Page 107 of Captive Prize

I’d never go back to being the daughter. The wife.

Never again would I live on someone else’s terms.

Even if it ended in bloodshed. Even if it ended in my death.

My hands clenched into fists as I stared Gregor down, hate boiling in my veins.

“So that’s what this is. You don’t just want to dictate my life. You want to strip me of everything that’s mine.”

I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it.

“You were never entitled to keep any of it,” he scoffed. “Your husband’s fortune was never yours. You never consummated the marriage before you killed him. And the rest? You stole it from your father, who’s still alive. If he’s still breathing, that proves you’re not fit to lead. Not worthy of what you have.”

I laughed bitterly. “Is it that he’s still breathing… or that the one Ivanov I captured under your nose is?”

Gregor said nothing, but I caught the flicker in his eyes. His jaw twitched.

Bullseye.

“The place where my father’s being held is worse than death,” I said coldly. “He didn’t deserve the peace of dying. And where my money came from is none of your business.”

“I don’t care where it came from. But if you stay, I know exactly where it’s going.”

Another sharp laugh escaped my throat. The bitterness stung.

“What about Roman? What does he think about your little offer? Does he know you’re selling him for my fortune?”

Gregor’s face gave nothing away, but his next words cut deep.

“Roman agreed to the marriage.”

Something inside me cracked.

Something I didn’t even want to admit existed.

Roman agreed.

Of course he did.

That was why he took me.

Why he fed me.

Why he touched me.

It wasn’t about me.

It was about the money.

My heart slammed against my ribs, emotions crashing inside me: rage, disbelief… and something else. Something I couldn’t name.

Wouldn’t name.

Not now.

Not ever.

I lifted my chin and stared Gregor down.

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