Chapter 96 IN THE HANDS OF THE DEMON
POV: ELISABETH
I felt my blood freeze in my veins, my heart pounding erratically in my chest as if it wanted to burst. My body trembled violently, the persistent chill in my spine radiating through all my limbs. A knot tightened in my stomach, twisting as I realized my color had drained away, my hands were cold and sweaty, and my mouth was dry and bitter.
“Pa... Pa... Pavel...” I stammered nervously, consumed by fear.
“My light, you don't look very well.” Andreev approached, and I took a few steps back when he grabbed my wrist, pressing our bodies together and burying his nose in my neck, inhaling my scent. “Wow, it's exactly as I remember.”
“Please, let me go.” I said, trembling, trying to push him away.
“Is this how you treat me after five long years apart?” Pavel squeezed my waist harder, rubbing his body against mine. “Do you have any idea what I went through hunting you down?”
“I... I'm sorry...” I couldn't contain the wave of terror that washed over me, being near the bastard who had hurt me so much.
“My Light.” Pavel leaned close to my ear, licking the tip and then biting it before whispering, “You will regret running away, my little rat!”
“Pavel? This bitch attacked me!” Heloise shouted, stomping her foot in a tantrum. “I demand you kill her immediately and hang her body at the entrance of the warehouse for Patrick to see.”
However, he seemed indifferent to the woman behind him, keeping his cold, malevolent eyes on me.
“Please, Andreev, just leave me alone... Heloise seems to admire you a lot; you two could have a good relationship together.” I murmured, seeing her approach, and pulled his broad shoulder back.
“Pavel, I'm talking to you, how can you give attention to this whore and not to me? Don't forget, you have her because I brought you here. Before Heloise could finish her sentence, the deafening sound of a gunshot echoed in the room. Blood, along with brain matter, splattered on my face, covering my lips. I stood frozen in place, unable to react, watching her lifeless body fall to the ground abruptly, filling the floor with the dense, metallic liquid.
“You... you...” I stammered, feeling the ground open beneath my feet. “You killed her... Why?”
With wide eyes, I stepped aside from his lifeless body and stared at him. Pavel had a malicious smile on his lips, amused.
“My light, no woman compares to you... None of them lasted more than a few months with me; they aren't as strong as my wife.” Licking the barrel of the gun, the dark gleam in Pavel's eyes sparkled with pleasure at what he had done. “Do you know how many women I tried to have to replace you? They were never perfect like you, they couldn't handle the intensity of my love. They were nothing but crying dolls begging for their lives.”
He sneered, rolling his eyes and kicking Heloise's lifeless body.
“You are still a monster...” I murmured, completely in shock, when he grabbed my arms forcefully.
“And whose fault is that?” Pavel shouted, spitting in fury. “You abandoned me, leaving behind all our history. How could you do this to me?”
“You didn't give me any choices, Andreev. If I had stayed with you, I would be dead!” I retorted, trying to break free from his grip. “This isn't love; you are sick and can't see that.”
Striking the gun barrel hard against my head, I became dizzy, almost fainting, when he caught me in his arms.
“And what is love? What do you have with that weak, arrogant CEO?” With a cold, sharp voice, Pavel squeezed my waist tightly while pressing the gun to my stomach, sliding it up my skin, between my breasts, and under my chin. “I gave you the space you wanted to see if you'd realize the mistake you made by abandoning me. But what did you do, my light? You ran into the arms of the first man with money, thinking you could escape me.”
Laughing uncontrollably, Pavel stepped back, biting his lips, rubbing the gun in his hair, and tilting his head to the side.
“But it's not time for conflicts; I also used this time apart to reflect on our relationship, my love.” Approaching again, Pavel grabbed my hair forcefully, pulling me close and taking my lips brutally, biting them hard. “You never valued me; you always flirted with other men!”
“What?” I felt a drop of cold sweat run down my back. “I was always faithful to you, Pavel. I couldn't accept your abuse; you made me lose our child twice!”
“And what did you want? To have a crying baby between us? And our fun nights, what would happen to them?” Kissing me again with more force, his rough lips cracking mine, he grabbed my breasts tightly, squeezing painfully. “You’re such a turn-on like this, did you know? Tell me, “Did that CEO idiot fuck you as well as I did?”
“No!” I stared at him defiantly, seeing the gleam of satisfaction in his eyes at my answer. “He did it better.”
Enraged, Pavel slapped me hard across the face, knocking me to the ground. Then, he grabbed my hair and rubbed my face in Heloise's blood.
“Damn it, Elisabeth, see what you made me do?” Pulling me forcefully from the ground, Andreev caressed the swollen area of my face. “I spent so many years shaping you, look what your escape did to you. We'll have to go back to your training again.”
“No, please, Pavel. Not that again!” My tears washed over my wounds, knowing exactly what his words meant: being tied up, hung for days, and tortured in various ways until he broke me again, leaving me without the will to live. “I beg you.”
“You should have thought about that before you ran, my light.” Smiling, Pavel licked the blood on my face and then wet his lips, ecstatic. “I learned new training techniques; I'm sure you'll love them.”
“All I want from you is your death!” I kicked him between the legs, hitting his groin. Pavel clutched the area, doubling over in pain. I took the moment to run when he started shooting in my direction. I screamed, continuing to flee, ducking between the crates in the warehouse.
“You bitch!” He shouted furiously, then laughed. “Ah, that was good, Elisabeth. My love, you're stronger and more resilient. That's good, very good. It means you can endure more of our games.”