Not yours Anymore Mr ASHFORD

Chapter 3

Nikolai's eyes cut right through me, cold as ice. "In your words, wife." The way he said 'wife' made my skin crawl. "Tell me who's been touching you."

"No one," I whispered. My voice shook so bad I could barely get the words out. "Only you."

"That's right." His smirk made my stomach turn. "And that's all I ever want to hear."

Then Ella – that snake – couldn't help herself. "Then whose child is this?" She covered her mouth like she didn't mean to say it, but I saw that gleam in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Nikolai moved so fast I didn't see it coming. His fingers dug into my face, holding me like I might break. His breath hit my ear, making me shiver.

"If I find out you're carrying another man's bastard," he hissed, "I'll kill you both."

My heart stopped. How could I tell him now? How could I make him believe this was his baby when he already thought I was a liar?

He shoved me away and grabbed his things. The door slammed behind him, and I could finally breathe again. But not for long.

Ella glided into the kitchen while I was trying to make dinner. My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Elena, dear." Her voice dripped poison honey. "We're all going to the party tonight. Nikolai insists." She paused, savoring her next words. "It's for Cassandra. She's back after three years of modeling."

Cassandra. The name hit me like a slap. His real love. The one who got away.

"Take care," Ella squeezed my hand, her nails digging in slightly.

After they left, I couldn't eat. The huge house felt like a tomb. I went up to my room, trying not to think about Nikolai celebrating with Cassandra.

Then my phone buzzed. The picture punched the air from my lungs – Nikolai and Cassandra kissing, right there on my screen. The headline screamed about their reunion. I touched my stomach, tears falling.

"I'm sorry, little one. Your daddy loves someone else."

That's when the lights went out.

I froze in the darkness, hearing footsteps downstairs. Many footsteps. My phone wouldn't connect to anyone – no guards, no servants. They'd all disappeared.

"Find that bitch and kill her," a rough voice echoed up the stairs. "Boss wants it done tonight."

Boss. Nikolai. My husband had sent men to kill me.

I stuffed myself into a kitchen cabinet, barely breathing. They searched everywhere, getting angrier by the minute. I waited until their voices moved away, then ran.

I knew every inch of this house. Every shadow, every corner. It had been my prison for three years. Now it might save my life.

The front door seemed miles away. When I finally reached it, everything clicked into place. Nikolai had planned this perfectly – no witnesses, no help, just me alone with his killers.

I ran into the night, tears freezing on my face. My wedding ring felt heavy, wrong. I sold it first thing – ten million dollars for three years of hell. Seemed fair.

At the airport, I bought a ticket to New York. Somewhere he'd never look.

"Just you and me now, baby," I whispered to my stomach. My hands shook as I touched the tiny bump. "Daddy chose his old love over us, but I'll never leave you. I promise."

The plane lifted off, and I watched my old life disappear below. "Goodbye, Nikolai," I whispered. "You're free now. Hope she was worth it."

*****

Reed POV

I stood in the middle of the party, feeling the buzz of excitement around me, though it all seemed far away. The rich atmosphere of the room wrapped around me like a thick fog, and the expensive scotch in my hand helped me pretend like I was above it all. Ella was next to me, her silent presence a reminder that I wasn’t alone in this game. Her gaze flicked toward the center of the room, where Nikolai and Cassandra were putting on quite the show.

Cassandra leaned in and kissed Nikolai, and just like that, cameras went off, flashing in every direction. The picture-perfect couple—Nikolai with his beautiful, model-like girlfriend—was about to make headlines. It wasn’t long before the images spread like wildfire on social media, and everyone was buzzing about them. But what no one saw was what came next. Nikolai, always the cold strategist, pulled away from Cassandra sharply, his voice low and cutting. “Don’t do that again. I’m a married man.”

Cassandra’s hurried apology got lost in the noise, but Nikolai didn’t seem to care. He didn’t need anyone's approval. His image as the charming Casanova worked perfectly for him—no one suspected that he actually had a complicated relationship with his wife, Elena. They thought she was just a trophy, someone he barely acknowledged. So when he paraded women like Cassandra around, people assumed he was heartless and disconnected. It was a perfect act. The fewer people knew about Elena, the better. For his safety. For hers.

