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THIRTEEN: Engagement Parties and Severed Hands
Date de publication:
2025-04-17 10:15:39
Dernier chapitre
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-EIGHT: Horseback or Torture?
The leather uncoils with a wet, heavy slap against the hardwood, and the sound alone is enough to violently jerk me out of the warm, lingering haze of the billiards room. “Crack the door, let a single sound out, and we see how the great Russian bear likes finding out his precious little bird is a Bennington rat.”My stomach drops into a bottomless, icy void. The sheer terror isn’t just for the pain I know is coming; it’s the sudden, agonizing realization of how easily I let myself forget. I actually let myself believe, even for a handful of seconds, that a game of pool and a low, gravelly nickname could buy me safety. I am so pathetic. I mock myself silently as I move toward the bathroom, my limbs heavy and clumsy with dread. I reach for the white cotton hand towel hanging over the porcelain basin. It feels rough against my palms, dry and ordinary, a stark contrast to the violence about to unfold. I fold it twice, shove it between my teeth, and bite down until my jaw aches. The
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-SEVEN: From Cues to Whips
The green felt table sits between us like a battlefield. Konstantin walks over to the wooden rack on the wall, his broad shoulders shifting beneath his black shirt. He slides a heavy wooden cue from the mount, weighs it in his hand, and then pulls out a second one. He walks over to me, extending the handle. “Do you actually know how to play,” he says, “or were you performing for the child?”I take the cue. “I know a bit.”“How much is a bit.”“Enough to embarrass myself comfortably.”His mouth moves. Not a smile. Adjacent to one.My mind flashes back to the smoky underground lounges in London, the high-stakes clubs in Mayfair, the different wealthy businessmen my father had ordered me to charm, to manipulate, to bleed for information. I had to learn everything they liked—poker, baccarat, golf, billiards. I had to be the perfect companion, the flawless mirror to their desires. But billiards was never my strongest suit; I was always better at watching the marks than hitting the ba
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-SIX: Games and Distractions
Dinner ends and nobody moves for exactly three seconds.Leonid is already pushing his chair back.Konstantin clears his throat, setting his stained wine glass down. Carlos takes that as his cue, offering a brief, formal nod before exiting the room with a thick stack of ledger documents tucked under his arm. Konstantin shifts in his seat, as he glances down at his watch. Across the table, a maid steps forward from the shadows, her shoes clicking softly against the marble floor as she approaches Leonid. “Master Leonid, it is time for bed,” she says softly, reaching out a hand toward the little boy. The evening is closing, the house is winding down, and upstairs, in my room, Sofia is waiting. I can’t go back there yet. I need to stretch the clock. I need to prolong the time. I know that as long as I am within Konstantin’s sight or attached to Leonid, Sofia won’t dare touch me. “Wait—“Both of them look at me.I open my mouth. Close it. Open it again.“Could we — I mean — do you have
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-FIVE: The Knight, The Princess, The Horse
The Morozov dining hall is massive, a striking display of old-world Russian power. High vaulted ceilings, heavy silver candelabras casting long shadows, and a massive dark oak table filled with platters of roasted meats, steaming bowls of borsch, and expensive bottles of dark red wine. The biting winter air rattles against the frosted glass windows, but the room itself is warm, filled with the rich, savory scents of a feast.Sitting right at the center of the table is Konstantin.He doesn’t have his winter coat on anymore. He’s wearing a dark silk shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing the thick muscles of his chest and the faint edge of a scar near his collarbone. He looks illegally, dangerously attractive.Leonid marches straight up to the table, completely ignoring the tension in the room, and grumpily slams his crumpled piece of drawing paper right next to Konstantin’s plate.“Look at it,” Leonid demands, crossing his arms and huffing. “Carlos said it looks like total garb
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-FOUR: A Sinister Smile
“Who did that?”The question rattles against the heavy walls of my bedroom. Leonid stands completely rigid, his small finger pointing directly at my face, his dark eyes wide and chillingly identical to his uncle’s when someone is about to die.Before I can even open my mouth to manufacture a lie, Sofia cuts in. She steps forward, her hands smoothing down the front of her crisp grey maid uniform.Sofia moves first.“Oh, that.” She laughs, soft and practiced, already stepping forward with her hands folded in front of her like the perfect devoted maid she absolutely is not. “Lady Evangeline had a small fall earlier, didn’t you, my lady?” Her eyes find mine over Leonid’s head. Warm for the room. Dead for me. “The steps outside were slippery. I kept telling her to be careful.”She tilts her head. Waits.And I know exactly what she’s waiting for.I see my mother’s face behind my eyes. That photograph. Miranda’s hollow cheeks and trembling hands and today’s date written in my father’s handw
Her Neglected Scars FORTY-THREE: Who Did That?
“We’re gonna have so much fun, sweet, old, Eva.”The fake sweetness vanishes from Sofia’s face faster than water off a hot blade. The submissive maid disappears entirely, replaced by the cruel, vicious bully I’ve known for a decade. Before I can even draw a full breath, her hand shoots out, gripping the collar of my dress, and she yanks me forward, hurling me completely off the bed.My body hits the hard parquet floor with a dull, heavy thud. The breath rushes out of my lungs in a sharp gasp as my hip takes the brunt of the impact against the wood.“Get down there,” Sofia spits, her voice dropping into a venomous, low hiss as she stands over me, looking down at my crumpled form with absolute disgust. “That’s exactly where you belong. Right at my feet, you useless little whore.”I push myself up onto my hands and knees, my hair falling over my face in a tangled curtain.Crack!The force of her palm snapping across my left cheek is so sudden and violent that my head whips sideways. The
Her Neglected Scars SIXTEEN: Rude Employees and Wrestling Go Together
“Eva! You’re finally here! I actually waited for you but the dresses were just calling me out!” She chuckles before waving her hands for the attendant to leave her be. She bows down before stepping off the platform. Wow, she is enthusiastic. That’s the total opposite of the shy character hiding beh
Her Neglected Scars FOURTEEN: The Car Empty of the Devil
The drive to the party was silent. The doorman sat right beside the driver, who was also silently managing the wheel. There was the beautiful bouquet and the smell of expensive wine that’s supposed to be shared by the two engaged people—who, by the way, doesn’t have the balls to show up to me right
Her Neglected Scars TEN: Playing With Fire
“Because I wanted to see how hot my soon-to-be husband is! There, satisfied?!” I instantly closed my mouth as quickly as I opened them to throw out those stupid words. Konstantin’s gaze flickered with surprise, quickly replaced by an icy, calculated glare.Without another word, the gun halted on my
Her Neglected Scars NINE: To See . . . My Husband?
So this is what I get for thinking that my good intentions would outweigh my terrible decision-making skills—ending up in a perverted stranger’s hands.Fuck.If I knew this blonde motherfucker had only helped me to satisfy his blue balls, I would have stayed seated on top of Konstantin’s lap.He wa
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