Chapter 36 HER ABSENCE
"I said leave!" he roared, the house itself trembling under the weight of his power.
Anya leaned against the wall, her head throbbing from the impact, but she forced herself to look him in the eye. Despite the terror clawing at her throat, she didn't move.
"No! I will not" she choked out, her voice trembling but defiant.
The air in the room suddenly went still as Nikolai stood up slowly. He moved toward her until he stopped directly before her.
He towered over her, his shadow swallowing her whole.
Slowly, he bent down, bringing his face inches from hers. His eyes were no longer the terrifying black from a moment ago. He reached out a hand, his cold fingers beginning to caress her face. He traced the line of her jaw and the curve of her cheek with a tenderness that was almost more frightening than his rage.
Anya couldn't help it because she was shivering violently from his touch, her breath hitching every time his skin grazed hers.
"You look like her so much that it's messing with my head" he whispered.
Anya swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Who's the 'her' you are talking about?"
Nikolai’s hand stopped as his thumb rested just below her lip.
"Don't say anything," he commanded softly, his gaze searching every inch of her features as if looking for a different soul behind her eyes. "Just remain still"
He leaned closer, his forehead almost resting against hers.
"Tell me about you?" he suddenly asked.
Anya blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Umm... nothing much. My life is actually boring" she whispered, her eyes darting away from his intense gaze.
"I'm waiting" he pressured, his thumb tracing the line of her lower lip.
Anya took a shaky breath, the memories she had tried so hard to bury clawing their way to the surface. "My parents died when I was age 7 and I moved to my uncle's place in Canada and he... he did some terrible things..."
She stopped, her throat tightening as the images flashed behind her eyes... the dark hallways, the locked doors. She forced herself to continue. "I recently just escaped from him"
"What did he do to you?" Nikolai asked. His voice was flat, even though he already knew the answer.
Anya shook her head, her breath hitching as she became unable to put the horrors into words.
"Tell me" he commanded, his eyes boring into hers.
"He did things to me when I turned the age of 8," she sobbed, the dam finally breaking. "He slept with me countless times against my wish. It's so traumatic..."
She couldn't continue. Her body began to rack with violent sobs as she buried her face in her hands, the weight of years of abuse spilling out in the middle of the dimly lit room.
"Well... he won't be able to do that anymore. In fact, you won't see him anymore" Nikolai said, his voice cold as ice.
Anya looked up through tear-blurred eyes, a fresh wave of panic hitting her. "No, he's coming to Russia soon. He has been texting me... he's going to find me"
"I ended his life already" Nikolai stated matter-of-factly.
Anya froze, her breath hitching in her chest as she stared at him in shock.
"Now dry off those tears. I hate tears" he added sharply. He stood up abruptly and turned his back on her, staring out the window into the forest, not waiting to see her reaction.
•••
CAMPUS
Under a sprawling oak tree, Klara and Marisa sat on a wooden bench, slowly working through their melting ice cream cones.
"We have a class soon, and Anya isn’t even here yet" Klara said, checking her watch with a frown of concern.
"About that, she rarely comes to class. I wonder why, though" Marisa replied, giving a careless shrug as she licked a stray drop of vanilla.
Klara blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Yup. She attends once in a while. She’s brilliant, though so she’ll catch up" Marisa added, though her mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Oh my..." Klara suddenly gasped, her ice cream forgotten.
Marisa followed her friend's stunned gaze until it landed on a figure walking across the quad. It was Shadow.
Nearly every girl on the path had stopped in their tracks. The whispers started immediately.
"Who is he?"
"He is so cute!"
"Can’t believe I’m wet already..."
"Imagine him fcking me while staring at me with those eyes"
Shadow didn't look at the crowd, but as he drew level with the oak tree, his eyes flicked toward Marisa. For a fleeting second, their gazes locked and a silent, heavy contact that sent a jolt of electricity straight to Marisa’s core.
She felt her cheeks flare with a deep blush.
Almost as quickly as it started, Shadow looked away, his expression returning to a mask of cold indifference as he walked out of sight toward the campus gates. Marisa couldn't stop the small, triumphant smile tugging at her lips, her heart racing at the memory of their private rooftop deal.
"Who’s he?" Klara asked, nudging Marisa’s shoulder hard, her eyes still wide.
"I don’t know" Marisa lied smoothly, shrugging again to hide her excitement.
"I think I’m crushing already" Klara sighed, leaning back against the tree.
Marisa’s smile vanished, replaced by a sharp glare she couldn't quite suppress. "Don't crush on someone you don't know," she snapped, standing up abruptly. "Now come on, we’re late for class"
Klara’s brow furrowed, a confused frown settling on her face at Marisa’s sharp, territorial tone. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but the tension was so thick she decided to keep quiet, simply grabbing her bag and standing up to follow.
Before they could take more than a few steps, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Hey girls! Have you guys seen Anya yet?"
They turned to see Liana hurrying toward them, her expression clouded with genuine worry. She was holding her phone tightly, glancing at the screen as if expecting a notification that wasn't coming.
"Unfortunately, no" Marisa replied, her voice softening slightly.
"I have been trying to call her, but she’s not picking up" Liana sighed, looking around the quad one last time as if Anya might suddenly appear from behind a building.
"We haven't seen her, and we have a class right now," Klara added helpfully. "If she shows up, we'll let her know you're looking for her"
Liana nodded, though the anxiety didn't leave her eyes. "Okay, thanks" she said softly.
She turned and walked away from them, her head down as she dialed Anya’s number for what felt like the hundredth time.