Chapter 10 Five Days, Five Nights

Chapter 10 Five Days, Five Nights
When I open my eyes, the first thing I feel is cold silk beneath my skin. The scent of sandalwood lingers in the air. Masculine and suffocatingly familiar.
For a moment, I forget where I am. Then I see him.

Nikolai sits by the window, his sleeves rolled, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He doesn’t look at me immediately, as if he’s letting me realize on my own that I’m back where I started.

“Quite the night you had,” he muses. “You faint beautifully, by the way. Though I must say... running off with another man on your first week of marriage? How scandalous.”

“Where’s Adrian?” I croak, pushing myself up on the bed. My throat burns, and every muscle aches.

“Alive,” Nikolai replies, his tone dripping with amusement. “You should’ve seen him beg. It almost ruined the fun.” He leans against the window frame, sleeves rolled to his elbows.
“Next time you plan to run, at least make it interesting. Maybe a plane? A yacht? I like a good chase.”

My pulse stutters. He’s mocking me. 
The way he drags out every word... God, it infuriates me.”

I look around, recognizing the room immediately. Somehow, I’m back here. In his mansion.
His cage.

“I didn’t run,” I say quietly, though my heart betrays me with its frantic beats.

His head tilts slowly, a cruel smile curling his lips. “You didn’t?” He steps closer, every movement predatory. “Then what was that little stunt, hmm? An evening stroll with your lover?”

The word cuts deep.

“I was only—” My voice falters. I can’t even finish the sentence. I don’t know what excuse would make sense under that gaze.

Nikolai hums lowly, like he’s disappointed but entertained. He closes the space between us and sits at the edge of the bed.

“You still don’t understand the man you’re stuck with, do you, Liora?” he murmurs, his tone soft. “I don’t take rebellion lightly.”

“You can’t force me to love you,” I frown, my voice trembling even though I try to sound defiant. “It doesn’t work that way. And this... this isn’t how you win a girl’s heart.”

Nikolai’s gaze flickers with amusement, like he’s indulging a child who just said something naïve. Then his lips curve slowly.

“Calloway is in jail.”

My world stops. For a moment, I don’t even understand what I’ve heard. My pulse skitters. 

“What?” I whisper. “Are you… are you joking?”

“Do I look like the kind of man who makes jokes?” His tone is merciless. He tilts his head slightly, eyes locked on mine. “He’ll be spending a few days there. Kidnap charges.”

“No.” My voice cracks, panic flooding my chest. “No, he didn’t kidnap me. I consented. We agreed to meet. He didn’t do anything wrong!”

I start to look around frantically. The letter. I need to show him the letter. Proof. At least that will make him see reason. It has to.

“The letter,” I mutter, searching the bedside table, the floor, anywhere.

“I already burned it,” the corners of his lips twitch slightly. “Didn’t like the idea of my wife leaving me written proof of her betrayal. 

My stomach turns cold.

“You can’t just... you can’t put him in jail for this,” I stammer. “He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Oh, he did plenty wrong,” Nikolai says, his voice calm, almost conversational. “He touched what’s mine. He tried to take you from me. That’s enough.”

I imagine Adrian behind bars. Because of me. Because he came for me. Because he loves me.

My heart squeezes painfully, guilt and fear tangling together until it’s hard to breathe.

“Please,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Please let him out." 

I turn fully to Nikolai, my eyes burning. “I’ll do whatever you want me to. Anything. But let him go. It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault?” Nikolai raises a brow, amusement flickering in his eyes. “The letter I read says something else.”

My throat tightens. “Let him out, please,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “I’ll take any punishment you want to give me. But let him out.”

He doesn’t respond immediately. He stands from the bed in one fluid motion, his back to me as he looks toward the window, hands sliding into his pockets. 

“Punishment?” he muses, tilting his head slightly. “You think you can handle mine, little dove?”

“I can,” I breathe, stepping off the bed, my bare feet meeting the cold floor. Desperation surges through me like wildfire. “Try me. I’ll do anything.”

He turns then, and his gaze locks on me. “You’d do anything,” he repeats softly, almost to himself, like he’s savoring the words. “Such a dangerous thing to promise.”

“I mean it,” I say, my heart pounding. “If it means Adrian goes free, yes. Anything.”

A slow smile spreads across his face, cruel in its serenity. “Then here’s what I want.”

He walks closer and for some reason, I can’t look away.

“A trip,” he says, stopping just in front of me. “To my private villa in Santorini. Five days. Our honeymoon, since we haven't had one.”

My stomach twists. “H-honeymoon?”

“Yes.” His eyes gleam darkly. “And one more thing.” He leans closer, his breath ghosting over my skin. “A kiss. Each night before you go to bed.”

“Kiss?”

The word barely leaves my mouth before the room tilts slightly. I feel lightheaded, like all the air has been sucked out of my lungs. A trip, I could manage. Five days away with him? Terrifying, but survivable.
But a kiss?
Every night?

My stomach churns. My heart feels like it’s trying to tear its way out of my chest. He’s watching me, eyes glinting with something darkly amused, like he’s already imagining the look on my face when I realize what I’ve agreed to.

I swallow hard, trying to steady my breath. 

It’s just a kiss.

But even as I think it, the lie burns in my throat. Because there’s nothing 'just' about a kiss from Nikolai. Every time he looks at me, it’s like he’s peeling away my defenses one layer at a time. What happens when he actually touches me?

A shiver creeps down my spine. I clench my fists, trying to keep my voice steady.
“I…” I stop, unable to finish.

He tilts his head, studying me. “Second thoughts already?”

I shake my head quickly, forcing my lips to move. “No. I said I’ll do anything. I meant it.”

His cruel smile returns. “Good.”

He steps closer, close enough for me to catch the faint scent of his cologne and my pulse stumbles. 

“Five days, Liora. Five nights,” he says, his tone almost a whisper now. “By the end of it, you’ll stop flinching when I say your name.”

I freeze. There’s no threat in his voice, just certainty, and somehow that’s worse. Because Nikolai doesn’t need to raise his voice to destroy someone. He just decides... and it’s done.

When he finally begins walking away, I can breathe again, though my chest aches.

"Be ready by morning,” he says, pausing at the door. “Oh, and Liora?” His voice drops to a whisper. “The cameras were never off.”

The door clicks shut, leaving me frozen in place.