Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Chapter Ten
Adelaide
I was no longer a virgin.
Laying in the bath as my sore muscles attempted to relax, I knew it was part of Andrei’s plan. Now I couldn’t get an annulment. Is that why he had sex with me now? The tears wouldn’t stop. They kept falling from my eyes, even as I batted them away.
He said there was nothing going on between Bethany and him, but there was this … doubt. Why wouldn’t he want to be with her? They had been engaged before.
I was a fool to have let this happen. Having sex with Andrei didn’t prove anything to me. We weren’t a love match. This was business.
I covered my face, gritted my teeth, and prayed the tears would stop. I didn’t want to be one of those women who sobbed all the time.
If Andrei spoke the truth—and I saw no reason why he didn’t—then what did Bethany get out of it? What game did she play? Was it just to torment me? I wouldn’t put it past her. She lived for making me miserable, or at least whenever she thought I was happy, she went out of her way to make me the opposite.
Could she lure Andrei away? Did I want her to? Would it be easier if he cheated on me?
Our marriage was a farce. Nothing more than a business negotiation between my parents and Ivan. I wasn’t an important piece to any puzzle. I was the stand-in. The second choice.
Dipping my hands beneath the water, I lifted them up and pressed them against my face. The last thing I wanted Andrei to see was my tears. I’d always imagined my first time being with someone who loved me and whom I loved. Did I love Andrei? The simple answer was no. I didn’t know him.
I splashed more water onto my face, hoping to wipe the evidence of my tears away before he came back. This was not a time to be emotional, even though I’d lost my virginity. It had been painful.
Andrei’s eyes had stared into mine, and for a brief time, I thought we had a connection, but that couldn’t be the case. I was going crazy right now.
“I’ve cleaned the bed,” Andrei said, entering the bathroom.
Glancing over my shoulder, I’m aware of his nakedness even more now. I couldn’t help but see the evidence of my virginity against his … dick.
I turned away to stare back in the water, expecting him to leave me alone. He surprised me by moving past me and climbing right into the tub. Everything Andrei owned was of the best quality and high luxury, including his bathtub, which could have easily held an orgy.
“Talk to me, Adelaide.” His voice was deep, demanding.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“This was your first time. You don’t have any girlfriends to talk to.”
I couldn’t help but flinch at his assessment. He wasn’t wrong.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to sink beneath the water and the bubbles. He’d put in some bath salts, I assumed to help with the aches and pains.
“Don’t hide.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“I’m not fucking your sister.”
I lifted my gaze to his and he cursed, closing the distance between us and pulling me into his arms. I started to fight him, wriggling against him, hoping to get free, but he was much stronger than me, and water kept sloshing over the sides, which annoyed me. I didn’t want to make a mess, but I also didn’t want him to hold me.
“Let me go.”
“I’m not doing this with you,” he said. “Bethany is fucking toxic. She’s only interested in ruining lives. She hates that you’re my wife. That you get all the luxury, not her. Why can’t you see that?”
He moved us so that I was beneath him, and all it would take was for him to dunk me under the water and hold me in place. Would he do it? Drown me? Had my life come to this?
“Please don’t kill me,” I said. My voice broke with every word I spoke and I hated how desperate I sounded.
Andrei tightened. His hands still held me in place and the water covered most of my body from the neck down. I’d surprised him.
“I’m not going to kill you.”
I couldn’t help but be doubtful. This was a man whose life was devoted to killing—I thought.
“Adelaide, you will always be safe.”
“Then why do I need a bodyguard?”
“I’ll never kill you.”
“Unless I betray Ivan Volkov?”
I saw his jaw clench.
“You’re not going to do that.”
“What if I want to?” I asked. “What if I want to put an end to this life, and just be done with it? To be at peace. I never asked for this. I never asked for any of this.” He pressed one of his hands against my mouth, silencing me.
“Do not ever fucking threaten that. You don’t want to die, Adelaide. You’re trying to cope with the shit your sister is trying to fill your head with. I’ll get to the bottom of what Bethany wants, but until then, do not throw out useless threats. You don’t deserve to die, and I won’t allow you to sign our death warrants.”