[ANASTASIA] “Tatiana. Ivan. Come on. Time for bed.” “Nooooo.” Tati whines, hugging the blonde-haired doll close to her chest. “Mommy, can’t we play a little longer? Pretty please?” I give her a gentle smile, appreciating her adorable attempt to delay bedtime. “Sweetheart, it’s already late, and y
God, this is so hard. Why did I ever agree to something like this? I must have lost my mind when I thought he was right with the kind of argument he presented. Shit. He knows Tati and Junior are my weaknesses, and he used them against me. “Total asshole,” I grumble, slamming a fist on the kitchen i
“You can run, but you can’t escape what’s always been there,” he whispers, grazing his lips against my cheek, his breath hot. “Tell me you don’t remember, and I’ll let you go.” It’s so easy. I can just say that and leave. He would let me go. He said that himself. But the moment I open my mouth, my
A black four-door pulled up outside his cottage in the woods, and a head full of blonde hair hopped out, carrying two shopping bags in her hands. Nikolai Petrovich stepped out of the small garage, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. Her eyes lit up when she spotted him, cheeks turning rosy from the
He couldn’t. Not yet. “Yes, baby. Yes. Fuck. I love you. I love you. I love you.” He was a sweaty mess, his muscles flexing and relaxing with each thrust. “Come with me, Nik. Come on. Please.” He was about to explode. He couldn’t stop it. “Oh, Nik. Yes. Like that. Oh. Yes. Yes.” Her nails du
[IVAN] “Here goes the last one,” Dimitri says, tucking his gun back into the holster and watching his handiwork with dark amusement in his eyes. And Ana calls me sick. I scoff. The things this man could do to a human being are beyond imagination. Even I can’t match his barbarity sometimes. Not tha
Looks like I’ll never see this man with a wife and a kid. Well, I tried. “Fine. Let’s talk about something else.” He slams the empty tumbler onto the wooden counter, holding back his frustration. “Music to my ears.” I lean back in my chair, a sly smile playing on my lips. “We need a new enforcer
[ANASTASIA] Uh… I haven’t been awkward in a long while, probably because I haven’t been close to any other man in a long time, Ivan especially. Not that the thought of any other man had ever even crossed my mind. For as long as I was away, my kids were my world; they still are. I wish I could say m
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