Chapter 25 Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Irina's POV
"Fake her death."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
I stared at Alexei. My mouth opened but no words came out.
"What?" I finally whispered.
"You heard me," Alexei said. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts. "We are going to fake your death. Make Dimitri think you died trying to escape."
"No," I said. "No, you cannot do that. You cannot…"
"I can and I will," Alexei interrupted. "It is the only way. If Dimitri thinks you are dead, he will stop searching. And you can finally be mine."
My jaw dropped. This was madness.
"But how, boss?" One of his guards asked. "How do we fake her death convincingly? We are already miles away from the villa."
Alexei's eyes were cold as he answered. "We will plant a body."
My blood turned to ice.
"Any body that matches her description," Alexei continued. He was already dialing a number.
"A body that matches her height, weight, and hair color.” He said it so casually I thought he was just joking.
“Find a woman, execute her and make it look like Irina." He said to his guards.
"No!" I screamed. "No, you cannot do that! You cannot kill an innocent woman just to…"
"I can do whatever I want," Alexei said coldly. "And I will."
The phone rang for a while and someone answered.
"It is me," Alexei said. "I need you to do somethinge."
I could not hear the other person's response.
"I need you to find a woman," Alexei continued. "In her early twenties. About five foot three with a slim build. Long dark hair, and pale skin."
He was silent for a while, listening.
"I do not care where you find her," Alexei said. "Off the street. From a shelter. I do not care. Just find someone who matches that description. Tonight."
"Alexei, please," I begged. "Please do not do this. An innocent woman will die because of me. Please."
He ignored me.
"Once you have her," Alexei continued into the phone. "You need to make a face mask. Very detailed and realistic. I will send you photos of the face you need to replicate."
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through pictures and found a picture of me.
How did he even get my pictures?
"Make the mask look exactly like that face," he said. "Then dress the body in similar clothes. And plant it at the villa, near the water. Make it look like she tried to escape, jumped from the cliff and did not survive."
My legs gave out. I fell to my knees on the wet ground.
This was not happening. This could not be happening.
"How long?" Alexei asked into the phone. "Twenty-four hours? That should work. Dimitri is probably still two days behind us. That gives you time."
He hung up and looked at me.
"It is done," he said.
"You are a monster!" I screamed. "You are going to kill an innocent woman just to trick your brother?"
"Yes," he said simply. "Because it is the only way to protect you. To protect our child."
"Do not pretend this is about protection!" I stood up. My whole body shook with rage. "This is about control! About winning! About making sure Dimitri never gets what you took from him!"
"Believe what you want," Alexei said. He walked back to the vehicle. "But it does not change anything. By this time tomorrow, Dimitri will think you are dead. And we will be gone."
"He will not believe it," I said desperately. "He will know. He will…"
"He will believe it," Alexei said. "Because we will make it perfect. We will make it so real that he has no choice but to believe it."
He climbed into the vehicle. "Get in. We are leaving."
I did not move. I could not move.
Two guards grabbed my arms immediately and lifted me. They carried me to the vehicle.
"No," I whispered. "Please. Please do not do this."
They put me inside and slammed the door.
Alexei sat beside me. Calm and happy with himself. He looked unbothered, like he had not just ordered the murder of an innocent woman.
The convoy started moving again.
I pressed my face against the window, watching the mountains pass by. I tried to memorize where we were going. I tried to think of a way out of this nightmare.
But there was no way out.
By tomorrow, Dimitri would think I was dead.
He would mourn me, blame himself and live the rest of his life thinking he had failed me.
And it would all be a lie.
A cruel, terrible lie designed by the man sitting next to me.
Tears streamed down my face. "An innocent woman is going to die because of me," I whispered not minding I was seated next to someone.
"She was going to die eventually anyway," Alexei said. He pulled out a newspaper and started reading.
"Everyone dies. At least this way, her death serves a purpose."
"You are insane," I said.
"Perhaps," he agreed. He turned a page. "But I am insane in a way that keeps you alive. That keeps our child safe. So judge me all you want. At least you are still breathing."
I said nothing. I just stared out the window, watching the world pass by.
An innocent woman was going to die. Dimitri was going to think I was dead. And I was trapped in a vehicle with a monster.
What else was worse than these?
Hours passed. The sun climbed higher, the mountains gave way to forests, then to plains.
Alexei read his newspaper. Occasionally made phone calls and gave orders.
I just sat there, feeling numb and empty.
I needed to do something, anything that would stop this madness.
My eyes drifted down to my boots. The thick leather boots Alexei had given me.
Inside the left boot, in the small pocket, was something I had found weeks ago when I first arrived at the villa. A small blade. Thin and sharp. It was probably used for cutting rope or opening boxes.
I had hidden it safely, knowing I would need it one day. I had taken it with earlier when Alexei told me to get dressed.
Maybe today was the day.
I pretended to scratch my leg. My fingers found the blade. I pulled it out slowly and hid it in my palm.
Alexei did not notice. He was too absorbed in his newspaper.
I looked at him.
His green eyes, his sharp features, his complete lack of remorse or guilt.
He looked so much like Dimitri. But he was nothing like him.
Dimitri loved me. He would never hurt me. He would die before letting any harm come to me.
Alexei was a monster. A beautiful monster who destroyed everything he touched.
And I could not let him win.
If Dimitri thought I was dead, he would be broken and destroyed. He might never recover.
I could not do that to him.
So I made a choice.
If I was going to die anyway, if some innocent woman was going to die in my place, then at least I could make it real.
At least I could save that woman's life by taking my own.
I raised the blade carefully, keeping it hidden in my palm.
Alexei turned another page of his newspaper. Completely unaware I was about to take my own life.
I took a deep breath.
And thought of Dimitri. His ocean blue eyes. His gentle hands. His love.
"I am sorry," I whispered. "I am so sorry I could not wait for you."
Then I pressed the cold blade against my throat.
And dragged it.