He nodded, but his eyes clearly said he didn't believe a word. That penetrating stare left me feeling exposed.
"I have to step out. Urgent business." He headed to the coat rack, movements crisp andefficient.
"Out?" My heart plunged into icy depths. "Igor, it's almost midnight. What could be so important right now?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he leaned over the bed and claimed my lips in a dominant, unrelenting kiss. It offered no explanation—just a clear declaration that the conversation was over, no discussion allowed.
"Don't wait up," he said, shrugging on his black suit jacket.
"When will you be back?" My voice carried a plea I could hear myself.
He paused at the door, standing tall and straight, but he didn't turn. "Go to sleep, Elena."
The door clicked shut, echoing in the silent apartment. I slipped on a nightgown and padded barefoot to the window. The street below was shrouded in New York's December night, with only sparse streetlamps casting dim yellow glows.
Minutes later, Igor's black Bentley pulled out from its spot. I watched the expensive car glide into the darkness in a perfect arc, its taillights like two crimson eyes flickering in the cold night before fading away.
My phone buzzed again.
M: [You there? Look, I'm not trying to scare you. But if he really has a family, protect yourself. Wives who find out about mistresses... You can imagine how vicious they can be?]
I didn't reply. I turned off the screen, not wanting to see any more words.
I took a deep breath, trying to sort my thoughts. I knew a man like Igor—at thirty-eight—had likely had countless women. His past hid something. But a wife? No, I couldn't believe that. The way he looked at me, the heat of his touch—it couldn't all be a lie.
But then why? Why leave at midnight? Why stay silent about his past? Why, after nearly six months together, did I still not even know where he lived?
I shuffled back to the bed and collapsed onto it. His scent lingered on the pillow—a mix of cedar and raw masculine edge. I hugged it tightly, curling into a small ball.
Outside, snow began to fall. Flakes danced in the night wind, while Christmas lights from the building across the street blurred in the misty glow—red, green, and gold twinkling alternately.
Christmas was approaching. It should have been the warmest, most joyful time of winter, but I'd never felt so lonely or cold.
I sat up and pulled the rarely worn necklace from the nightstand drawer. A swan pendant glittered with crushed diamonds. It was Igor's gift from a month ago, exquisite and beautiful.
"Because you remind me of a swan," he'd said in that deep voice. "Beautiful, pure."
His words had touched me so deeply I'd been speechless. So I kept it stashed away, afraid of damaging it, treasuring it like a precious secret.
Now, my fingertip brushed the swan's wings. I suddenly recalled a biology fact: swans mate for life, with only one partner forever.
But what if your mate already belonged to someone else? The thought struck like ice water, extinguishing the last bit of warmth in my heart.
I closed my eyes, trying to force the thoughts away, but they only grew more insistent. Where was Igor now? Who was he with? Had that woman received similar exquisite gifts? Heard the same sweet words? Was everything that made me feel special just his well-worn routine?
The night deepened, the snow falling thicker outside. And I lay there, chewing on the bitter taste of despair.
Chapter Two
Igor
The late December New York streets slammed into me with their icy air as I pushed open the apartment door. Elena's body heat had been clinging to my skin just moments ago, but in an instant, it was devoured by the winter night. My Bentley crouched quietly by the roadside, casting a subdued gleam under the moonlight.
Artyom, my most trusted right-hand man, was already standing beside the car. When he spotted me, he quickly pulled the door open.
I approached, and his massive frame hunched slightly against the bitter wind. "Boss," he murmured.
I slipped into the backseat, my body already cooling from the heat Elena had stirred in me.
