LOGINKAITLYN Anger flickers across Nikolai’s eyes as he shifts his gaze from my neck to my face.“Who?” he growls again and my belly tightens in fear.“Uhm…” I stutter.I can't tell him that it was his brother, Jesse, who did this to my neck. If I make a mistake in doing that, it will lead to massive bloodshed, and Jesse will be a victim of this bloodshed.I can't cause the death of someone else I care about again.“Mi amor?” My gaze rises when he calls me again.His voice is calm but I can hear the rage that lies beneath his voice,What should I tell him? What?I pull my hands down from around his neck and stiffen against the wall, blinking the tears that had gathered in my eyes. “You,” I whisper.His eyes go dark, and his hands on the walls pull away. He staggers back, his head tilting to the side with confusion and shock darting across his eyes.“What?” he scoffs loudly in disbelief.“It was last night when you fucked me. You had your hand around my neck,” I spill out more lies.I bit
KAITLYN I stagger back, my jaw dropping in horror. When did he return? His eyes are fixed on me but there is no speck of anger in them. “You've been gone for hours,” he mutters, breaking the thick, uncomfortable silence in the room. I tug on the scarf around my neck and gulp hard. “I… I was at Ana's,” I stammer out a half-lie. He continues staring at me, his body leaning on the cold wall behind him. It seems like he wants to dig out the entire truth with his piercing gaze. I have to use everything in me to stop myself from dropping the killing gaze. The silence has gotten thicker and the tension hangs lower than it did before. I grip my fist, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. It is so loud that I hope he isn't hearing it. Oh God. Please don't let him see the band-aids on my neck. Don't let him see it. “Master,” the voice of the butler slashes the thick air. I suck in a deep breath, a little bit relieved. Nikolai finally shifts his gaze away from me and faces the but
KAITLYN “Does it hurt?” Ana asks as she pulls a band-aid over the last wound.“No.”She straightens up and sighs, her worried eyes cast over my neck.“That bastard!” She whispers for the fifth time.I force a smile onto my face.“I'm alright,” I reply, hoping this will pacify her at least.She narrows her eyes and hisses then closes the first aid kit.“Have you talked to your father about your brothers’ plan to get you married off?” I ask.She freezes and after a few minutes, she slowly looks up, pain darting across her eyes.“It's useless,” she mutters.My head tilts to the side, and my eyes go dim in confusion.“Why is that?” I ask. “He has more authority over your brothers and I'm sure he will never want to see his daughter married off to a man she doesn't love.”She scoffs and shakes her head, anger in her eyes.“He was the one who formed the alliance. It's useless, even if I can fight my brothers, I can't fight my father's decision,” she mutters.My jaw drops and my lips part an
KAITLYN “You won't do that!” I growl as I spring up from the chair, almost knocking the cup of tea over.Ana spins around, her eyes glaring and her hand still wrapped around the door handle.“Yes, I will,” she spits out in rage.My heart is racing and my belly is knotting so hard that I feel like throwing up the tea that I have forced down my throat.I can't let her confront Jesse. If she does, it will be all over for Jesse.Nikolai will surely find out and kill Jesse without thinking twice.Even though I hate Jesse for what he did, I still can't let him die because of me. “You can't do that, Ana. I'm the one who got hurt, not you. Please just stop and calm down,” I plead with her, but she only huffs, swinging her head to the side in anger.“It's just a little scratch, it's not that obvious,” I cry out.She huffs out, disbelief flashing across her eyes and her lips twitched up.“I can't believe you're defending a man who almost choked you to death,” she is almost screaming as she th
KAITLYN I keep thinking about what happened between Jesse and me in that house. He can't believe he tried to choke me! I remember he told me that he didn't care if his brother slept with me but now that assurance seems like a joke. A fucking joke. I sigh and rub my red neck. My throat is still burning and sore from all that choking. “Ma'am, we have arrived,” the driver says. I pull out of the reverie I am in and sit up, adjusting the scarf around my neck. “I'll be back,” I instruct him and get out of the car. The moment I step out, a guard ushers me to the door. He is wearing a tailored yellow shirt over black trouser and he is wearing a large smile on his face. “Miss Lopez is waiting inside,” he says as he waves his hand towards the door. “Thank you,” I force a smile back and turn for the door. I grab the knob and turn it then walk into the room as the door pulls open. The scent of lavender hovering in the silent air hits me and I freeze I look around the living room, m
KAITLYN Jaw drops, eyes redden and grow wide, veins pop out in his neck, and his fist grips tightly at his sides.“What?” He gasps.That word is breaking me to pieces and there is nothing I can do about it.The pain is killing and so is the guilt. The look in his eyes shatters me to nothing.“I'm sorry,” I mutter even though I know ‘sorry’ won't do any good. It won't bring back the trust between us, nor will it make my promise valid again.“Sorry?!” He growls as he springs up from the couch.I shudder, bowing my head in fright as he paces around the room, trying hard to swallow the bitter pill I have given to him.He stops pacing and ruffles his hair, taking in a deep breath to pull out the pain that is eating him deep inside.“When did this happen?” He asks.I look up at him, my lips trembling.“Last… last night,” I stammer.Why is he interested in knowing when we fucked? It's only going to hurt him the most.He scoffs loudly, throwing his head back.“So, that's why,” he chuckles an
KAITLYNWhat?!"No!" I rebel, my eyes widening."I won't kill anyone, I am not a murderer like you!" I snap, shifting away from him and the gun stretched towards me.Nikolai frowns and straightens up when he realizes that I won't take the gun."You see that scumbag over there?" He says as he points
NIKOLAIThe man's head drops, and she lowers the gun pointed at my face while breathing heavily. She staggers back, and her brows raise as she peers intently at me, surprise darting across her eyes. “How are you still standing?” She whispers, looking mortified. Did she think for a moment that she
KAITLYNThe woman gasps in shock as she springs up, her eyes staring at a piece of paper on the floor. I am too shocked to speak or move.That person is still watching, and I'm sure he is the one who sent this to me. This is more than crazy! My hands are shaking so badly, and I'm sure that the thum
KAITLYN I can feel my heart sink into the pit of my belly as the door pulls open and his footsteps fill the living room I am in.I pull my legs together and rub my trembling hands, daring not to look up. The choking scent of his cologne, the eerie sound of his footsteps, and the irritating yet co







