171|Cornered

It took a moment or two too long for Nikolai's words to sink in. But once they did, Andrei couldn't help but laugh in his face. Sure, the man had sway. Lots of it, in fact. But for him to even think that he could annul his marriage to Holly was a bit of a stretch. It was absurd…Ludicrous, even. And Andrei had listened to his father's rambling for way too long, and took just about all he could. He turned to Holly and offered her his hand, ready to whisk her back to the party and their waiting guests. But, of course, his father had to have the last word. He waved his walking cane threateningly in their direction as he rumbled fiercely, "Sit down! We're not done here!" "Oh, but we are!" Andrei retorted, his tone just as sharp as he pulled Holly along. They were almost through the door when Nikolai drew them back to his madness, stopping Holly in her tracks with his question. "Tell me, my dear, does Old Clarke know about your little union with my son?" Holly turned white as a

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

172|Make You Bleed

"You wouldn't!" Nikolai whispered, real worry shining in his eyes Of course, Andrei was bluffing. He loathed cops as much as he was starting to hate his father, if not more. Turning state witness and betraying the family's trust was the furthest thing from his mind. But Nikolai didn't need to know this. In fact, the more convinced he was that Andrei was seriously considering running to the popos and singing like a canary, the more likely he was to reconsider his stance on his marriage to Holly. So Andrei pushed a little more, solidifying his bluff with a few more lies that sounded disturbingly convincing as he outlined his witness protection plan. "How long have you been thinking about turning state witness? When did you decide?" "Doesn't matter how long," he replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "What matters is that I am carefully considering all my options. All it would take is one phone call to Noah Boshoff, and a mystery file landing on the right desk, in the right o

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

173|Like It Never Happened

Holly stood on the deck, her face turned to the waning sunlight as she took several deep breaths in a half-baked attempt to calm her racing heart. "What the hell was that?" she whispered to herself, when her pulse finally returned to normal and her legs stopped shaking. A part of her was tempted to quickly glance inside, at Andrei and his father, just to make sure she hadn't dreamed up any of the madness. But another part—the one that still shivered with terror at the thought of finding Nikolai gazing back at her with the same loathing he'd shown her earlier—decided against it. "Keep moving," she told herself, fighting hard against the overwhelming urge to run back inside and rescue Andrei from his father's clutches. She straightened her back, fixed her dress, and slapped on the biggest, fakest smile on her face before turning to the crowd. As she took one steady step after another, and despite her stomach dropping the more distance she put between her and the house, Holly had t

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

174|All The Sacrifices

Holly had been so focused on trying to get Willow to sober up that she'd failed to notice Andrei's meeting with his father was over. Now, because of her sister's big mouth, he very likely knew she was very close to being disowned by her father."Milaya?" Andrei said, his voice heavy with concern. "Why is your father cutting you off?"Horrified, mortified, and everything in between, Holly wished the ground would just open and swallow her whole. But after a minute passed and then two, and God still hadn't sent lightning to strike her down or split the ground open to gobble her up, she finally spun around with a shaky smile and tried to brush off Willow's comments as the ramblings of a drunken woman. "It's nothing. Don't pay her any mind. She's had a little too much to drink. She doesn't know what she's saying.""Yes, I do! Daddy threatened to cut you off when you told Liam you're in love with Drei. I was there, remember? On Aunt Ingrid's back porch? When Liam showed you Andrei's weddin

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

175|Like The Brightest Stars

"What?" Willow said carelessly. "What's with the look? Don't look at me like that. You know it's the truth, and as your sister, you should know I'm only saying this because I care." But it didn't feel like 'care'. In fact, it didn't even sound like 'care'. "That's enough, Willow!" Holly managed to croak. The shame brimming in her eyes grew heavier the longer she stood there, staring at her feet, unable to meet her sister's gaze. "You always do this," Holly continued, her voice firming up as she raised her head and looked at Willow square in the eyes. "Do what?" Willow asked, a sharp hiss that sounded like a half-laugh and a derisive snort shooting through her slightly parted mouth."Act like you care, when in reality you enjoy putting me down!" Holly said, impressed at how calm she sounded even when every part of her being shook with rage. "That's not true!" Willow was quick to refute the accusation. But her denial only made Holly double down. "Yes, it is! And let's be real, th

Last Updated : 2025-11-17

All Chapters of Reckless Hearts: Chapter 171 - Chapter 175

171|Cornered

172|Make You Bleed

173|Like It Never Happened

174|All The Sacrifices

175|Like The Brightest Stars