Chapter 114 Nikolai
I looked at Anya standing in the middle of my office.
She looked so different. Her hair was shorter. Her face was thinner. The dark circles under her eyes told me she had not been sleeping well.
She wore cheap clothes. A worn jacket and faded jeans.
"Nikolai," she whispered. "I thought you were dead."
"I know what you thought," I said. My voice came out harder than I intended. "I know everything."
Anya flinched like I had struck her. "I can explain."
"Can you?" I asked, moving away from the window. "Can you explain why you signed away everything I owned? Why you gave my empire to a woman who tried to kill me?"
"She threatened you," Anya said. Tears were already streaming down her face. "She said if I did not sign, she would kill you."
"So you signed." I said.
"I did not have a choice," she said. "She would have killed you."
"She tried to kill me anyway," I said. "I spent seven months in a coma, Anya. And when I woke up, everything I built was gone."
"I am sorry," she sobbed. "I am so sorry. I thought I was saving you."
I wanted to hold her. To forgive her and move forward.
But I could not.
"Well… I found out that Katya is my sister," I said. "My father had an affair with her mother thirty-five years ago. Katya Sokolov is Marcus Markov's daughter."
"What?" Anya stared at me. "You are saying I gave your empire to your sister?"
"Half sister," I corrected. "But yes. Everything you signed over to her, she was legally entitled to it anyway."
Anya shook her head. "That does not make what she did right. She still tried to kill you."
"I know," I said. "And for that, she will answer to me."
"So what happens now?" Anya asked. "You forgive her? And share the empire with her?"
"I do not know yet," I admitted. "I have not confronted her. I wanted to find you first. I needed to understand what happened."
"I told you why," Anya said, letting out a sigh. "She threatened your life. What choice did I have?"
"You could have refused," I said. "You could have let her kill me rather than destroy everything I built."
Anya's face went pale. "You think I should have let you die?"
"I think you made a choice," I said. "And that choice had consequences. For both of us."
"You are blaming me for saving your life." Anya said. Her voice rose.
"I am not blaming you," I said. "I am trying to figure out what we do next."
"What we do next?" Anya laughed. It was a bitter sound. "There is no we, Nikolai. I destroyed your empire. I signed away everything. You just said it yourself. How can there be a we after that?"
"Because I love you," I said. The words came out before I could stop them. "Despite everything. I still love you."
Anya looked at me. And I saw something in her eyes I did not expect.
Anger.
"You love me," she repeated. "But you love your empire more."
"That is not true," I said.
"Is it not?" Anya challenged. "Then why are we having this conversation? Why did you bring me here? To explain myself? To justify saving your life?"
"I brought you here because I needed to see you," I said. "Because I have been searching for you for months."
"No," Anya said. She stepped away from me. "You brought me here because you needed someone to blame. Someone to punish for losing your precious empire."
"That is not fair," I said.
"Fair?" Anya's voice cracked. "You want to talk about fair? Was it fair that Katya forced me to watch you get shot? Was it fair that she threatened to kill you if I did not sign? Was it fair that I had to choose between your life and your empire?"
"Anya..."
"I chose you!" she shouted. Tears were streaming down her face again. "I chose your life over everything else. And now you stand here telling me about your sister and your inheritance and your empire. Like any of that matters more than the fact that you are alive."
"It matters because it was all I had," I said. My own voice rose to match hers. "My father built that empire. I spent my whole life maintaining it. And in one signature you gave it all away."
"To save your life!" Anya screamed.
"I never asked you to save me!" I shouted back.
The words hung in the air between us.
Anya's face crumpled. "You never asked me to save you," she repeated quietly. "So you would rather be dead than lose your empire?"
"That is not what I meant," I said.
"Yes it is," Anya said. "That is exactly what you meant. And now I understand. I finally understand what I am to you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I am nothing," Anya said. "Compared to your power. Your territory. I am nothing."
"That is not true," I said. I moved toward her. "Anya, you are everything to me."
"Then prove it," she said. She looked at me with eyes full of pain and challenge. "Choose me over the empire. Walk away from Katya. From the territories. From all of it."
I opened my mouth. But no words came out.
Because I could not. I could not just walk away from everything my father had built. From everything I had fought for.
Even for her.
Anya saw the hesitation in my face. And something inside her broke.
"That is what I thought," she said. Her voice was empty. "You cannot choose me. You will never choose me."
"Anya, please," I said. "It is not that simple."
"It is exactly that simple," she said. "Either you choose me or you choose the empire. There is no middle ground. Not anymore."
"I need time," I said. "Time to figure out how to fix this."
"There is nothing to fix," Anya said. She turned toward the door. "I made my choice seven months ago. I chose your life. And you have made your choice now. You choose your empire."
"Where are you going?" I demanded.
"Away from you," she said. "Away from Moscow. Away from all of this."
"No," I said. I moved to block the door. "You cannot leave. Not again."
"You cannot stop me," Anya said.
"Yes I can," I said. My voice was cold now. "You are my wife. You signed documents that destroyed my life. You do not get to just walk away."
"Watch me," Anya said.
She tried to push past me but I grabbed her arm.
"Let me go," she said.
"Not until we talk about this," I said.
"There is nothing to talk about!" Anya shouted. She jerked her arm free. "You just told me everything I need to know. Your empire is more important than me."
"That is not true," I said.
"Then let me leave," Anya said. "If I really matter to you, let me go."
I looked at her. The woman I loved. Who had saved my life and destroyed my empire in the same act.
And I could not let her walk away again.
"Guards!" I called.
The door opened. Gregor and two other men entered.
"Yes, boss?" Gregor asked.
"Mrs. Markov is trying to leave," I said. My voice was steady and cold. "Do not let her."
Anya's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?"
"What I should have done months ago," I said. "You are staying here. Where I can keep you safe. Where I can figure out what to do about all of this."
"You are keeping me prisoner?" Anya asked. Disbelief and fury warred on her face.
"I am keeping you safe," I corrected.
"From who?" Anya demanded. "From Katya? Or from leaving you?"
"From making another stupid decision," I said.
"You have no right," Anya said.
"I have every right," I said. "You are my wife. And until we sort this out, you stay here."
"I hate you," Anya said. Her voice shook.
"You can hate me all you want," I said. "As long as you stay alive."
I nodded to Gregor. "Take her to the east wing. Lock the door and make sure she has everything she needs. But do not let her leave."
"Yes, boss," Gregor said.
"Nikolai, do not do this," Anya pleaded.
"Please. Do not lock me up again."
"I am sorry," I said. And I meant it. "But I cannot lose you again."
"So you lock me in a cage?" Anya asked, her voice shook. "Like Ivanov did? Like Katya did?"
Her words cut deep. Because she was right. I was doing exactly what they had done.
But I did not care.
"Take her," I ordered.
The guards grabbed Anya's arms. She struggled against their grip and screamed at me.
"I will never forgive you for this!" She shouted as they dragged her toward the door. "Never!"