No. No, no, no.
How had I forgotten? How had I let myself forget even for a moment? He was supposed to come to my room last night. I was supposed to have the cash ready. I was supposed to be there, playing my part in this nightmare that never ended.
But I’d been here instead. With Kirill. Living in a fantasy that was about to shatter.
My hand shook as I answered. “Hello?”
“Where the fuck were you?” Sebastian’s voice exploded through the speaker, loud enough that I had to pull the phone away from my ear. He was seething, each word dripping with venom. “I nearly got caught by security at the mansion. They almost saw me, Barbara. Do you understand what that means?”
I swung my legs out of bed, ignoring the way my body ached pleasantly, ignoring the memories of hands and mouths and whispered names. None of that mattered now. Only survival mattered.
“I…I’ll explain later,” I stammered, already reaching for my clothes, scattered across the floor like evidence of my temporary insanity.
“You’ll explain now.” His voice dropped, going cold in a way that made my stomach clench. “Where were you?”
“I was….” My mind raced, searching for a lie that would work, that wouldn’t make things worse. “I got held up. I’m sorry, I’ll have everything ready tonight.”
“You’re lying to me.” He said it like a fact, not an accusation. Like he could see right through me, even over the phone. “Were you with someone, you whore? Is that what this isabout? You found yourself a boyfriend and suddenly forgot who owns you?”
“Nobody owns me,” I snapped before I could stop myself.
His laugh was sharp, cruel. “That video says otherwise, sis. Or should I remind you?”
The threat landed like a punch. My eyes burned with tears I refused to shed, with rage and shame and helplessness. Five years. Five years of this, of him holding that moment over my head, of being trapped in a cage made of my own stupid teenage mistake.
Behind me, Kirill stirred.
My entire body went rigid. I couldn’t let Sebastian know where I was, who I was with. Couldn’t drag Kirill into this mess. He deserved better than my broken, blackmailed life.
“I’ll explain everything later,” I said quickly, quietly, praying Kirill was still mostly asleep. “Just…give me until tonight. I’ll have the money. I promise.”
“You better.” Sebastian’s voice was pure ice now. “Because if you don’t, that video goes public. And then your perfect little life, your father’s reputation, everything, it all burns. Got it?”
“Got it,” I whispered, hating how small my voice sounded. Hating him. Hating myself more.
He hung up without another word.
I stood there, frozen, phone clutched in my white-knuckled grip. The tears came then, silent and hot, streaming down my cheeks. I was so tired. So damn tired of being afraid, of being controlled, of living in this hell that I’d accidentally created.
“Everything okay?”
Kirill’s voice, husky with sleep, rough and beautiful, made me flinch. I quickly wiped my eyes, forcing my face into something resembling calm before I turned.
He was propped up on one elbow, sheets pooled around his waist, his hair mussed and his eyes heavy-lidded. He looked like sin and safety all wrapped up together, and I wanted to crawl back into that bed and pretend the phone call never happened.
But I couldn’t.
“There was a break-in,” I blurted out, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. “At my mansion. Security just called. I need to go.”
His eyes sharpened immediately, concern replacing the sleepy warmth. “A break-in? Are you—”
“I’m fine,” I cut him off, already pulling on my skirt, my fingers fumbling with the zipper. “It’s just…they need me there. My father’s going to freak out, and I need to—” I couldn’t finish. Couldn’t spin this lie any further without it collapsing under its own weight.
Kirill sat up, and even through my panic, I noticed the way his muscles moved, the lean strength in his shoulders.
Focus, Barbara. Focus on escaping before he sees too much, knows too much.
“Let me drive you,” he offered, already reaching for his jeans.
