Chapter 49 Anya
My heart pounded as I stared at Alexei sitting half-naked in my room.
"Get out," I said again. My voice was shaking. "You cannot be here."
"Why not?" Alexei took another sip of wine. "This is my house. I can go wherever I want."
"We had a deal. You said you would give me space. That you would not push."
"I have given you space. For a whole week. But now I want something in return." He set down his glass and stood up slowly.
I stepped back. My heart hammering against my chest. "Stay away from me."
"Relax, Anya. I am not going to hurt you." He walked closer. "I just want to talk."
"Talk? Half-naked in my bedroom at midnight?!" My voice rose despite my fear.
"Would you prefer I was fully naked?" He smirked.
"This is not funny!" My back hit the door. "Get out or I will scream."
"Scream all you want. No one will come. They know better." Alexei stopped a few feet away. He was so close. "Besides, your brother is fast asleep. The wine I gave him had a little something extra."
My eyes widened. I felt like I was about to die. "You drugged him?!"
"Just to help him sleep. He is fine. But he will not wake up until morning." Alexei tilted his head. "So it is just you and me."
Terror flooded through me. "What do you want?"
"I told you already. I want you, Anya." He said softly.
"You cannot have me. That was not part of our deal." I choked back tears.
"Our deal was that you stay here. That you accept my protection. That you live in my house." He stepped closer. "But we never discussed the details."
"I thought... I thought you were different. That you had honor. You said that you don’t force women."
"I do not force women. I am not going to force you." Alexei's voice was soft and gentle. "But I am going to share your bed tonight. And you are going to let me."
"Why would I let you?"
"Because if you do not... I will send your brother back to the Ivanov family. Tonight. Right now."
My blood went cold. "You would not."
"I would. And I will." His eyes were hard. "I saved him, fed him and healed him. But I can just as easily sell him back. And this time, they will make sure he does not survive."
Tears burned my eyes. "You bastard. You said you had honor. You said you did not exploit women."
"I am not exploiting you. I am giving you a choice." Alexei moved even closer. "Let me sleep in your bed tonight. Let me hold you. Nothing more. I promise. Just let me be close to you. Or you lose your brother forever."
"That is not a choice. That is blackmail!" I cried.
"Call it whatever you want. The result is the same." He reached out and touched my cheek gently. "What will it be, Anya?"
I closed my eyes as tears streamed down my face.
Dmitri. My baby brother. The only family I had left.
I could not lose him again. I could not let him go back to that hell.
But letting Alexei into my bed... letting him touch me... it felt like betrayal. Like I was cheating on Nikolai.
Even though Nikolai was not mine anymore. Even though I had chosen to leave him.
"Just sleeping?" I whispered. "Nothing more?"
"Nothing more. I swear on my family's name."
"And you will not hurt my brother?"
"He will be safe and protected. As long as you cooperate."
I opened my eyes and looked at Alexei through my tears.
He was handsome. Objectively attractive. Any woman would be lucky to have his attention.
But he was not Nikolai. He did not make my heart race the way Nikolai did. He did not make me feel safe and terrified at the same time. He was just... a man. A dangerous, calculating man who held all the power.
"Fine," I said. My voice was dead. "You can stay. But just sleeping. Nothing more."
"Nothing more," Alexei agreed. "You have my word."
He took my hand and led me to the bed, gently. If anyone saw him, they would call him the best husband.
I wanted to pull away, to run and scream.
But I thought of Dmitri. And I stayed.
Alexei climbed into the bed, patting the space beside him. "Come."
I got in slowly and kept as much distance as possible.
But Alexei pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. I tensed immediately. My back pressed against his bare chest. It was warm!
"Relax," he whispered. "I will not hurt you."
But I could not relax. My whole body was tense and rigid.
This was wrong. Everything about this was wrong.
Alexei's hands were on my waist. His breath was on my neck. His body was warm against mine.
But it felt wrong.
Not like when Nikolai held me.
"Why are you doing this?" I whispered.
"Because I want you. I told you that from the beginning."
"But why? What do you gain?"
"Does it matter?" Alexei's arms tightened. "You are here. You are mine now. That is enough."
"I am not yours. I will never be yours."
"We will see." He pressed his lips to my shoulder and kissed it gently. "Give it time. You will forget about Nikolai. And you will see that I can give you everything he never could."
"You are wrong."
"Am I?" Alexei's hand moved to my hair and stroked it gently. "He killed your father. Destroyed your family. Turned you into a slave. What did he ever give you except pain?"
"He gave me..." I could not finish. Because what had Nikolai given me?
Fear, pain and confusion. But also safety, warmth and something that felt like love.
"Exactly," Alexei said, reading my silence. "He gave you nothing. But I can give you everything. Your brother. Your freedom. Your life."
"At what cost?" My voice shook.
"Just this. Just let me hold you sometimes. Let me be close to you. Is that so terrible?"
I did not answer.
We lay there in silence. Alexei holding me. And I tried not to cry.
I thought of Nikolai and wondered what he was doing right now. If he was still looking for me. If he was suffering.
Or if he had already moved on. Forgotten me and already married Katya and secured his alliance.
Maybe it was better this way. Maybe he was better off without me.
But then why did my heart ache so much? Why did every part of me scream that this was wrong?
"Sleep, Anya," Alexei whispered.
"Tomorrow is a new day. And you will start to see that this life is not so bad."
But I could not sleep. Not with him holding me. Not with guilt eating me alive.
I lay there with my eyes open, staring at the darkness, wishing I was anywhere else.
But I had made my choice. And now I had to live with it.
Even if it killed me.
As dawn broke, I felt strong arms shake me.
My eyes forced open.
It wasn't Alexei. Alexei was no longer in the room.
A stranger stood in front of me. Looking cold and deadly.
“Who are…”
“Get dressed, you are leaving this place now.” His voice was cold as ice.