Galina waves a hand dismissively, like I’ve asked her to take out the trash. “The kid’s fine. No one’s touched her.” She tilts her head with a mocking smile. “I’m not a monster, you know.”
Relief rushes through me so fast my head spins. Sofiya’s safe. For now. But how long can I trust her word?
“I wish I could say the same for you,” Galina adds, her glare sharp enough to cut steel.
The fear battling inside me sharpens into anger, hot and burning in my chest. “Why me?” I force out.
“Because heloves you.” Her words are a hiss, venomous and bitter. “Because I’m trying to save him from my family. They’ll only let him live if he marries me.”
Igor.
The name crashes into my brain like a lightning strike. Of course, this is about him. My jaw tightens, anger sparking hotter as she continues.
“He chose you over me,” she snaps, her expression full of rage. “He could’ve just agreed to be with me. All he had to do was keep dating me, marry me, and none of this would be happening! But no. He chose you. So now I have no other choice.”
Her words sting, each one slicing deeper. “You’re an insane bitch,” I spit, my glare locked on her.
Galina’s lips curl into a snarl. “Your brother killed my brother. It’s only fair I kill his sister, don’t you think?”
My stomach drops, a chill creeping up my spine.
“And don’t worry,” she continues, as smooth as silk. “I haven’t decided yet whose life will pay for my cousin’s. Maybe Vasiliy. He was close enough to Fedot to make it fair and square, don’t you think?”
I flinch despite myself, the weight of her words sinking in. She’s judging lives like they’re pawns in a game, debating whose death would be the most satisfying revenge.
Before I can respond, a noise erupts outside the room—loud and sudden, like someone shouting orders. Galina’s head snaps toward the door, her expression tightening.
“Stay here,” she snarls, storming out of the room. The door slams behind her, the echo rattling through my chest.
I let out a shaky breath, my head swimming as I scan the room for something that might help me. The cold metal chair digs into my back. Across the room, a table is littered with tools. Sharp ones. Shiny ones. My stomach churns.Oh God. Are they planning to use those on me?
Panic claws at my throat, and tears well up in my eyes despite my best efforts to shove them back. I can’t think, can’t breathe, can’t see a way out. My chest heaves with silent sobs, my head sinking forward as despair threatens to overwhelm me.
And then I hear them. Footsteps coming quickly my way.
The door slams open, and Galina storms back in, her face twisted with fury. Her dark eyes are wild, her jaw clenched tight.
“Maksim is dead!” she screams, her voice raw with rage. “My brother is dead! And you’re fucking next!”
Her fist slams into my side, hard and fast, knocking the breath out of me. I cry out, my ribs screaming in protest. Another punch follows, and another, until I’m gasping for air, my body curling in on itself instinctively.
“Please,” I croak, barely able to form the word.
She doesn’t stop. Her hand grips my throat, squeezing just enough to make me struggle for air. Then she lets go, reaching down to grab something from a bag.
A gun.
She raises it, pointing the barrel directly at the top of my head. My vision tunnels, and the fight drains out of me. Fear gives way to a chilling numbness.
This is it.
Her finger tightens on the trigger.
Click.
The sound reverberates off the bare walls, the mockery of it echoing in my ears. My breath comes in ragged, uneven gulps, my chest rising and falling as I try to process what’s happening.
A cold laugh rips through the silence, dragging me back to reality. Galina’s venomous, triumphant cackle slithers through the air like a poison, suffocating the last shred of my composure.