Page 52 of Forced Marriage Vows

She offers me a sympathetic look. “It’s not easy, being a part of our world. I get what you’re going through. I went through something similar, and my sister did as well. I know how hard it is. You must hate him for what he did to you. Or at least you should, but it’s not always that simple.”

My chest feels tighter when I speak. “I just… I never expected to have feelings for him. But I do. Despite everything,” I say, my voice low as I finally admit the truth to myself.

I like Mikhail Morozova. How could I not? After everything.

“You don’t have to feel bad about it, sweetie. It’s not unusual, especially when you’re in this kind of situation. It’s easy to hate them at first, but people aren’t always as one-dimensional as we think. You start seeing different sides of them. It messes with your head.”

I laugh at that. “Tell me about it. He’s so not who I thought he was. Or maybe he is, but I’m seeing parts of him that make it harder to hate him.”

She leans back, taking a thoughtful sip of her drink.

“Here’s the thing: You’re going to feel what you feel, and that’s okay. You don’t have to justify it to anyone, not even yourself. Your feelings are completely valid. But they also shouldn’t control you. Only you can decide what you want todo. You might not have gotten married willingly, but you’re here now. It’s hard and you hate it, but at the same time, if you try to open your heart, you might just like what’s on the other side of it all.”

I take in all of that quiet, the words resonating within me. “You sound like some sort of sensei. Those are some really cool things you said, o wise one.”

She laughs. “Oh please. I was talking out of my own ass.”

“You made it sound so easy.”

“It’s really not,” Lucia assures me. “But I know you’ll choose the right option and do what’s best for you.”

“Thanks, Lucia,” I say softly. “I really needed that.”

“Anytime.” She grins, playful again. “And hey, maybe the next time we meet up, we’ll be talking about our next magazine cover shoot.”

“We’ll see,” I say with a smile of my own.

I think about what Lucia said the entire way home. The guards drop me off and I head up the elevator in silence, wondering what I’m going to say to Mikhail. He’s not there, though. Which I should have been expecting.

A part of me is glad he isn’t. I’m provided with some respite and time to think and find clarity. He comes back home later that evening and all clarity flies out the window when I take in how tired he looks and the bruise forming on the side of his face.

“What the hell happened to you?” I demand.

CHAPTER 16

Mikhail

My eyes rake over Anastasia. She’s standing in the living room, wearing a short blue skirt that shows off her long legs. Her hands are on her hips and her eyes narrowed onto the bruise on the side of my face. I rub my jaw as I step further into the house toward her.

“I got punched, baby,” I say in reply to her question. “How was your day?”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not saying anything until you get fixed up.”

And with that, she turns around and heads toward the kitchen.

“I think you get off on patching me up,” I say on a grin, following her into the kitchen where she’s already pulled out the first-aid kit.

She wrinkles her nose. “Ew, no. Fix yourself up then.”

She starts to walk away but I catch her by the hip, lifting her onto the counter. My hands don’t immediately leave her hips. We stare at each other for a couple of seconds before I break the moment.

“You wouldn’t abandon me in my time of need, would you, sweetheart?”

“I would. Without hesitation,” she promises.

But then she’s cracking open the first-aid box and pulling out what she needs to take care of my bruise.

“Who did this to you?”

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