Still, there was a truth Nikolai wasn’t ready to face: he cared. He’d never admit it, not even to himself. There was something about Elena that made him feel... off. Not just because she was his wife, but because of her. Those innocent hazel eyes, her soft face that he’d seen countless times but still couldn’t quite forget. When he thought of anyone hurting her, something ugly stirred inside him, a rage he hadn’t felt in a long time. But pride always kept those feelings buried. It was easier to push her away, to be cruel, than to admit that maybe, just maybe, she’d gotten under his skin.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the shrill ring of my phone. I excused myself and slipped into a quiet corner, trying to keep the frustration from showing in my voice.

“Is the work done?” I asked, my tone tight with impatience.

“Boss, we tried to take her out, but she got away,” came the voice on the other end, panic thick in his words. “We’re still looking for her. We’ll find her.”

I clenched my jaw, fighting the anger that flared inside me. “You’re all useless,” I hissed, my grip on the phone tightening, my knuckles going white. Then I remembered where I was and forced my voice into something colder. “You know what happens if you fail, right? The boss will kill you. Do you want to be dead?”

The men on the other end stammered their assurances. “We’ll handle it, Boss. She won’t be a problem anymore. We’ll bury her where no one can find her.”

I let out a deep breath, trying to calm the simmering rage inside me. “Clear the evidence. Leave no trace. We need to make this disappear.”

I hung up, frustration boiling in my chest, but something else—determination—took over. I had to report back to Ella. She needed to know everything. Striding back to her, I leaned in close, whispering everything I had just learned. Her face paled as she took it all in, her eyes narrowing with frustration. When I finished, she gritted her teeth, already working out the next step in her mind.

“Nikolai, I need to speak with you,” Ella’s voice trembled as she approached him, pulling him away from the crowd of business delegates. Her worry felt exaggerated, but it was the perfect act.

“What is it, Ella?” Nikolai’s voice snapped, irritation creeping in as he looked down at his stepmother.

“I just got a call from the maid,” Ella lied, her voice shaking with fake concern. “Elena hasn’t come home. She went out hours ago, and I’m really worried. She’s never been gone this long.”

The words hit Nikolai like a punch to the gut. His chest tightened, and his mind went into overdrive. What had happened to Elena? Had she gone off with someone else? Had she done something reckless? Jealousy clawed at him, bitter and dark. His heart raced, but he shoved those emotions down, trying to focus on the icy panic that was creeping into his thoughts.

Without saying another word, he turned sharply, storming out of the party. His associates scrambled to follow him as he moved quickly, his mind only on one thing: finding her. He called her over and over, but it was the same each time—voicemail. Frustration gnawed at him, deepening with each unanswered ring.

When he finally arrived home, his worst fears crystallized. Elena’s phone was on the kitchen counter, but there was no sign of her anywhere. He questioned the servants, but their responses were rehearsed, too perfect. “She hasn’t been home all day,” they said, but something in their voices told him they were lying.

His heart pounded in his chest as he rushed toward their bedroom, praying she would be there. But no, nothing had changed. Her things were still where they always were. Her absence filled the space around him, a painful reminder that she wasn’t there.

Matteo, his best friend and lawyer, walked in just then, his face etched with concern.

“What’s going on, Nikolai?” he asked, seeing the distress on his friend’s face. Nikolai never showed this side of him—not to anyone. But now, it was all too obvious.

“Elena’s missing,” Nikolai muttered, his voice flat but the weight of it hanging heavily in the air.

Matteo frowned, trying to downplay the worry. “She’s probably just out shopping,” he said, trying to offer some reassurance. “You know how women are—they lose track of time.”

But Nikolai wasn’t buying it. Something felt off. He raked a frustrated hand through his dark hair, pacing the room. “Her stuff’s still here. Her cards are in the drawer. She didn’t leave on her own.”

A sick feeling settled in his gut as the reality hit him. She had run away. And the thought of it hit harder than he expected. Why did it hurt so much? He shouldn’t care. She was his wife, yes, but why did it feel like he was losing something more than just a piece of property?