look who finally showed up."

Theo ignored him.

His entire focus was on Evelyn.

She sat frozen, shock and guilt swirling in her eyes.

"Evelyn," Theo's voice was tight, controlled—but beneath it was a rage so deep it could break the world. "Come here."

Elias wiped his mouth again, smirking. "That's cute. You think she's still yours?"

Theo's eyes darkened.

Evelyn swallowed.

"I—"

But before she could speak, Elias grabbed her wrist, pulling her against him.

"She stays," Elias murmured, his breath against her skin. "She made her choice."

Theo moved so fast Elias never saw the second punch coming.

This time, it was to his gut.

Elias doubled over, coughing, but he was still laughing.

"You can beat me all you want," Elias spat, staggering back up. "But it won't change the fact that she came to me."

Theo's entire body went rigid.

Evelyn felt the weight of his heartbreak before she even saw it in his eyes.

She opened her mouth, desperate to explain.

But Elias wasn't finished.

"You want to know what we did tonight, Theo?" Elias smirked, tilting his head. "Should I describe it in detail?"

That was the last thing he said before Theo lunged.

---

A Room Set on Fire

It wasn't a fight.

It was a bloodbath.

Theo wasn't fighting like a man.

He was fighting like a monster.

A man possessed by rage, pain, and something so deep it couldn't be named.

Elias fought back, but Theo was relentless.

Punch after punch.

Blow after blow.

He wanted Elias to suffer.

To bleed.

To feel even an ounce of the agony burning inside him.

Evelyn screamed his name.

She threw herself between them, her hands on Theo's chest, trying to stop him before he did something he'd regret.

"Stop! Theo, please!"

But Theo was gone.

The man she knew—the man who held her like she was the most precious thing in the world—

He wasn't there.

This was someone else.

Someone who had been pushed too far.

Then—

The gunshot.

A deafening silence followed.

Elias staggered back, a hand pressed to his side. Blood seeped through his fingers.

Evelyn's hands flew to her mouth.

Theo stood there, gun in hand, chest heaving.

But his hands were shaking.

He had shot Elias.

Not fatally.

But enough to make a statement.

"Touch her again," Theo growled, voice raw, "and I'll put a bullet through your head next time."

Elias grinned through the pain.

"You're just like me, Bennett," he rasped. "That's the funny part. You think you're different, but you're just a man driven by his own darkness."

Theo didn't respond.

He turned.

And grabbed Evelyn's wrist.

"We're leaving," he said firmly.

Evelyn's heart slammed against her ribs as she stumbled after him, her mind still reeling.

She didn't even look back at Elias.

She didn't dare.

Because for the first time—

She was terrified of what she might see in his eyes.

Not anger.

Not defeat.

But amusement.

Like the game wasn't over yet.

Like this was only the beginning.

---

End of Chapter 62