Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Mr. Kozlov will not allow this behavior to continue while you are under his care. Without your cooperation, I can provide the nourishment you need, but it will only last as long as the treatments. In the end, it’s up to you. You must make the decision whether you want to live or die.”
“It can’t be that simple,” I maintain. “I feel fine.”
“You feel fine because your body has only known starvation. Inside, you are not fine. You have been undernourished for so long that you do not know what healthy feels like.”
If there was an argument to be found for that statement, I would supply it. But I can’t seem to convince her, or even myself, that I am still right.
The doctor abandons her chair and collects her things. “When you are ready to participate in your recovery, then we can move forward. Until then, I suggest you get used to the bed.”
On the tenth day of my incarceration, Nikolai finally makes an appearance. His face is drawn, and the shadows under his eyes darker than I remember, but even so, his presence has a way of commanding my attention, regardless of how much I hate him. When I look at him the way he is right now, quiet and pensive, he does not look like the monster who did this to me. He does not look like the man who commandeered my life and trussed me up with puppet strings.
Today, he is just a man with tousled hair and enough stubble on his jaw to appear edgy. If I saw him on the street, I might even—for a fleeting moment—think he was recklessly handsome. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble in that department, so I suppose women do consider him handsome. But I shouldn’t.
I’ve had over a week to prepare my case against him. Shouting and carrying on like a child will get me nowhere. My emotions controlled me before, but now it is time to utilize the knowledge I have learned over the years. I’m a skilled manipulator. An even better liar. And maybe I’m overconfident, but I believe this hardened criminal can be convinced of my good intentions if he gives me the chance.
“Nakya.” He nods in my direction. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
The words taste like acid, even if they are true. The things that the doctor told me only a few short days ago have been rolling around my mind like a wrecking ball, destroying everything I thought I knew.
Perhaps, I was slightly undernourished. It’s hard to argue otherwise when the changes in my body become apparent with each passing day. The fog has lifted, and my energy levels have too, which is not ideal considering my current position. What is the point of being healthy if I’m unable to move?
I look up at Nikolai. My captor and my savior, depending on the day. Today, I need him to be my savior. His ocean eyes wash over me, and a rush of warmth floods my veins. His eyes are loud, electric, and undeniably captivating. Always evolving like the clouds in the sky, they never look the same from one moment to the next.
“The doctor reports that your health is improving,” he says.
“It is. I did not realize …” The words don’t come easily, and it’s not an act. “I was not aware of how bad my health was.”
Nikolai settles into the adjacent chair and reclines with his legs spread wide, thumbs toying with a cigarette he is yet to light.
“Zvezda, I am not an ignorant man. Do you think you can win me over with your honeyed eyes and sugary sweet lies?”
My chest squeezes, and bitterness takes a stranglehold on my vulnerability. I wasn’t lying. It was perhaps the first honest admission I’ve made in years, and he doesn’t believe me. But what does it matter? I’d be a fool to expect anything else from a monster.
“I wouldn’t be forced to lie if you’d just let me out of this prison,” I snap. “I’m human, and I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”
“I don’t like to see you treated this way.” His words are soft and deceptively genuine, but I can’t believe them. I can’t believe anything he says.
“When can I call my father? When will he come for me?”
His jaw settles into an unforgiving line, and a sinking feeling expands in my stomach.
“He will come for me,” I assure him.
My certainty is a lie, though not for his benefit, but mine. I’m not ready to accept that my life is over, even if logic dictates it is. Nikolai’s possession of me has changed the entire trajectory of my destiny. I was supposed to marry Dante. I had been saved for him. I’d been brought up with the understanding that I would marry him and follow the rules like an obedient daughter.