MikhailI sat on the front steps of the manor, my head in my hands, trying to make sense of the mess my life had become. The October air was cold against my skin, but I barely felt it. Everything inside me was numb, like I'd been hit by lightning and was still trying to figure out if I was alive.My whole life was a lie. Every relationship, every choice, every moment of happiness, all of it had been manipulated by the woman I trusted most in the world. The woman who raised me. The woman I called family."Mikhail?" Liliana's voice came from behind me, soft and careful like she was approaching a wounded animal.I didn't turn around. I couldn't look at her right now. Because the worst part of all this wasn't what Anastasia had done to Maria or Elena or Sofia. The worst part was not knowing if what Liliana and I had was real."Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down beside me on the cold stone steps.I laughed, but it came out cracked and bitter. "Am I okay? My aunt just confessed to manip
LilianaI watched Mikhail disappear up the stone stairs like he was running from a fire. His footsteps echoed in the darkness until they faded away completely. The silence that followed was thick and heavy, like a blanket made of fear."Well," Katarina said from her metal chair, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "That went better than I expected."I turned to look at her, this woman who looked so much like Anastasia but felt so different. Her eyes were bright with cruel joy, like she'd just won some twisted game."You're enjoying this," I said, my voice shaking with disgust. "You're actually happy that you just destroyed him.""I didn't destroy him," she replied sweetly. "I freed him. For the first time in his life, Mikhail is seeing the truth about his precious Aunt Anastasia.""The truth?" I laughed, but it came out bitter and ugly. "You tried to rape him! You're a monster!" I yelled, my throat hurting."And she's a manipulative control freak who stole his entire life!" Katarina
MikhailThe look in Liliana's eyes was like a knife twisting in my gut. I could see the doubt creeping in, the questions forming. Katarina's poison was already working, even from that metal chair."Liliana," I started, but she held up her hand to stop me."Is it true?" she asked, her voice was so quiet that I could barely hear it. "Did Anastasia make other women disappear from your life?"I wanted to lie. God, how I wanted to lie. But after everything we'd been through tonight, after all the lies that had already been told, I couldn't add another one."Yes," I whispered. "But it wasn't like that. It wasn't what you think."The pain that flashed across her face was worse than any physical blow I'd ever taken. "Then what was it like, Mikhail? Tell me the truth. All of it."I looked at Anastasia, who was standing in the shadows like a ghost. She gave me a small nod, as if giving me permission to finally speak."There were three women," I said, my voice cracking. "Maria, Elena, and Sofia.
LilianaI sat in the back seat of Anastasia's black car as we drove back to the manor, watching Mikhail hold Katarina's unconscious body in his arms. She looked so peaceful, like she was just sleeping. It was hard to believe this woman had tried to destroy our lives."Is she going to wake up soon?" I asked, my voice shaking. I couldn't stop staring at her face. She looked exactly like Anastasia, but somehow different. "The drug will keep her out for a few more hours," Anastasia said from the driver's seat. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. "Long enough for us to get her secured.""Secured where?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer.Mikhail's jaw was tight as stone. Even with everything that he’d gone through tonight, he still managed to look breathtaking. His long, dark hair was tangled, falling over his face like a waterfall. "The basement. Where my family has always dealt with traitors." His voice was cold and menacing. I could feel the rag
MikhailMy head felt like it was full of cotton, but slowly I started to wake up. First I tasted metal and chemicals in my mouth. Then I felt silk sheets against my skin and realized with horror that my shirt was gone. The drug was still making everything feel far away and weird, but I was fighting to stay conscious.Katarina wasn't on top of me anymore, and I could hear voices, like two women arguing in fast Russian. My vision was still blurry, but I could see two figures standing by the door. One of them wore the same fancy evening gown Katarina was wearing before she went crazy. But they both had the same posture I'd known since I was a kid."You always were disgusting," came Anastasia's voice, cold as ice. "But this... this is sick even for you.""Sister," Katarina said sweetly, and I could hear her smiling. "How nice of you to join us. Though your timing sucks.""My timing is perfect. As always." Anastasia stepped closer, and I could see she was holding something metal that caugh
Liliana"Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed as the men dragged me through the hotel's back hallways. Their hands were like steel on my arms. I tried to break free, but they were too strong."Mikhail! MIKHAIL!" My voice echoed off the walls, but no one came to help me.The men wore fancy tuxedos like the other guests, but their eyes were cold and scary. They looked like killers."Shut up, Mrs. Volkov," one of them said in a Russian accent. "No one can help you now."They pulled me into a storage room that smelled like cleaning supplies and something metallic that made me sick. There was only one light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Piles of white sheets and towels were stacked everywhere like mountains."No, please," I begged as they tied my hands behind my back with rope. The rope cut into my skin. It hurt so bad. "What do you want? I can give you money!""We don't want money," the man said, checking the ropes. "We're just following orders. Nothing personal."They forced me to sit in a