(Flashback)Anastasia was confident that she had caught the sound of a scream. Upon their return home after dinner in Moscow, she had fallen into a deep sleep. However, upon hearing the piercing scream, she jolted awake.The scream was far too horrifying, sending shivers down her spine. Fearing that Ivan had somehow injured himself where his fresh wound was, she reached out to touch his side of the bed only to find it empty.A chilling sense of dread settled in the depths of Ana’s stomach. She couldn’t explain why, but she was consumed by intense fear. Hastily switching on the lights, she hurriedly got out of bed and made her way downstairs to search for him in the kitchen.He was not in the kitchen.Ana turned around and rushed to see if he were somehow in his office.He was not in his office either.“For the love of God, Ivan—where the hell are you?” she muttered under her breath, feeling a mix of anger and frustration that he would leave the house without informing her. It was incr

(Flashback)Ana, five months into her initial pregnancy, was overwhelmed with anxiety. While her mother had warned her about morning sickness, nobody had mentioned the accompanying mild headaches, swollen ankles, and constipation. It wasn’t until she confided in the doctor, who Ivan had contacted, that she realized these were normal parts of the journey. However, admitting that these reassurances made her any less anxious and troubled would be dishonest, because she knew that she and her baby were doing well, yet other concerns started to plague her.So far, Ana had successfully concealed her true feelings about Ivan’s mysterious business dealings. He might have believed she was too naive or foolish to see through his deceit, but perhaps he didn’t truly understand her. She couldn’t really blame him for that. Initially, she hadn’t been thrilled when her father informed her that she would marry a man of his choosing. At that time, she was still in college, working towards completing her

(Flashback)“So, what do you think of Ms. Novikoff?” Ivan’s younger sister, Marina Volkov, asked with evident curiosity, her eyebrows raised so high they practically touched her forehead.“She’s good,” Ivan replied, realizing that a simple “good” couldn’t do justice to the breathtaking Anastasia Novikoff. She possessed long, dark hair and piercing hazel eyes that exuded a certain innocence, kindness, and thoughtfulness. There was something about her that made his entire chest radiate like the sun, igniting a desire for her that surpassed any other woman he had ever longed for. Even hours after their second meeting, he was still buzzing with the overwhelming need to see her again. His fingertips tingled with an insatiable craving to touch her soft, pale skin, to trace the delicate curve of her jaw and the tantalizing glimpse of her collarbone peeking above her modest neckline.“Just good?” Marina prodded.“Eta ne tvoe delo, Rina.” he retorted, shaking his head, longing for her to leave

(Flashback)They had been driving non-stop for twenty minutes when he noticed Dimitri shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Dimitri was the one behind the wheel, taking the couple to a surprise destination for Anastasia. However, Ivan couldn’t ignore the fact that his trusted companion kept glancing back and forth between the rearview mirror and the road ahead.Ivan knew something was off.“What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to keep his calm, not wanting to alarm Ana who was sitting beside him. He could feel her eyes on the side of his face, but he was relieved that she chose to observe without immediately panicking.Dimitri cleared his throat and broke the news, “I think we’re being followed.”That was definitely not good news.Years of experience had taught Ivan not to overthink or overreact. He needed to stay composed, and that’s exactly what he did. “Can we shake them off for a couple of minutes? We need to find a safe place to drop Ana off.”“Marina’s place is close by,” Dimitri remin

[ANASTASIA]I can’t believe how heartless this man can be. How could I forget that Ivan always gets what he wants, no matter what?He doesn’t give a damn about anyone else.It’s clear from the way he not only woke me up in the middle of the night but also made sure to make me feel guilty for how he treated Nika.How can he be so merciless?I mutter angrily under my breath and stomped on the floor with forceful, determined steps. The moment I see that smug smirk on his face, I have the urge to throttle him with my bare hands.But instead, I swallow my anger and drag a chair from the dining table that is as far away from him as possible. I have no intention of being anywhere near him. I can’t even tolerate the scent of his cologne and the stench of those cigars he always reeks of.I sit down on the chair, keeping my gaze fixed on anything but Ivan. I can feel his eyes on me, his presence looming like a dark cloud. The anger within me simmers, threatening to boil over at any moment.I cl