All Chapters of A Wife For His Empire : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

"Nadya, what is going on? How did you get here?"Fillip loosened his arms and eased me back so he could see my face. I did not want to let go. I wanted to stay pressed against his chest where it was warm and safe, but he was waiting for an answer, so I pulled away, still crying. He wiped my cheeks with his thumbs before I could do it myself.That small gesture made my heart swell. I had replayed this reunion in my head more times than I could count, lying on that mat in the dark, and now it was real. He was right in front of me, touching my face."They let me go," I answered in a small, hoarse voice. "I do not know how, but I am just..." The words jammed in my throat, and I tried again. "I am happy to be home with you again."My lips pulled downward as another sob escaped me. He studied me, and several emotions flickered across his face, as if he were trying to decide whether to believe my story. Then he sighed, slid his hand to the back of my head and pulled me into his chest again.

Katya was right. I was bad luck.The irony was almost funny. I had escaped one prison only to land in another, and this time my life was on the line.They had thrown me into a room that was more of a bedroom, though there was nothing in it except a large bed and a set of empty drawers. I screamed and begged to be let out until my voice cracked and exhaustion finally claimed me.The pills I had swallowed at the Penitentiary finally took over, and I fell asleep. But my mind was far too disturbed to rest, and my sleep was restless and full of nightmares.I woke up to the sound of a voice in the room."What an impressive talent to be dragged out of her home at gunpoint and still sleep for six hours.”I opened my eyes, but everything in front of me was a gray blur. My head felt foggy, and my limbs were heavy, and for a moment I could not tell where I was. Then my disturbed mind caught up, and it registered one thing at once: there was someone in the room.I scrambled upright and tried to r

"Miss Nadya, your parents are not here. They went to the hospital,” the security man said when I stepped back into the house. "The hospital?" My voice came out thin. "All of them?""Yes, Miss. They left a while ago."I did not ask him anything else aside from some cash. After handing me some, I turned around and walked back out the front door, and flagged down a taxi to the hospital.My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. The tears had started on their own, and they would not stop. I pressed my sleeve against my face the whole ride and could not explain to myself why I was so sure they would be furious with me. I had not done anything. But my hands would not stop shaking, and my stomach kept tightening as if it already knew.When I reached the hospital hallway and saw them, Katya was the first to move.Her palm struck my cheek before I could say a word. The crack of it rang down the corridor, and my head snapped to the side. Her eyes were red and swollen, sign that