Camilla woke up with a start. She always slept with the lights off, so where was this sudden brightness coming from? Dragging her blanket up to cover herself, the rest of the sleep cleared when the material refused to move. Still trying to understand what was happening, a yelp escaped her lips as the blanket was yanked off her entire body.Doris had heated her room, but without the blanket, the cold pricked her skin. Eyes scanning the room for the culprit, she grabbed a pillow. She was certain she locked the door before falling asleep. Only her bedside lamp was on, so she couldn’t see whoever was playing this prank on her.“Up.” She could recognise that voice even in her dream. It was the voice of her nightmare. Alek. He stepped out of the shadows with a gun, and the pillow tumbled to the bed. What did she do this time? She had stayed away from everyone in the house, eating only what Doris brought to her room? Had he found ou

It was dark inside the closet, and there was barely any space with the clothes dangling from their hangers. Camilla was tired of banging on the door from inside. Her voice was hoarse from screaming for help. First, he assaulted her with a gun, and now this? But didn’t she deserve it for hurting Doris? All the elderly woman tried to do was make her stay here more comfortable.Alek had paled when he found Doris. She had never seen him express that level of emotion. He cared about Doris, and she felt the same way about him. The accident had taught her one thing. If anything happened to Doris, Alek would make her life hell. Shifting into another sitting position, she whimpered. Her body ached from spending the night on a floor. This was not the ideal spot after a horrendous night. She wasn’t sure how long had passed until she banged the doors again. Her throat was parched. She was hungry. Doris never let her starve.“Alek?” she screamed. “Vanya?” Tears streamed down Camilla’s cheeks. She

Maksim was ready to leave for the church when Doris barged into his room. He rolled his eyes as she paused at the doorframe and placed both hands on her waist. She had to remember she wasn’t his mother, and he wasn’t the naïve kid of many years ago. Struggling with his tie, Maksim ignored the housekeeper. Doris scoffed and crossed the distance to help him with the tie. Vanya confined her to bedrest, but the stubborn woman was off the bed the moment he told her he would assign Inna to his wife-to-be. “What you do to her?” she started, knotting his tie. He tried to grab it from her, but she scowled. “Why she hide under the bed?” “How am I supposed to know?”“That pretty woman,” Doris continued. Maksim’s lips twitched. Yes, Camilla was pretty, but her beauty meant nothing if she never listened to him. “She do nothing to you.” Maksim snatched his

Maksim made sure Ivan was fine before leaving his room. If anything Vanya said was true, then Ivan was lucky he wouldn’t lose his knee. He stalked back to Papa’s office, a sense of purpose in each step. They came after him on his wedding day. How dare he? Papa must know something. All night, the image of his wife’s distraught face had haunted him. He shouldn’t care, but he had wondered if she would cry for him or care if something bad happened to him. They didn’t spend the night together, but that would have to be rectified soon. Probably tonight. But first, they had to eat breakfast together with the entire family. She already missed so many meals with the family. She couldn’t skip breakfast today. Right now, his focus was on the truth. He sent some men to retrieve Vasilly’s body last night. None of them had reported back to him. He arrived at his father’s office and opened the door without knocking. Like him

Camilla woke up with a jerk. Cold water dripped down her face, her hair, and her chest. All the room lights were on, but… she was certain she turned them off before going to sleep. She shivered as she got off the bed. Noticing the culprit in the room, she grabbed the object nearest to her to hit him. “Drop that shit now,” Alek commanded. “Are you insane?” Camilla retorted. Standing a few feet away from her was the bastard called her husband. In his hand was an empty bucket. She rushed for him, but he caught her by the wrist, pushing until she was flat on her back on the bed. She kicked the air, hoping to kick him in the groin, but he was careful to avoid her legs.Alek pinned her hands above her head and straddled her waist. “Stop moving, Cam.” “How about you stop existing?” she spat out. “What are you doing in my room?” “It’s time fo