My jaw drops as flashes of the night before fill my mind. Kirill said many times that he took control- but I didn’t think he meant ineveryaspect of my life. My breaths start to come in quick, sharp bursts as I feel the walls of the large master suite suddenly shrink around me. I put my hand to my chest, and feel my heart racing.
Trapped. I’m trapped.
“Mrs. Pavlovich?” Yana asks, rising from her chair.
My legs suddenly turn to jelly as I stand in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom, and I feel myself go down. In an instant Yana is beside me, cradling my back and lowering me carefully to a sitting position on the floor.
“I-I can’t live like this,” I pant, “I c-can’t breathe!”
“Yes you can,” Yana says calmly, pushing my head gently between my knees. “Draw in from your nose, hold, then breathe through your mouth.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I follow Yana’s instructions.
“It’s alright,” Yana soothes, rubbing my back. “There’s no need to be frightened. Mr. Pavlovich only wants what’s best for you.”
My head shoots up and I glare at Yana.
“I’m not frightened,” I seethe, “I’m furious! I’m not some bird he can lock up in a cage!”
Yana stares at through narrowed eyes for a moment, then to my surprise, lets out a short laugh. She then rises to her feet, pulling me with her.
“You surprise me, Mrs. Pavlovich,” Yana says, “That doesn’t happen often.”
I only glare at her as I adjust my robe and flip my long hair over my shoulder.
“Don’t call me that,” I snap.
Yana crosses her arms and raises a brow.
“Very well. What should I call you then?”
“Annika is fine,” I mutter, then let out an annoyed sigh. “So, what am I allowed I’m to do then? Am I allowed to leave this room?”
“Of course you can,” Yana replies, smirking. “The grounds are yours to do with as you will. Once you’re dressed and have eaten breakfast, I can give you a tour.”
“I’m not hungry,” I snap, even though I very much am.
Kirill might control where I can go and what I wear now, but I’m about to let him control when I eat.
“You might not be,” Yana counters before I can finish the thought, “But I’m sure the child growing inside of you is. Mr. Pavlovich insists you have three square meals a day, a minimum of two snacks and of course prenatal vitamins. The chef is waiting for you downstairs. He’ll make anything you want.”
I grumble a curse as I look around for my phone. I find it just as I did after the first night I had spent with Kirill. On the night stand, magically plugged in and fully charged.
I pick it up and am about to call Valya when I discover my screensaver is different. Before it was a picture of the statue of David; my first inspiration to get into sculpting. Now it’s just a rainbow of blue waves.
“This isn’t my phone!” I exclaim.
“Mr. Pavlovich got you a new one,” Yana calmly explains. “All of your photos and contacts have been transferred to this one, though, along with all of Mr. Pavlovich’s numbers. In case you want to reach him.”
I don’t want to reach him, I want tostranglehim! How could so much change in so little time?!
“Where’s this closet you were talking about?” I demand, looking through my contacts. I find Valya’s number and call it.
“Through the bathroom,” Yana answers, pointing behind Annika. “I’ll wait for you in the hall.”
“Hello?” Valya answers as Yana leaves.
“Val? It’s Annika. Find Papa and put me on speaker,” I say as I walk back into the bathroom to find the closet.
