All Chapters of The Mute Bride For The Don: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Vanya. “Vanya!” The cold hit me first. A shock of freezing water slamming across my face and chest. I gasped, bolting upright on the thin mattress, my thin nightgown clinging to my skin like a second, shivering layer. “Vanya! Get up!” My stepmother’s voice sliced through the morning light like a sharp knife. Jessica. She stood at the foot of the narrow bed, bucket still dripping in her hand, her lips curled in that familiar sneer of disgust and satisfaction. Her bleached hair was still pinned in the tight curls she wore like a crown, her eyes holding pure venom. “Get up, you worthless little murderer. The floors won’t scrub themselves.” I blinked the water from my lashes, heart hammering the way it always did when her voice dragged me from sleep. But I didn’t flinch at her words, I’d learned it was best not to. She tossed the empty bucket onto the floor with a clang. “Still pretending to be mute? After all these years? We both know you could open that mouth if you wan

Vanya I had heard the stories. Ivan Petrov was a ruthless man, a monster every soul in Moscow feared. A man who walks in secret, kills without mercy, the world believes he’s crippled while he tightens his grip on Moscow’s underworld. No one dared to cross him, not even now, when he lost the ability to walk. I could not understand it. How does a man command so much fear in the hearts of people? I stared out the car’s window as the wind blew against my face, as though consoling me for whatever lay ahead of me. What would Ivan think of me? How would he receive me? So many questions ran through my mind as my thoughts collided with one another. Yet the answers remained out of reach. His name alone was enough to make grown men cower. Even my own father never spoke ill of him. And now I stood on the marble floors of the Petrov estate, my eyes wide at the sheer size of it. Everything was more grand, and definitely more expensive than anything I had ever seen in our house. “Don’t

Vanya.My body hurt all over, and my head ached from crying all night. I had no idea how much time had passed since I was dragged into this cold cell. There was no window or any reliable source of light.I collapsed on the floor as emotions rushed through me. Now that I was alone, I felt every wall holding me in place crumble to nothing.I held on to the rag that had been given to me as a dress, and rocked hard with tears and tremors.I wouldn't be in this position if Father had just listened to me. I wouldn't be here if Mother was still alive and everything was fine.I never wanted marriage like Father did. Did he know what hell I was going through at the moment? I was cold, and now, I’d die without him ever finding out.~ ~I jerked as water drenched my face, beating sleep out of me and making me gasp for air.One minute, I’d fallen asleep on the floor crying, and the next, I woke up to find myself standing with my feet and legs tied to a rod in a dimly lit room.The icy water dr

Vanya. I groaned as I reached for the hem of the outfit I wore and pulled hard. The dainty fabric gave way, tearing easily, and I cried in pain as I moved my heavily bleeding arm, twisting it so I could wrap the part of my flesh where Ivan’s blade had made its mark. The pain was fresh and every contact with the material felt like hell. I heaved, throwing myself against the wall as sweat poured down my back when suddenly, my eyes caught a gleam from an object lying on the floor. I frowned, crawling toward it only to let out a silent gasp. My fingers trembled as I reached for the knife, lifting the cold metal up. Of all the mistakes a man like Ivan could make… dropping his blade on the floor and forgetting it was the most unexpected of all. For the first time in forever, excitement swept through me. Maybe the heavens were truly listening. Maybe this was God’s sign to show that he was in on my plan— My body froze as my ears picked up a sound. It sounded like footsteps. Like someo

Vanya.I’d always thought cruel people married cruel people, and gave birth to even more cruel kids, but Sofia Petrov was a mystery I couldn’t solve.Even after hours of sitting in the cell and trembling from the cold evening air, I still couldn’t understand her.She was not like her father. Sofia was kind, and true to her words, she’d brought me the key.I stared at the metallic object in my hand as lightning struck somewhere in the distance.Water dripped from the ceiling, but I sat there on the damp floor, wondering if the rain would ever stop.Minutes passed, and when the beating on the roof only doubled, I jolted to my feet and grabbed the only weapon I had, the knife.I had to leave, whether it was raining or not. It was the only way to save my life. The only way to make Sofia’s sacrifice worth it. And the only way to pay back the one person who had made my life so fucking miserable.My father.For every scar I’d been given, he would pay a thousand times more.I would never have