Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 250: The truth

The dressing room suddenly felt suffocating. Everything fell into silence, replaced by the sound of Genny’s own heartbeat thundering in her ears. Joey stood too close, his tall frame blocking the only exit as he cornered her to the wall, his presence swallowing the small space whole.

The air was filled with tension. Her stomach twisted with fear. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her camera bag, knuckles paling as she gripped tight. She should have pushed him, but she didn’t.

Her mind screamed, scared, Joey wasn’t bluffing. He really remembered what happened that night. That couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t recognise her all this time. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He couldn’t remember because if he truly remembered... then everything she had buried for five years was about to drag itself into the light. She shrank back, trying to avoid his gaze.

Joey held her chin and tilted it up forcing her to stare at him. He observed her, studying how she struggled to avoid his gaze. The obvious guilt in her eyes. He couldn’t help but smile; his assumptions were right on point. She was truly the one.

His smile widened on confirming his suspicions. It was not his lazy public smile or the cold, dismissive one he gave strangers whom he found bothersome. This one was calculating, and it terrified Genny in a way she didn’t like.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Her brows pulled together. "For what?" she blurted confused.

"For confirming it," he replied. "That look on your face just told me everything I needed to know." His eyes sparkled with malicious contempt.

Fear crawled up her spine like ice water. She instinctively stepped back, but the lockers pressed against her shoulders. She was completely trapped, his grip on her chin tightened.

"It’s really you, the little sprinter.." he drawled with certainty.

Her breath shook. A knot formed in her stomach. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. You are clearly mistaken. " Genny tried to argue

He laughed under his breath. "It is pointless lying. It makes sense why I found you annoying at first glance. " he hissed. "I hate being fooled more than anything, Genevieve. "

Her name sounded different on his tongue. He took in her view, the way she trembled slightly while glaring at her. She was terrified and she should be.

He leaned one hand against the locker beside her head, caging her in without actually touching her. "Why did you run?" he asked the question that had plagued him forever

"I didn’t run. I said you must be mistaken. ." she tried to deflect still refusing to admit it but Joey was certain

"The more you deny it, the more glaring the truth is," he hissed. His voice lost its teasing edge. He let go of her chin, but she wasn’t avoiding his gaze anymore. "Since your memory can’t recall I will do you the favour" he hissed then continued

"That night," he continued, eyes sharpening, "after the race. I was drunk out of my mind. I remember flashes. Someone tried to take advantage of me in my drunken state." His jaw tightened then rolled as he recounted everything. A distant memory which plagued him despite being blurry. "That’s when you appeared."

Genny’s pulse roared.

"You chased off the girls claiming to be my girlfriend and pulled me out of there," he said more quietly.

"One thing led to another, you helped me to the hotel room, but that’s not where it ended. Something happened in my drunk state, you were completely sober to remember." he accused her. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

"And then..." His gaze darkened. "By the time I woke up, there was no sign of you, like the last night was a dream." Genny’s face turned pale he remembered.

The version she told Braelyn was a lie. How was she going to admit she was the one who took advantage of him? Although Joey had seduced her, he was drunk and she was sober. She shouldn’t have gotten into his bed and worse, disappeared before the break of dawn. It was careless of her, then in the end she was the one irritated when he could not recognise her.

When that was exactly what she wanted.

He straightened slightly, frustration flickering across his face at the memory. " You left no note, no number or even a name like I was a gigolo you used. Even gigolos get to know their clients. Mine was worse." He hissed. It was a big blow to Joey’s pride for the player to be played

" I was blacked out drunk, I couldn’t even remember your face properly. I asked around. No one knew who you were. I started to think I imagined the whole thing." he smiled at the end but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Genny’s eyes burned. She had replayed that morning a thousand times. Slipping out quietly because she was too ashamed to face the truth, too embarrassed to admit she had slept with a man who wouldn’t even remember her name. Scared because she knew she couldn’t offend him.

"You were the one who ran," he said again, softer now, but heavier. "You were the one who disappeared," he drawled, then laughed. "And yet when I didn’t remember you were upset. "

Her throat tightened. She spoke faster than her brain processed "You were drunk. You wouldn’t have even..."

"...remembered?" he cut in. "You’re right. I didn’t. Not clearly." His eyes locked onto hers. "But I remembered enough, that I fucked someone who ghosted me. "

Her heart stuttered. Joey scoffed. "And congratulations, you are the first who used me like that, you should be proud ", he praised her, but she wasn’t exactly excited by the praise.

" the when I saw you again..." His gaze flicked over her face. "It kept itching at the back of my mind. The way you look at me like you were scared for me to remember something "

She swallowed hard. He knew the truth. Genny was confused about how she was going to deny it