Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“I am.”
“You don’t have to lie.” She swiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks.
He saw the pain in her face.
Tell her the other truth.
Tell her how you feel.
“I don’t think I feel hungry anymore,” Alix said. She pushed back her chair and got to her feet.
“Alix, do not leave like this.”
“I can’t leave, remember? I’m still a captive here. There’s nowhere for me to go, but I just … I need a moment. I mean, I knew our marriage wasn’t a love match. Is that what you planned from the beginning?” she asked, putting a hand protectively over her stomach. She wasn’t starting to show yet, but they both knew it would only be a matter of time.
“No, I made you pregnant because I didn’t want there to be anything between us when I took you.”
“So, the baby is a happy accident.”
She was already on her feet and took a step away.
Dmitry got to his feet but she held her hand up. “No, don’t worry about it, Dmitry. I get it, right. This is where you can’t trust anyone. Everyone betrays you. You’re all alone.” She shrugged. “But I want you to think about something, I have never betrayed you. I have stood by your side, and even though it’s been a short time, you have done everything in your power to hurt me. I’ve done nothing to you.”
With that, she spun away from him and took off.
His guards wouldn’t let her leave. She would either go to their bedroom, which he highly doubted, Sofia’s room, or her old room. The guilt hadn’t vanished with his confession. Instead, he felt like even more of an asshole.
****
Two Nights Later
Alix hadn’t gone back to Dmitry’s room. She had gone to her old room.
Sofia had started to call her Mommy and even though Alix was so freaking happy with that, she also couldn’t help but be deeply saddened. She and Dmitry were not a love match. She knew he didn’t love her, even though she had fallen for him. He’d never talked about feelings, other than the ones of betrayal, what he expected to feel like. Never of love or true loyalty. Their wedding was designed to catch the men who wanted to kill him. Even knowing this, Alix didn’t hate him. That’s what made it so much worse.
She couldn’t pinpoint the moment she fell in love with him, but it had happened. Alix knew what she felt because she had never felt this way before. The pain of his confession shouldn’t hurt either, but it hurt a lot.
He didn’t love her. He was using her and their marriage for his own gain.
Alix sat on the edge of her bed and stared down at the ring. She couldn’t bring herself to take it off. Regardless of why he was marrying her, she still did love him. She knew she had to get over these feelings.
She swiped at the tears once again, which were always falling. She put it down to the hormones. They were not going away quite as easily as she wanted.
It had been two days since Dmitry had confessed. That first night, she had looked in on Sofia, and checked to make sure she was fast asleep before going to her old room. Tonight she had done the same, only she had hesitated, tempted to go back to Dmitry’s room, but instead, she had turned back down to her old room. Now she sat on the edge of her bed, feeling empty.
Does it matter?
You love him.
Alix sighed and slid the ring back on her finger. She hated taking it off. Yes, it was large and screamed at everyone who she was marrying, but this was a token from Dmitry. He didn’t love her, but he was going to marry her.
She would talk to him tomorrow. Attempt to work out what the hell was going on.
Stepping off the edge of the bed, she walked up to the top and shoved the blankets off. That was when she heard the alarm. She stopped. No. There was no way she had heard that right.
Dmitry had played the alarm for her once, and they’d done a couple of practices with the teddy bear. She hated the sound and would know it anywhere, but there was no way that’s what she heard.
The alarm didn’t disappear, it kept playing. Someone had invaded the house, or the grounds, or both.
Alix didn’t think. She ran from the bed, leaving her room. The guards who usually monitored the floor were gone. She didn’t waste any time going to Sofia’s room. The little girl had sat up in bed, looking terrified.
“Mommy?” Sofia asked.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” she said, rushing to the girl’s side.
She didn’t think, just acted, picking Sofia up in her arms. She ran out of the room, heading toward the long corridor where Dmitry had told her to go. Alix heard the first gunshot, then a second. They were under attack. Alix felt sick to her stomach.