Chapter 113 Chapter 113
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen
Irina's POV
Three days had passed.
Three days since I had held my son. Since I had seen his face. Since I had heard anything except his distant cries echoing through the villa.
Three days of hell.
I was assigned to cleaning duty.
The other servants pitied me. I could see it in their eyes.
"The poor thing," I heard one whisper. "Separated from her baby like that."
"Mr. Alexei is cruel," another replied. "But what can we do?"
Nothing. They could do nothing. And neither could I.
Lucia, the head housekeeper, tried to be kind. She gave me extra food when she could and lighter duties when possible.
But she could not give me what I wanted most.
My son.
On the morning of the fourth day, I was scrubbing the marble floors in the main hallway. My hands were raw. My knees hurt from kneeling on the hard stone.
Then, I heard Nikolai crying from somewhere upstairs.
My head snapped up. My whole body tensed.
My baby was crying.
Every instinct screamed at me to go to him.
But I could not.
I was not allowed.
Tears filled my eyes as I listened to his cries.
"Please," I whispered to no one. "Please let me go to him."
But no one answered.
I went back to scrubbing. My tears dripped onto the clean marble.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.
I looked up.
Alexei was walking towards me, flanked by two guards. He was dressed impeccably as always.
My heart started racing.
This was my chance.
I dropped my scrub brush, and scrambled to my feet.
"Mr. Volkov!" I called out.
Alexei stopped, looking at me with irritation.
One of his guards immediately stepped forward. "Get back to work," he ordered.
But I could not. Not when my son was so close.
I rushed toward Alexei. The guard grabbed my arm roughly.
"I said get back!" He growled.
"Please!" I begged. "Please, I need to speak with him!"
"Let her talk," Alexei said calmly.
The guard released me immediately.
I fell to my knees in front of Alexei.
"Please," I begged. Tears were streaming down my face. "Please, let me see Nikolai."
Alexei looked down at me. His face was completely blank.
"No," he said simply.
"Please!" I sobbed. "I am begging you! I just want to see my baby!"
"He is not your baby," Alexei corrected. "He is mine."
"I am his mother!" I cried.
"You are a servant," Alexei said coldly. "Servants do not make demands."
"I am not demanding," I said desperately. "I am begging. Please. Just let me see him for five minutes!"
Alexei studied me for a long moment.
"Why should I?" He asked.
"Because he needs me," I said. My voice was breaking. "He is crying all the time. You must hear it. He is scared and confused. He needs his mother."
"Svetlana is taking care of him," Alexei replied.
"But she is not his mother!" I cried
"She is better than you," Alexei said dismissively. "She is trained and well educated. You are just a slave who happened to give birth."
The words scattered me.
"Please," I whispered. I was crying so hard I could barely speak. "Please, Alexei. I will do anything. Anything you ask. Just let me see my son."
Alexei's eyes flickered.
"Anything?" He repeated slowly.
Hope flared in my chest. "Yes."
Alexei smiled.
"Come to my room tonight," he said. "At midnight. And we will discuss the terms."
My blood ran cold.
I knew what he meant.
"No," I whispered.
"No?" Alexei raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said anything."
"Not that," I said. My voice was shaking. "Please. Anything but that."
"Then the answer is no," Alexei said simply. "You cannot see the baby."
He started to walk away.
"Wait!" I called out desperately.
Alexei stopped and turned back. "Yes?" He asked.
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
Could I do it? Could I give myself to this monster?
"I will be there at midnight." I whispered.
Alexei smiled wider. "Good girl."
Then he walked away. His guards followed behind him.
I stayed on my knees in the hallway, crying and shaking.
What had I just agreed to?
Lucia found me there twenty minutes later. Still kneeling and crying.
"Oh, dear," she said softly. She helped me to my feet. "What happened?"
"He wants me to come to his room tonight." I said numbly.
Lucia's face fell. "Oh, child."
"I have to do it," I said. "If I want to see Nikolai."
"You do not have to do anything," Lucia said gently.
"Yes, I do," I replied. "He is my son. I would do anything for him."
"Even this?" Lucia asked sadly.
I nodded.
Lucia pulled me into a hug. "I am so sorry," she whispered.
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
I went through the motions of my work. But my mind was on what Alexei would demand from me.
I felt sick. My stomach was churning. My hands were shaking.
But I could not back out now.
This was my only chance to see Nikolai.
Evening came. Then night.
I went back to my tiny room, changed into the cleanest dress I had.
Then I waited, watching the clock on the wall.
Each minute felt like an eternity.
Finally, it was midnight.
I stood up. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely walk.
But I forced myself to move.
Alexei's bedroom was on the third floor. The master suite.
I climbed the stairs slowly. When I reached his door, I stood there for a long moment, then, finally, knocked on the door.
"Come in," Alexei's voice called.
I opened the door.
The room was enormous. Decorated in dark wood and rich fabrics.
Alexei was sitting in a chair by the fireplace. He was wearing a silk robe over his bare chest.
"Irina," he said with that cruel smile. "Right on time."
I stood by the door, not moving any closer.
"Close the door," Alexei ordered. And I did.
"Come here," Alexei said.
I walked towards him slowly. When I was close enough, Alexei reached out and pulled me closer.
"You came," he said. "I was not sure you would."
"I want to see my son," I said. My voice shaking.
"And you will," Alexei replied. "After you give me what I want,"
He stood up, towering over me, looking so much like Dmitri except for the eyes.
"Take off your dress," he ordered.
I froze. My whole body went rigid.
"I cannot," I whispered.
"You can," Alexei said. "And you will. Unless you want to leave right now and never see Nikolai again."
Tears were streaming down my face. "Please," I begged one last time. "Pleas
e do not make me do this."
"I am not making you do anything," Alexei said. "This was your choice. Remember?"
He was right. I had agreed to this.
With shaking hands, I reached for the buttons on my dress.
And then the door burst open.
We both spun around.
Lucia stood in the doorway. Her face was pale.
"Mr. Volkov!" She gasped. "Mr. Volkov, you need to come quickly!"
"What?" Alexei demanded. "I am busy!"
"It is the baby, sir!" Lucia said urgently. "He is burning up with fever! Svetlana does not know what to do!"
My heart stopped.