MasukINGRID.For a moment, I simply stared at the black duffel bag sitting beside my mother.My heart gave an almost childish little jump.She actually did it.She actually brought the money.I looked up at her, ready to see the smug satisfaction of someone who had just saved my life, but instead, I found something else in her eyes.Fear.Not fear of me.Fear for me.Her gaze moved slowly over my body, taking in the bloodstained clothes, my bruised wrists, the dirt covering my bare feet and finally, my hair.I almost forgot about it.My blonde hair had always been one of the few things I took pride in. Now it was tangled into thick, matted clumps, with strands stuck together by dried blood.My mother's lips parted.“Oh, Ingrid…”I rolled my eyes.“Don't.”She ignored me.“Oh my God, look at you.”“Mother.”She stood up so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.“What did they do to you?”“Nothing I couldn't handle.”
The Weight Of What We Leave BehindNORA’S POVTWO DAYS LATER…I found myself sitting on a wooden bench in the middle of the local park, watching strangers with my cardigan draped around my shoulders. I was waiting for Maxim’s arrival.I spotted a little girl chasing a butterfly while her mother watched her. An elderly couple sat beneath a large willow tree. They looked cute together. Makes me wonder how my life would turn out when I grow old.Everything around me felt…normal. Painfully normal. And I hated it. A part of me was telling me to back out. That there was no point in listening to whatever he had to say. But another part of me really wanted to know why. I had chosen this place deliberately. After speaking to Cole this morning, I had decided that if I was going to meet Maxim, I’d rather do so in public. I needed to know that I could walk away when it gets too overwhelming without feeling guilty. I needed to feel like I still had control over the situation.Cole had agreed wit
(SHORT DISCLAIMER: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT🔞)LOLA'S POV.🔞I love you.The words still hung between us in the middle of my living room, heavy and real. Aleksei’s hands stayed on my face, thumbs brushing the edges of my cheekbones like he was trying to memorize the shape of me. His eyes were darker than usual, pupils blown wide, and for a second I thought he might pull away again, the way he always did when things got too close. Instead he kissed me harder, mouth open and hungry, and the low sound he made against my lips went straight through me.I pushed at his chest, not hard enough to stop him, just enough to walk him backward until the backs of his knees hit the couch. He sat without protest, watching me with that sharp, focused look that always made my stomach flip. I climbed into his lap, knees on either side of his thighs, and felt the solid heat of him through his jeans. My nightshirt had ridden up; the bare skin of my thighs pressed against the rough de
THIRD PERSON POVNORAThe first thing Nora remembered when she opened her eyes the next morning was the memories of yesterday flooding in.She groaned in discomfort as she rolled on the bed, trying to block the sunlight from her face.The second thing that came to her mind was that he was alive.Maxim Romanov was alive.And he was coming to Houston soon.Nora stared at the ceiling, completely still as yesterday's memories came rushing back. The bakery. Cole's visit and now Elias's new job.Her head was still pounding slightly from the wine they had last night and she could already feel a migraine setting in.She turned onto her side and reached for her phone.7:06 a.m.She sighed.There was no point pretending yesterday hadn't happened.Then she remembered that she hadn't told Elias yet and he was leaving for work soon.Hurriedly, she got out of bed, almost crashing to the floor. She grabbed the card off the table, along with her phone and headed d
Nora's POVThe morning rush at the bakery was always my favorite.By eight in the morning, the place was already filled with the smell of freshly baked bread, cinnamon rolls, buttercream and coffee, with the soft hum of conversations blending with the occasional ringing of the little bell above the entrance. Sunlight poured through the large windows at the front, making the glass display cases sparkle as customers moved from one pastry to another, trying to decide what they wanted. I stood behind the counter with a smile plastered across my face as I handed a small paper bag to the young girl standing in front of me. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, her cheer uniform slightly wrinkled and a backpack hanging from one shoulder.“Here's your strawberry croissant and iced chocolate.”Her face immediately brightened.“Thank you!”“You're welcome. Have a good day.”She smiled before turning toward the door.And then the bell rang again.I looked up.
THIRD PERSON POVBLACKRIDGE WOMEN'S MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON,RUSSIA...The first thing Ingrid did when she returned to her cell was smile.Not the crazed smile she had given her mother before the guards dragged her away. This one was quieter. Almost thoughtful. She sat on the edge of the narrow metal bed, her back pressed against the cold wall as she stared at the small rectangular window high above her head. The bars cast thin shadows across the concrete floor, and somewhere beyond them, she could hear the distant clang of metal doors opening and closing. Footsteps echoed through the corridor. Guards shouted orders. Inmates cursed. Somewhere, someone was crying. It was the usual soundtrack of the prison. To most people, it would have sounded like hell. To Ingrid, it sounded like music now. She slowly lowered her eyes to the floor and began tapping her fingers against her knee. Five hundred thousand dollars. She already knew exactly how much of it she needed and where every dollar w
Nora’s POVI wake up to the shrill ring of my phone vibrating against my skull underneath my pillow.I pick it up, already feeling an headache brewing.I squint at the screen through blurry, swollen eyes.4:03 p.m.Elias.My stomach drops.I swipe to answer, voice hoarse from crying myself
Nora’s POVThe ride back from the bar is a blur of flashing lights and Mikhail’s hand on my knee, steady and possessive, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he lets go.I don’t push it away.I’m too exhausted, too numb from the blood and screams and gunshots still ringing in my ears.The shooter—a
Chapter Twenty-One: A Call For WarMikhail’s POVRomanov Estate. I left Nora curled on her side, finally asleep, tear tracks dried on her bruised cheeks.The door clicked shut behind me like a coffin lid.The hallway was a gauntlet.Andrei leaned against the banister, arms crossed, eyes bla
Mikhail’s POVThe SUV hummed through the city streets, the engine’s low growl the only sound breaking the suffocating silence. Nora sat plastered against the far door, her body rigid, as if touching the leather seat next to me would poison her. Her bag clutched in her lap like a shield, her eyes







