Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Once Aria comes back, we’ll uncuff you and you can use the bathroom.” Her eyes light up. “I’ve looked through your socials and made notes of all your favorite products. I’ve got everything you need in there.”
I blink. My socials. She’s looked through my facade of a life and formed an opinion about me based on that? She’s seen the reams of posts of me with my luxury skincare products, the selfies with the shallow captions, my fake friends and promotion of unattainable beauty standards. Gag me. I wish I could tell her it’s all a lie, that she doesn’t have to believe it. That’s not who I am.
Maybe I can.
Has Aleksandr seen them, too?
God. Of course he has.
Thanks, Mom.
“That’s very kind of you,” I say. “Thank you.”
“Of course. And for breakfast you usually eat Greek yogurt with berries? The nonfat, sugar-free kind, right? I had staff pick up some of that—”
I shake my head. “No, I hate yogurt.”
Her eyes widen slightly, registering mild surprise.
“I’m sorry, I just mean that — no thank you. I don’t like yogurt. I’ll eat pretty much anything else, though.” My cheeks heat.
The door opens and my heart leaps into my throat at the thought it could be Aleks. Even though she said he knows she’s here…
“Okay. Found a set. Let’s see if they work.”
Phew. It’s Aria.
I hold my hands out in front of me. Aria’s tongue sticks out while she fiddles with the lock. Finally, she turns the key, and the cuffs loosen. My wrists swing free. I stretch my arms out and wriggle my fingers, then lightly massage the skin where the cuffs laid.
“God, that feels good.”
Aria screws up her face. “That looks painful.”
“What?”
She gestures to where the skin at my wrists is chaffed and reddened.
“I’m fine,” I say, shrugging. I am. I’ve experienced a lot worse than that.
“He’d better make it up to you,” she growls. “I could fuck him up.”
I look at her in surprise. Aleks is so much bigger than she is it’s funny to think about her fucking him up.
Polina nods, her eyes wide. “Aria’s the queen of hackers. She totally could.”
“Good to know.”
“Okay, off to the bathroom with you,” Polina says. “And tell me if there’s anything else you need, because I’m calling down for some breakfast.”
I nod. “Thank you. I really was starting to worry this whole thing would be under Aleksandr’s lock and key.” I laugh, but the two of them exchange concerned glances.
Great. That’s not troubling at all.
In my family, we don’t order breakfast. We used to have staff ages ago, but we don’t have them anymore. My mother cooked for a while, but my father was spoiled by our housekeeper and didn’t like it.
Here, Polina says she’s ordering food. Suffice it to say, I think the Romanovs are quite different from us.
It feels good to take a shower, but I don’t spend long because I’m afraid if I do, Aria and Polina will be gone, and I have questions. I quickly wash, then towel dry. I find a fluffy robe on the back of the door. If this wasn’t an obvious case of being held against my will, it would almost be like a stay in a luxury hotel.
When my hand’s on the doorknob, I hear a deep male voice. I don’t move. I wait until I hear the door click shut again.
When I come back into the room, it’s just Polina and Aria.
“Did I hear someone else?”
Polina nods. “Aleks stopped by to fill us in on the wedding arrangements.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Feel better?”
I nod. “I do feel better, thank you.” I notice a glass of water on a side table. “Is that mine?”
“Of course, have at it.”
I lift the glass and drain it. When I’m done, I sigh. “That was so good.”
“Look what this asshole has done. She’s practically dancing a jig after a shower and a glass of water,” Polina says. “Why did he cuff you, though? That was a bit much, even for him.”
Even for him.
“Because he knew I was going to try to get away.”
Polina tips her head to the side. “Would you? I mean besides the obvious fact that you’ve been demoralized as a woman and treated like property,” she says with clear disdain, “is there another reason?”
Can I tell her? Can I trust her? Maybe some day.
I don’t reply, and I hope my silence is answer enough for now.
Yes…I think I might be able to trust her.
“Do you want to tell me?” she asks in a small voice. Oh, God, I do, so badly it makes me want to cry, but if I tell her and she has any obligation to tell Aleks, he could call everything off. Then I’d have nowhere to go. I hate that my family has put me in this position, but at this point my only choice is to marry him.