“Breathe,” I tell her.
She takes a gasping breath. Then another.
“That’s it. Keep breathing.”
She’s shaking now. Full-body tremors that she can’t control.
This is what she needed to see. What she needed to understand about the world she married into. The violence isn’t theoretical. It’s real. It’s immediate. And it’s part of who I am.
“We’re leaving,” I say. “Can you walk?”
She nods, but when she tries to stand, her legs buckle. I catch her before she falls and steady her against me. “I’ve got you.”
She pulls away from me immediately. “Don’t touch me.”
“You can barely stand.”
“I said don’t touch me.”
She forces herself upright through sheer will and walks toward the warehouse exit on unsteady legs. I follow a few steps behind, ready to catch her if she collapses.
Behind us, Pavel is already coordinating cleanup. By tomorrow morning, this warehouse will look like nothing happened.
But Anna will remember.
She’ll remember exactly what kind of man she married.
9
ANNA
I can’t stop seeingthe blood.
It’s been three days since the warehouse, and every time I close my eyes, I see it spreading across that table. Dark red, almost black under the industrial lights. The way Mikhailov’s head hit the metal with a wet sound. The casual way Luca holstered his gun afterward, like he’d just signed a contract instead of ending a life.
I’m in the twins’ playroom now, watching them build a tower with blocks. Mila hums while she works. Alexei is silent, focused, placing each block with careful precision. They have no idea what I saw. No idea what kind of man lives in this house with them.
I need to keep it that way.
My hands won’t stop shaking. I press them against my thighs, trying to force them still. It doesn’t work. Nothing works. I’ve tried breathing exercises, hot showers, and avoiding anything that reminds me of that warehouse. But the image is burned into my brain.
The worst part is how calm Luca was. No hesitation. No emotion. Just cold calculation and a trigger pull.
That’s who I married. That’s who my children are living with.
“Mama, look!” Mila points to her section of the tower. “I made it taller than Alexei’s!”
“That’s beautiful, baby.” My voice sounds wrong. Too tight.
She doesn’t notice. Goes back to building.
I need to get the twins out of here. Need to find a way to leave, to take them somewhere safe. But there’s nowhere to go. My parents’ house isn’t an option. Luca controls everything now. Their debt, their company, their entire lives. If I run, he’ll find me. And after what I saw in that warehouse, I know exactly what he’s capable of doing to people who cross him.
I’m trapped. We’re all trapped.
The door opens. I jerk my head up, heart racing.
It’s just Elena. She’s carrying a tray with juice boxes and cut fruit.
