We walk out into the blinding afternoon sun.
The SUV is waiting at the curb.
Lev opens the door, offering a respectful bow. "After you, Mrs. Morozov.”
The name hits me like a slap. They all knew. Lev knew. The agents knew. Everyone knew I would sign except me.
Konstantin helps me inside, then climbs in after.
The door slams shut.
"You see?" he says, leaning back, satisfied. "I keep my word. You’re safe."
My cheeks burn.
"You’ve spent every moment since you arrived looking for an exit, Helena," he continues. "You’ve been looking for a loophole, a weakness, a way to run back to your old life."
He leans forward.
"I just removed the door. There are no more exits. There’s only me."
He reaches out, his thumb tracing the sapphire on my trembling hand.
"And you are mine," he adds. "Don’t mistake this for a temporary arrangement. There’s no divorce in my world. You’re with me until I put you in the ground."
The police are gone. The threat is over. I should feel relieved.
Instead, my gaze drifts to the ring on my finger, the metal catching the light with every small movement.
Because the truth is worse than arrest. I didn’t escape.
I married the devil.
15
HELENA
The car ride is still, but it’s not peaceful. The air inside the SUV is thick enough to choke on.
The sapphire ring sits heavy on my finger, a shackle disguised as jewelry.
"The loading crews are finalizing the cargo," Konstantin says suddenly.
He's looking at his phone, the blue light lighting up the sharp angles of his face.
I blink, startled by the business talk after the chaos of the interrogation room.
"What?"
"TheLady Anastasia," he says, voice flat. "We’re on a tight timeline. We have twenty-four hours before the tide turns, and that ship has to leave port."
"Twenty-four hours," I repeat. Tomorrow.
"One day," he confirms. "One day until the shipment launches. Until your father tries to make his move."
I turn to the window, watching the rain streak against the glass. "You don't know that he will make a move."
"He opened the door to the Italians, Helena," he says, voice vibrating with suppressed violence. "You think he did that to.. What? Sit still? He did it to start a war."
