Page 99 of Sinful Games

I stayed silent for a moment, feeling the weight of his words sinking in. Then, with a trembling breath, I pursed my lips and turned my head to the side, avoiding his eyes again. Tears welled up and streamed down my face, silent witnesses to the pain I couldn’t put into words.

The room suddenly felt smaller, the air thicker with tension. How could he claim to be my husband when his actions spoke of nothing but betrayal and manipulation?

Feeling too worn out to keep up the fight, I took a deep breath, gathering whatever courage still lingered in my tired heart. "Fine," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I'll tell you everything."

And I did.

I recalled the night I was sixteen, the first time my father brought a man to my bedroom.

Volodymyr Babikiv, an engineer with a ruthless addiction to gambling and drugs. I described how my father bid him goodbye and closed the door behind him. How he grabbed my face forcefully and kissed me, despite my resistance. How he groped me, leaving me feeling violated and powerless. How he got his penis out and started to masturbate before ejaculating on my bed sheets before leaving me alone, tears streaming down my face as I tried to make sense of the pain and betrayal my father has caused me once again.

I recounted the memory of my eighteenth birthday, when my father insisted, I accompany him to a casino in downtown Moscow. There, he introduced me toKlark Polanski, the CEO and COO ofZhit, a company involved in vitamins and wellness supplements.

The man kissed my hand and pulled me onto his lap, his touch lingering on my thigh, inching higher with each stroke. He won every round, accumulating 110k by the end of the night. His advances became bolder, his hand moving between my legs, his lips trailing along my neck, leaving marks without hesitation despite my resistance.

Around the table, other men similarly indulged in the company of women, their arms draped possessively around their shoulders or waist, while some were smoking, and all were drinking or doing drugs on the table.

All night I fought back my tears, the rising bill felt like a lump in my throat.

All I wanted to do that night was to cut myself open or shoot myself; I never expected to celebrate my eighteenth birthday in that way.

When I finally got home, relieved that Polanskihad been arrested by security for cheating, and witnessing the chaos as they beat him up, I slipped away and called a taxi.

Upon arrival, I found my father passed out on the sofa, cocaine scattered across the living room table, and money bills strewn everywhere. I headed straight to the kitchen, opening the fridge to retrieve the small pavlova cake I had bought for myself earlier. With a heavy heart, I lit a single candle and blew it out, but not before making one wish.

"What did you wish for,moya solnyshka?" Alexsei asked softly.

Our eyes meet.

I breathed out, "For freedom."

Freedom has been my only desire, from the very moment of my birth till now.

"I was nineteen when my father first introduced me toSadiek," I continued.

"So, about two years ago?"

I nodded, rising from the edge of the bed and making my way to the window, drawn by the wintry scene outside. From this vantage point in the apartment, I could see Gorky Central Park blanketed in snow, the trees laden with its weight.

"My father asked me to join him for dinner with the Mayor of Moscow and some feds. He said their spouses and kids would be there, so I had to show up."

Internally, I couldn't help but scoff at the memory. Perhaps if I had declined, that fateful night might never have unfolded as it did.

“We pulled up to this big, isolated house outside the city. Just one car was parked out front, which struck me as odd. I expected more people. But when we stepped inside, it was just Sadiek there, his creepy smile spreading as he kissed my cheeks. He had the nerve to say I was beautiful, hinting that my looks were the reason for my father's wealth,” I said with abitter laugh, hugging myself to ward off the chill creeping down my spine.

I heard Alexsei rise from his seat, his footsteps drawing nearer as his arms enveloped my waist. I tensed for a moment, then relaxed as his lips brushed against the back of my head.

"What happened next?" he asked gently.

I gulped, closing my eyes and letting myself breath slowly in and out, in and out not wanting to panic or have the memories cloud my mind making it impossible to let the word out.

“We had steak and roasted potatoes with red wine for dinner. But with every bite of the steak, I kept tasting something weird that I couldn’t quite pin down. Then, out of nowhere, my dad—” I stopped, my heart pounding so fast I thought it might explode.

The feeling was so overwhelming I thought I might either throw up or pass out any second. Alexsei’s arms loosened their grip, but his hands began to glide over my arms gently, making me tingle all over.

His lips brushed against my ear, "You're safe, Caia. I've got you. Breathe."

I nodded, feeling a bit calmer as I tried to pull myself together.

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