[IVAN] I followed the car my men described to me—the one with Ana inside—and those despicable men who dared to touch and take away what’s mine. There’s no place on this earth where I won’t hunt them down and kill them for this audacity alone. It’s now on me to relieve this mother earth of their und
The only difference—I didn’t go around kidnapping others’ wives and kids. The previous car that brought Ana to the gas station left; I stayed behind, waiting for the new vehicle she had been moved into to take off. And it did right after. I tailed the car, and it led me through the city and onto w
[ANASTASIA] Darkness. Fear. Confusion. The last thing I remembered was receiving an unknown text in the middle of the movie back at the theatre. I had assumed it to be from Nikolai. He was the only one I had texted that very morning, hoping to get some kind of word from him so he could help me fin
I take a deep breath and look at the three men, trying to gauge their level of apprehension. Their eyes dart around nervously, and I can sense their uncertainty. It’s my chance. “Listen, whatever you think you’re doing, it’s not worth it,” I say, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me
Fuck, did he have to do that? Asshole! Suddenly, the back of the cabin bursts open. The two of the men left in the room with me grew attentive, and so did I. They aimed their gun at the door beside me. “Drop your damn weapons!” Someone shouts. Someone whose voice I could recognize at any time o
[IVAN] “She’s fine, Mr Volkov. You can rest now.” Lena says and I feel my chest tighten as the memory of an unconscious Ana flashes in front of my eyes. I clench my fist and slam it into the wall. Hard. The skin splits and blood trickles down my knuckles. Not that I give a damn. I can’t believe
Thick snow covers the land around the toolshed, but my men did a good job making a path to the door. Dimitri moves behind me and lets me enter the shed first. I yank at my gloves and toss them to the other side of the room. The moment my gaze lands on the third man who got away from me last night,
[ANASTASIA] “Momma, how did you get hurt?” Tatiana asks, pouting, and trying her best not to jump on the bed and hug me like she always does. She sways on her legs, hands locked behind her, her wide-eyed innocence radiating pure adorableness. I smile, or at least I try to, and pat the bed. “I just
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