Page 20 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
“Kidnapping counts in my book.”
Well aware that we will likely only continue to go in circles, I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. As much as I want to act on some of that frustration, I know I can’t. Not when she already assumes the worst of me.
“I’m trying, alright?”
“Trying to do what?” She asks incredulously, absolutely not holding back. “Make my cage seem like it isn’t one at all?”
The slight tremble in her words speaks of her subtle fear, but mostly her anger. Almost like her patience has been tested long enough already, and she isn’t willing to hide behind that initial meekness forever.
It’s equally admirable and irritating.
“A cage, huh?” I ask, letting my gaze fall over her before returning to her eyes. “And what kind of cage comes with designer clothes that most could only dream of affording? Or tables full of fresh food that you choose to push around rather than eat? And what about the effort you wouldn’t receive from anyone else?”
Victoria’s eyes narrow further, dodging my attempts to throw it back at her more efficiently than I anticipated. “You say that like I should thank you…as if you aren’t doing all of this to overcompensate for kidnapping the wrong woman and forcing me to marry you.”
I stare at her for a moment longer while measuring my words. “You call it overcompensating, I call it helping.”
“Helping?” She scoffs as if it’s the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard. “Trying to get me to comply is helping me?”
“No…” I mumble, voice low but direct. “I’m trying to help you feel human still despite everything.”
Her eyes remain on me longer than I expect, but there’s still a flicker of hesitation in her face.
“Again, you wouldn’t need to do any of this if you just let me go.”
She isn’t wrong. Technically, I could cut my losses and try to forget all about it. But I know that’s a terrible idea. I also don’t want to.
“And I already told you why I won’t do that. I’m not going to keep rehashing the same tired points,” I say, wishing she would just give me a moment to prove my sincerity in some way.
“I never asked for any of this, tired or not.”
“I know. Neither did I. At least, not like this,” I admit with a touch of reluctance.
I hate admitting when I’ve miscalculated something, or when I’ve taken a misstep I should’ve taken into consideration first.
And, of course, the gleam in her eyes tells me everything I need to know about how she’s receiving everything.
She’s hardly being receptive. Hardly making an effort of her own. Can I blame her? Not entirely. But it doesn’t make it any easier on my pride.
“You’re the one who made the call and decided all of this.”
“I made a choice based on the information I had, believing it to be true. Now, I have to deal with the fallout and minimize as much damage as I can. But you…you’re here now, inmy home, and this is happening regardless. It’s within my power to make you disappear, but I won’t. It wouldn’t be right. You can be traced back to me one way or another now, and I at least have the decency to admit I caused this—to know that I have to face the consequences of that decision and not take the coward’s way out,” I counter, letting her know just how serious I am. “As for letting you go, you’ve seen too much, and you know too much…you have to understand the position that puts me in, too.”
Her calculating stare is new, yet it oddly suits her.
“I don’twantto know anything.”
“It’s far too late now.”
That previous silence before had been tense, but now it’s almost unbearable as it stretches on.
Still, something in me wants to reach for her…not necessarily in a physical way just yet, but in a way that might help me get through to her. To reach a place where she can meet me halfway.
I don’t want every interaction between us to feel like a small war...I have enough of those to contend with already.
Even if I want to be gentle and decent to her, she’s testing me. Pushing my limits and searching for any cracks.
Finally, I pull in a breath and absently run a hand over my chin. “All of this could be very different for you…I could genuinely lock you in that room. I could strip away those comforts and make every moment feel like a living hell for you.”
