Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Mikhail nods. “That’s right, but I don’t know about the ending yet. I thought of having the players think they’ve escaped. Then the game starts again with a higher difficulty multiplier, and they must escape again.”
“So there’s no happy ending? Just a constant cycle of misery?” Ania narrows her eyes. “I thought games were supposed to be about escapism. That sounds way too much like real life.” She pauses and then sincerely says, “I think you should let the player escape and give them an option for the higher difficulty. They should also be able to choose a happy ending.”
“You know what?” Mikhail smiles at his sister, and I can tell it makes Ania’s day. “You’re right. I’ve been too pessimistic. I wouldn’t let myself believe life could get better, so I’ve made the game like that, but there should be a choice.”
Tingles dance all over me, spreading through my chest, warmth teasing me. I don’t have to ask if he’s speaking about more than the game. This hope is too intoxicating, too sickly, making me feel disoriented.
I try to shut down my emotions so he can’t poison my mind with all those pesky dreams of the future. A choice, but that’s exactly what I should’ve let go of when this first started: the idea that I could choose my fate. Even now, though we’re fighting back and trying to get out of the deal, I could still have to marry Dimitri.
“What do you think?” Ania says, looking at me.
“Huh?” Her question jolts me from my thoughts.
“About the game? Do you think there should be a choice? I think it could be better if the player were given the happy option, and that’s it; there’s no chance to ruin it.”
“There’s always a way to ruin everything,” I tell her. “Even the best situations. Even when you think nothing could possibly go wrong. Even if you think you’ve found your place in the world, there’s always a way for something bad to happen.”
I cut off, realizing Ania and Mikhail are looking at me with pitying expressions as though they think I’m broken or messed up somehow. It’s not like I can blame them.
“Maybe that wouldn’t be a very fun game to play.”
I shrug, staring down into my drink. I can feel Mikhail’s eyes on me, staring hard, and I know there’s so much he wants to say. Looking up, I see Mikhail intensely owning me with his gaze and Dimitri doing the same with Lia. Are we as obvious as them?
After lunch, when Dimitri announces he must return to the city, Lia visibly winces. I sense that two secret worlds exist in this compound, and Dimitri and Lia are experiencing an adventure just for them. Or maybe I’m just projecting.
Lia goes to the second house. Ania goes into the basement dance studio, and I go to my bedroom, attempting to read a programming book. A few minutes later, the door creaks open. I sit up, a note of panic touching me, until I see Mikhail with his wild hair falling around his head. I love that savage look he has.
“I know the party’s going to be hard,” he says. “The pledge. It’ll be tough seeing your dad.”
“I’ve seen him every day for years,” I snap. “It’s fine.”
Sitting up, I fold my arms. Mikhail’s eyes flit to my chest, and his muscular body goes taut with muscle as though he’s just holding himself back. It sends those tempting tendrils of lust all over my body, but he’s right. The idea of seeing my dad is hounding me, trying to drag me back down into the flames of abuse and fear and living on the edge of a breakdown. All. The. Damn. Time.
“Why don’t I get you some dresses?” he says with a smirk. “If you don’t feel good, at least you’ll look good.”
“I don’t want to get dressed up,” I say, wishing I could fix my tone and anger. “I just want this to be over.”
“It will be soon, I promise.”
I’m about to snap something. You keep promising me, but how would that be helpful? I don’t want to be a whiny, nagging girlfriend, even if the word “girlfriend” doesn’t exactly fit us … yet.
Mikhail walks over to the bed, sits down, and wraps his arm around me. I cuddle closer to him and close my eyes, leaning against his chest. I don’t realize how tired I am until sleep starts tugging on me. Mikhail leans down, kisses my head, then whispers, “It’s okay. Rest. I’m here.”
I move closer to him, trying to ensure there’s no space between us. I want to melt into him and forget about all the pain, forget about everything that could go wrong.
“Will you stay here until I fall asleep?” I ask.
He shifts down the bed, lying down, pulling me tighter to him. “Stay here? Hell, you’re giving me an excuse to get some sleep. Dimitri’s in the city, sorting the venue, and I’m here, protecting my girl, letting her rest. That doesn’t sound as bad as sleeping on the job, does it, my algorithmic amour?”