Chapter 79 Anya
I woke up in silk sheets.
The room had beautiful and expensive furniture. Everything was perfect.
It was so different from the small room I had at Nikolai's estate.
I got out of bed and walked to the mirror.
The woman staring back at me looked healthy and well-dressed. Her hair was styled. Her skin was glowing.
But her eyes. Her eyes were dead. Just like Nikolai's had been when they dragged him away.
A maid knocked on the door. "Miss Koslov. Breakfast is ready. Mr. Ivanov is waiting."
"I will be down in a moment."
She left.
I got dressed in a beautiful designer dress. That probably cost more than an average man made in a year.
Ivanov treated me well. Surprisingly well.
I ate three meals a day. Good food. Not scraps.
I had my own bedroom. I wore beautiful clothes, jewelry and everything a woman could want.
But I was still a prisoner.
I went downstairs to the dining room.
Ivanov was already there, reading the newspaper. He looked up and smiled.
"Anya. Good morning. You look beautiful."
"Thank you." I sat down across from him.
The maids brought out breakfast. Eggs, bacon, fresh bread and fruit.
I ate in silence.
"You are quiet this morning," Ivanov said. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"About everything that has happened."
Ivanov set down his newspaper.
"Your brother died because of Nikolai Markov. You should be glad he is being punished."
"I know." But my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.
"Do you still doubt the evidence?"
"No. The evidence was clear. Nikolai killed him."
"Then why do you still grieve?"
"Because Dmitri is dead. And it is my fault."
Ivanov reached across the table and took my hand. I wanted to pull away but I held still. He owned me now.
"It is not your fault. You did nothing wrong." He said softly.
"I fell in love with a monster. I chose him over my family. If I had stayed away from Nikolai, Dmitri would still be alive."
"You cannot blame yourself for the actions of others."
But I did. Every single day.
"Eat," Ivanov said gently. "You need your strength."
I forced down a few bites. The food tasted like ash.
After breakfast, Ivanov went to his study. I went back to my room.
This was my routine. Wake up, eat, spend the day alone. Eat again and sleep.
No work. No responsibilities. No purpose. I was just existing.
I sat by the window and looked out at the grounds.
And I saw Nikolai..
He was washing a car. His movements were slow and painful. He had lost so much weight.
My heart clenched.
But I pushed the feeling away.
He killed my brother. He deserved to suffer.
That was what I told myself. Every day.
Weeks passed.
The routine never changed.
Ivanov treated me like a guest. Not a prisoner.
He was kind and gentle. He would go out and come back with gifts. But I did not love him. Because my heart still belonged to a man I believed was a murderer.
One day, Ivanov took me shopping.
"Pick anything you want," he said. "Money is no object."
I picked a few dresses and some shoes. Not because I wanted them. But because it made him happy.
We had lunch at an expensive restaurant. He talked about business. About his plans for the future.
I nodded, smiled and pretended to care.
But inside, I felt nothing.
"You are doing well," Ivanov said as we drove back.
"Am I?"
"Yes. When you first came here, you were broken. Now you are... better."
But I was not better. I was just numb.
We got back to the estate. I went to my room.
And I cried. As I did every night.
Another week passed.
I saw Nikolai again in the garage. He was cleaning weapons. He looked worse.
Part of me wanted to go to him. To ask if he was okay. But I did not, because he was a murderer and I was Ivanov's property.
That night, Ivanov called for me.
"Come to my study, Anya. I need to speak with you."
I went. My heart was racing. Had I done something wrong?
He was sitting behind his desk, looking serious.
"Sit," he said.
I sat.
"You have been here for a month now."
"Yes."
"And I have treated you well. I have given you everything you need."
"You have. Thank you."
"But our arrangement needs to... evolve."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
He stood up and walked around the desk, then stood in front of me.
"I want you to be my mistress, Anya."
The words hung in the air. Heavy. Suffocating.
"Your... mistress?"
"Yes. I will continue to provide for you. Give you everything you want. But in return, you will share my bed."
"No." The word came out before I could stop it.
His eyes darkened. "No?"
"I... I cannot. I am sorry. But I cannot."
"You do not have a choice, Anya. You belong to me. Remember?"
"I know. But please. Do not ask this of me."
"I am not asking. I am telling." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "You will be my mistress. Starting tonight."
"Please," I begged. Tears started streaming down my face. "Please do not do this."
"Why not? You gave yourself to Markov easily enough. Why not me?"
"That was because I loved him!"
The words slipped out of my mouth.
Ivanov's grip tightened. "You loved a monster. Your brother’s killer. And now you will learn to love me."
"I cannot." My voice cracked.
"You will. Or I will make your life even more miserable than it already is. I could even kill you."
"You are a monster."
"Yes. I am. And you belong to me."
He released my chin and walked back to his desk. "You have until tonight to prepare yourself. I will come to your room at midnight. Be ready."
"Please," I collapsed on my knees. "Please do not make me do this."
"You made your choice when you came here. When you signed that contract. Now you have to live with the consequences."
He dismissed me with a wave of his hand.
I left his study and went back to my room.
I collapsed on the floor.
Tonight. At midnight. I would become Ivanov's mistress.
And there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I looked at the clock. It was eight hours until midnight.
Eight hours until I lost the last piece of myself I had left.