Page 21 of Forced Innocent Bride By the Bratva

“Aw!” I pulled away, shock sprinting down my spine. My hand reflexively flew to my mouth, fingertip brushing over the deep cut that wouldn’t stop bleeding.

Liam raised his head with a slow, menacing motion that stole my breath. The atmosphere switched to something darker, and the guests’ screams caught my attention. I turned to the congregation, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched them being held at gunpoint by armed Russian goons.

“You’re mine,printsessa.” That familiar thick and husky voice sent tremors down my core.

I froze on the spot, my body stiffening, my breath lodged in my throat. I felt my pulse escalate as I cautiously turned back to face the man beside me. It wasn’t Liam, no. It was Daniel. He stood there with that signature smirk on his face, his brown eyes staring into my soul. Daniel’s tongue stuck out and licked the blood smeared on his lower lip—my blood.

His eyes, dark as the night, bore into mine, his gaze crippling my legs. I thought I was staring at the devil himself—literally—and goosebumps crawled over my skin.

“Help…me,” Liam strained to mutter on the floor, drowning in the pool of his own blood. His face was battered beyond recognition, his hand stretched out toward me.

I shook my head, withdrawing from the horrible scene unfolding in front of me. Darkness closed in on me, and my hands were covered in blood. My wedding dress was ripped at the hem, and dirt smeared my face. Everything was happening so fast that I couldn’t tell or understand a thing.

My brain was blank, my eyes misty with a blurry vision as I raised my head, staring at this demon in front of me.

Daniel’s slow, menacing footsteps echoed through the church’s high walls as he approached me, his evil smirk broadening. “You’re never gonna escape. You’re mine now,” he said, his voice distorted and terrifying.

I woke up so suddenly with my hand on my chest as if to prevent my heart from jumping out. Gasping for air, my breath was heavy, my forehead dampened with sweat. “Oh, God,” I whispered, scared to my bones.

My palms cupped my face for a moment, my mind still reeling from this horrible nightmare. “It’s just a dream,” I added, combing my fingers through my hair.

I wasn’t sure which was worse: the nightmare or my reality.

My face contorted into a frown as I shifted my gaze toward the other side of the bed. Daniel was asleep, his face toward the ceiling. I could swear that he had that same smirk, even in reality, and it was so fucking disturbing.

I slipped back under the sheets, lying on my side, my heart still racing in my chest. There was truly no way I could escape this man, not even in my dreams. This statement couldn’t be more literal.

A few minutes after the nightmare, I managed to fall asleep, and by the time I woke up, it was already daybreak; Daniel was gone. I went about my regular morning routine: I had a bath, got dressed, and went downstairs to have breakfast.

While walking down the double curved staircase, I heard Daniel’s muffled voice, as if he were talking to someone. It was so faint that I could barely make out what he was saying. However, the closer I drew to the living room, the clearer his voice became. Daniel was speaking in his native Russian tongue, so there was no way I could tell what he was saying anyway.

On reaching the base of the staircase, Daniel and his right-hand man, Ilya, came into view. Daniel was still talking, a hand in his pocket with a posture that was both poised and confident. Ilya spotted me behind his boss, and his eyes—those scary eyes—locked onto mine. Daniel traced his gaze and turned around to face me, his expression softening ever so slightly.

He leaned toward Ilya and whispered something I assumed to be a dismissal, considering that Ilya left soon after. Daniel headed toward me, his eyes never leaving mine.

The closer he drew, the more tense I became and the more I struggled with my breathing. But I wouldn’t let him see just how much of an effect he had on me. This was the part where he’d make a sassy, arrogant remark about me or my situation that would essentially ruin the rest of my day.

I steeled myself, holding his gaze, ready to shoot back whatever he’d throw at me.

Daniel halted a couple of paces away, his lips curling into his signature smirk—except this time, it looked a little less like a smirk and more like a grin, anactualgrin. Weird.

“It appears you’re well rested,” he said, his tone smooth and charming, eyes roaming my body for a fleeting moment. “Not bad.”

My brows furrowed, but I didn’t respond; I just stared back in silence, wondering what game he was playing that morning. I waited for the usual demeaning and condescending words he often threw at me. But today, there was nothing like that. The conversation ended with an actual remark and a genuine smile.

No. This wasn’t the monster who kidnapped me and forced me to marry him. He was up to something, and whatever it was, I knew I wouldn’t like it. This was another one of Daniel’s schemes to confuse me and spice up the game. So, no. I wouldn’t fall for that.

He was playing smart—safe. Daniel knew that I was studying him, trying to understand him or find a weakness. This change in tactics was intentional. He wanted to mess with me, to plunge me into a state of confusion and make me question what I thought I’d understood about him.

Let him have his fun. I’d wait.

It didn’t matter how long it took; eventually, I’d find that weakness, that pattern. I’d crack his code, find a way out of this place, and make a run for it.

But until then, there was still a lot of work to be done.

Chapter 13 – Daniel

She’s starting to loosen up a bit,I thought to myself, driving back home from a meeting with my business associate.

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