Chapter 132
Elena:
I walked out of the bathroom, frowning in confusion when I saw Batrov inside my room.
His eyes met mine for a second, and I looked down at my feet, avoiding his gaze before he walked toward me. He handed me the plastic bag, and I looked up at him, knowing that he got the pills for me.
“I didn’t forget them, but I didn’t want to bring them when he was around.” He said, and I nodded in thanks. He looked at me, taking a deep breath as I took a step back before walking toward my dresser to hide them between my clothes. It was the one place where I could keep them, and I was always sure to keep changing their place to ensure that none of the maids saw them.
“Do you want to go to the garden for a bit? Get some air?” He asked, and I shook my head. He sighed and walked toward me before putting a hand on my right shoulder, making me flinch. He was quick to remove his hand, and slowly pulling the sleeve of the dress down, I knew that he saw the bruise that I had on it. “Elena, I can help you get out of here.”
I scoffed, taking a step away from him. The last thing that I needed or wanted was to have any false hope anymore. My family’s lives were on the line for this, and he was here, giving me a dream that I knew that I was never going to get.
“He is not here, we can get you out, and I can ensure that no one hears of this.” He pleaded. I didn’t react, and instead, I walked toward my chair as the maids have already fixed the bedroom and put my breakfast as they would on a daily basis. An hour later, one of them would come to remove the tray to ensure that the room didn’t catch the smell of whatever it was that they brought for me to eat. Today, it was eggs.
He sighed and walked toward me before getting on his knees in front of me, his eyes met mine and I was forced to look away from him, knowing that he was going to try and talk me into something that was delusional.
“I know that you are scared, but my offer is always there, Elena.” He said, taking my hand in his. He kissed my knuckle before getting up, and I forced myself to look away from him, knowing that even dreaming of something like that was not for me.
I was a prisoner in this house and was going to be until my last breath. The faster that I accepted that, the easier it would be for me to live through the terror that I had to go through. It wasn’t like I had anyone to go to anyway, my family would be in danger, and at least I knew that staying here ensured their safety. It was the one benefit that I could do for them, and I wasn’t going to play with or risk that for them too.
“The door will be open if you want to go out and get some air,” he said, getting up from the floor, knowing that I was neither going to respond nor react “And I really do hope that you think of my offer…”
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My bedroom door opened as I stared up at the night’s sky, and I couldn’t help but jump before catching sight of Vladimir as he walked inside my room.
His eyes met mine and he raised an eyebrow at me before closing the door, and I couldn’t help but frown when I noticed that he had a tray in his hands. The tray had two mugs, and the smell of tea filled my nostrils.
“I didn’t know whether or not you drank wine, and I doubt that having you drunk is a good option. But I do believe that a warm drink can do us good on a night like this one.” He said, and I frowned, watching as he walked toward the table. “Do you mind me putting this here?”
I looked down at the tray for a second, then at the table before nodding, allowing him to do what he wanted. His eyes met mine as he did, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but find myself getting lost in them. I couldn’t even understand what the man was on about, and yet, here I was, not even reacting to what he was doing. It was as if I wasn’t even afraid, and I wasn’t dumb, I knew that I should be.
“Take a seat,” he said, nodding at the chair. “Or do you want me to sit on the chair while you sit on the edge of the bed like you did yesterday?”
I looked back at my bed and nodded before I walked toward it. I sat on the edge, and the man nodded in understanding before picking up a mug and handing it to me. The last time I had tea was on the day that Konstantin took me from my parents and brought me here. It was supposed to be the best day of my life, little did I know that it was going to be the beginning of the darkness that I had to live through.
I wrapped my hand around the mug, and I couldn’t help but find myself shuddering when my fingers brushed his. Vladimir looked at me for a second too long, our eyes meeting for the second time tonight before I looked down at my lap.
“Do you not open your bedroom window?” He asked, looking back at the window. I shook my head in response, and he smirked. “Well, I got a response, that is a good start.”
I raised an eyebrow at the man as a small smile formed on my lips before he brought his chair closer to the bed, picking up his mug as he did before he sat down. I watched as he took a sip of the tea before doing the same, and it was seconds later that he surprised me when he extended his hand toward me.
“Considering the fact that the two of us are meeting for the second time, I am going to try a different approach of introducing myself to you.” He said, smirking at me as he extended his hand to me, wanting me to shake his. “I am Vladimir, and you must be Elena…”