“Say it, malysh. That no matter what happens, no matter what everyone else says, you will never leave my side. You will never leave me.” His eyes bore into hers, an intensity she couldn’t ignore. She understood now; this wasn’t just about her overhearing something. This was about his deep-seated fe
We enter the house, and Ivan heads straight to the bedroom, where he carefully sets Ivan Jr. down on the bed. He kneels down in front of him, their eyes meeting for a moment, and I catch a glimpse of the genuine concern in Ivan’s gaze. It’s a side of him that I haven’t seen often, and it tugs at my
[IVAN] When a knock falls on the door of my home office, I’m almost taken aback to find Ana actually listening to me for once. I can’t help but wonder what’s behind this change. It shouldn’t have been so easy to convince her to meet me like I wanted. A nagging thought creeps into my mind, suggest
She lifts her gaze to mine, distrust shining in her eyes. “And what do you suggest, Ivan? That we play house and pretend like our lives aren’t what they are?” “No,” I rise from the chair and make my way around the desk. “I’m not suggesting that we ignore reality. But we can try to shield them from
[ANASTASIA] The moment I reach my room I shut the door and press my back against it. My heart pounds inside my chest as if it’s ready to break out of it. I close my eyes and try to shake off the conversation I had with Ivan out of my head. But it proves to be an impossible task. Especially when
“Do it again,” Tatiana laughs, her eyes bright with innocent excitement, before Ivan bends on his knees and springs up, throwing her up, up, up in the air. Tatiana screams again. But it doesn’t sound like a panicked scream like it did in my room. Or maybe it never was, and I just imagined it. But st
[IVAN] I can tell Tatiana is intrigued by me, and I can’t help but find it amusing. Even after Ana tried really hard to get our little girl to play outside and not bother me (she might as well have said I am the monster who eats kids for breakfast, lunch and dinner), my adorable daughter keeps com
Tatiana looks up at me with those innocent eyes of hers. “Okay, Papa. I won’t give her any reasons to worry.” I ruffle her hair affectionately. “That’s my girl. You’re a smart one, just like your mom.” Tatiana grins. “I wanna be just like Momma when I grow up.” “Well, you’re already on the right
After our fourth round of pure, wild sex, I have nothing left in me. Every ounce of energy drained, I barely manage to pull the sheets over myself before sleep claims me.When I wake hours later, the room is dim, the soft glow of my bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. My body feels heavy
[NADIA]“You’re here?” I say into the phone, clutching my books tightly to my chest as I glance around. “Where?”“Outside. Meet me when you’re done with your classes.”A wide grin spreads across my face, excitement bubbling inside me. “Oh, I’m done. And even if I wasn’t, I’d still run to you.”Dimit
The Ivan I know is strong. Unshakable. Even in the worst situations, he carries himself with a quiet, effortless confidence that makes you believe nothing could ever touch him.But the man lying in this hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic, looks nothing l
[ANASTASIA]Ever since I woke up after the incident, I have been dying to see Ivan.But now that I’m standing outside his room—where supposedly he had been admitted—, I can’t muster up the courage to push open the damn door.I’m nervous. Terrified. And most of all, unsure.I don’t know if I’m ready
Lena presses her lips together tightly, the color draining from her face until it looks almost lifeless.For a long moment, she doesn’t speak. The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. I can feel my heartbeat in my ears, pounding relentlessly, echoing my fear.Why the hell is she taki
[ANASTASIA]The next time I open my eyes, I’m not alone.Lena sits next to my bed, her hand in mine, her eyes closed, as if she fell asleep while watching over me.For the first time since waking up from my so-called long slumber, I look at her carefully. She looks more tired than I’ve ever seen her
[NIKOLAI]Once we finally get to his office, Konstantin takes his seat behind the desk and raises an eyebrow. He looks kind of pissed, but not enough to end me right here and now.He might have the power to do that and carry on with his day as if nothing happened, but I know in my gut he won’t. He m
[NIKOLAI]I hang up the phone and stare hard at the ground.“Fuck you, Dimitri!” I growl, clenching the phone tighter and huffing out a heavy breath.The bastard has the audacity to make me responsible for everything that happened to Ana and Ivan. But is it? Am I really the one to blame?I look away
[DIMITRI]I storm out of the building and light a cigarette, unable to think of anything else.I breathe in the smoke and then blow it out, hoping it will take away the stress pressing on my chest, making my lungs incapable of doing their job.I don’t know what to do anymore. Ana is finally awake, w