6

Adeline's POV

I woke up in fright, my heart pounding against my chest. I had a terrible dream where my children had been taken from me. Only now that I'm awake, I remember it was my harsh reality. I didn't have my children because that man took them.

Just like in the dream, our lives were filled with beautiful memories until Dimitrov appeared. Even in the dream, I tried to save them. Take them far away to a place where he could never reach but that was impossible. He was as slippery as a snake and he could slide into anywhere.

As I got accustomed to my surroundings, I sensed a presence in the room and I looked in that direction.

Dimitrov. Again.

He sat on a couch that had been moved from its original position to the window side. The curtains were drawn, shielding the sunlight so he was in the dark. But even in the darkness, I could feel his penetrating gaze. Just knowing he was here seemed to make all the air vanish. The room suddenly became so small and there was no escape.

I shifted back until I was pressed against the headboard. As if that would create distance between us. We were still locked together in this room.

"What have you come to do here again?"I tried to sound firm but my voice came out shaky.

He had his eyes on me the whole time and he did not look elsewhere. He moved closer and sat by the bed, the same way he had done it the first time. He had an unreadable expression, it was not anger as usual, something I could not place my fingers on. I wondered what he wanted this time.

"I enjoyed watching you sleep," he said, his voice low but steady.

"That's what a creep would say" I spat at him but he shrugged.

"Let me go Dimitrov Romanov. With my kids. Please" the last word was an afterthought. Maybe if I begged...

"You still talk in your sleep. But it's good to know you were dreaming of me"

"It was a nightmare"

"Even better," he said smugly.

"Where are they? I miss them and I'm sure they miss me too. They need me. We haven't gone this long without seeing each other"

"You had enough time to leave them and come to court to testify against me"

"It was necessary. Please. Just let me see them. They must be worried"

"They haven't asked of you ."

"That's impossible. Katya and Ivan won’t sit still when they haven’t seen me”

“They’re too occupied with the toys and getting everything they ask of. Something you deprived them of. Take a look at this”

He came closer with his phone and showed me the children. They looked happy. They were playing around with their toys.

I felt hurt. He had given them all they had dreamt of. Things I had only left as promises. Was this enough to make them stop thinking about me?

“Do you believe me now?”

"You’re only distracting them. They’re children of course it’ll make them excited. But I know them. They’ll want to see me" I said with conviction

“Well let’s wait until then. I’ll decide if I’ve punished you enough”

“All you talk about is punishment. What about me? I was hurt by you too”

“I never hurt you. All I did was because I loved you. And just how did you pay me back”

“You deserved it” I shouted at him.

"I deserve it? Three years of being locked away. Three years without the knowledge of my children, three years of worrying about how you could have been even though I wanted to be pissed at you" I felt the weight of his emotions as he spoke.

I stayed silent, grasping the blanket firmly as he went on.

"Do you have any idea how hurt I felt? Do you know how much it affected me? Do you bloody know what your betrayal did to me?”

The intensity of his words and his eyes

made me realize how hurt he was. And it scared me. Dimitrov Romanov has never been one to show hurt. He showed only rage, and pleasure but never something that made him vulnerable. That’s just the kind of man he is.

I looked away because of the pang of guilt I felt. And it made me mad. He deserved it. So why did my heart ache?

"Do you really hate me that much?" He stepped closer, his voice growing more heated.

I didn’t give him an answer. I didn’t have one for him.

"Don’t try to play the victim. Yes, you went to jail. What about me? What about what u had to go through" I shook my head, my voice breaking. "You hurt me, Dimitrov. You hurt me in ways I can't even begin to describe."

"You chose to believe a lie."

"It is not a lie Dimitrov." I knew what he was capable of and even if I chose not to believe, I saw it happen with my own eyes.

"And you think so because that boyfriend cop of yours told you so."

"Garret is not my boyfriend" I defended myself.

"I had nothing to do with that murder. I loved you. I would never do something like that to you"

His words hung in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. I looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"You do not hurt the people you love," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

I turned back to him, startled by the natural emotion in his voice.

"You punished me for something I didn't do and you're still doing it." He paused and took a deep breath. Then he continued

"You hid my children from me. Tell me where are you ever going to tell me about them?"

My throat tightened. I felt guilty about hiding his children from him. About testifying against him, I always wondered if I did the right thing. Garret had always said it was the best thing. No. He was vile. It was the right thing to do. I would not question my morals because of my emotions.

“What does my answer matter? You already know about them”

“Just answer me”

"I had to do what I had to do Dimitrov. I had to protect them" I said, trying to sound determined.

“Do you think I’ll hurt my children? Do you think that low of me? Was it the cop's idea?”

“It was mine. I didn’t think it was right for you to see them” he huffed.

“I can’t believe this. You once told me you didn’t see me as a monster. That the world misunderstood me”

“That was until I got to see the real you. The one the world sees” he was silent for a long time and I wondered if he had anything left to say.

"You should get some rest," he said softly.

“I can’t rest knowing I can’t see my children” I retorted.

“You can’t do much” he walked to the door, pausing at the doorway.

“I’ll say this one last time. Everything that was told to you was a lie” When would he believe me when I say, nobody told me anything. I know what I saw.

“It doesn’t matter, let me see my children”

“No. You can’t see them now”

“If you had any love for me, even the slightest bit then you won’t deny me this” he gave no response as he closed the door behind him, leaving me all by myself to my anger at my failure to convince him.

And while I lay in bed, our conversation replayed in my head.