Page 53 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

If I try to run, they'll find me.

If I go to the police, to Jack, I'll be signing his death warrant.

There's no way out.

The tears come then, hot and angry and helpless. I cry for the life I thought I was building. For the independence I fought so hard to achieve. For the future I'll never have now.

I cry until there's nothing left, until I'm empty and exhausted and numb.

The sun is setting when Luca returns. He knocks softly before entering, giving me time to wipe my face and compose myself.

"Dinner is ready," he says. "Emil is waiting."

I want to refuse, stay in this room, and never come out. But what's the point? I can't hide forever.

I follow Luca back downstairs, through the elegant hallways to a different dining room than the one from breakfast. This one is smaller, more intimate, with a table set for two. Candles flicker in the center, casting warm light across the polished wood.

Emil stands when I enter. He's changed clothes, now wearing dark slacks and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The tattoos on his arms are visible, the snake and panther seeming to move in the candlelight.

He looks at me, and I see something in his expression that might be concern. Or guilt. Maybe both.

"Sit," he says, gesturing to the chair across from him.

I sit because I don't have the energy to fight anymore.

Luca leaves us alone, closing the door softly behind him.

Emil pours wine into my glass, then his own. We sit in silence for a moment, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on us.

"I know you're angry," he says.

"Angry?" I laugh, and it sounds hollow. "That doesn't even begin to cover it."

"I understand."

"Do you?" I lean forward, meeting his eyes. "Do you understand what it's like to have your entire life ripped away from you? To be forced into something you never wanted? To have no choice, no control, no freedom?"

His jaw tightens. "Yes. I do."

The answer surprises me. I want to ask what he means, but I'm too tired. Too defeated.

"Luca explained the situation," I say instead. "About your family. About my brothers."

Emil nods slowly. "Then you understand why this is necessary."

"I understand that you've backed me into a corner. That you've made it impossible for me to say no without getting the people I love killed." I pick up my wine glass and take a long drink. "That's not the same as understanding."

"No. It's not."

We sit in silence again. A server appears with plates of food, elegant and beautifully presented. I stare at it without appetite.

"I'll play along," I finally say, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "I'll marry you."

24

EMIL

Iarrive at Kiera's room the next morning carrying several boxes and bags filled with clothes with designer labels and expensive fabrics, everything a Pakhan’s wife should wear. Even though I'd had Kiera's stuff brought here, she needs an upgrade so that she can be appropriately dressed for certain occasions.