Page 133 of Cruel Promise

I rest my head on her shoulder. The familiar crook of her neck is so comforting, I almost begin to cry all over again. “So, you’ve been in the hospital this whole time?”

She shifts around on the couch and the energy in the room changes. “Well, no. After a week, they let me go. I returned to the apartment, but you weren’t there. I knew you wouldn’t be there.”

I lift my head to look at her face. Even now, it’s filled with worry and sorrow. “What happened next?”

“I had no idea where to look for you. I didn’t even know if you were alive or dead, but I had to believe you were alive. I felt like I would know in my gut if you were dead. A mother’s intuition. So, I went to Yale. I asked around. No one had seen you in the past week. I knew something bad had happened. There was no way you would miss school.”

She inhales and exhales slowly. When I give her hand a squeeze, she gives me a grateful smile. “So, I kept looking. I knew your father had taken you, so he was the next logical place to look. I went to his apartment and found him there.”

“So, he knew this entire time.” I scoff. “Of course, he knew you were alive. He just didn’t care to tell me. He only told me you were alive when it served his purpose.”

“Honey, tell me what happened to you. Please. I’m dying to know. I need to know.”

I know I can’t hold it back any longer. Just like I’m desperate for answers, I know she is as well. “Father took me to this horrible place. It was a human trafficking auction where men could bid on me. So they could buy me.”

She gasps, her eyes growing wide with horror. “Honey.”

“I’m ok, Mom. Before you even ask, I am ok. That’s one thing you need to know. My heart was put through the ringer, but no one ever hurt my body. Ok?”

She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t quite believe me. Honestly, I wouldn’t fully believe me either. If my mom was telling me this story, I’d assume she was lying to protect me from the truth.

“A man bought me. A man my father sold me to to pay off his debts. Five million dollars, Mom. That’s how much I’m worth, apparently.”

“Honey,” she sobs, dropping her head. I pull her into me, rocking us back and forth. She used to do this to me when I was a child and needed comforting. It’s only fitting I return the favor.

“I was brought to this Gothic mansion in the city. I was introduced to the man who bought me. Nikolai Petrov. He forced me to marry him,”

She gasps and sits up straight. “What?”

I hold my hand out to her. My ring looks dull in the bad lighting. “I’m married, Mom.”

“Oh my god.”

“Nikolai has a code at least. He never physically hurt me. He never touched me without my consent. I’ve been with him this entire time. I honestly thought I was falling in love with him,” I admit. It feels shameful now. I was a fool. Naive.

“How could you fall in love with the man who bought you?”

“He was all I had. Father had betrayed me to the core by selling me. Nikolai, at least, was honest about his intentions. He wanted me so he took me. But I’ve seen different sides of himover these past couple of months. I’ve seen him broken. I’ve seen him hurt. I’ve seen him try to be a better man. It’s complicated, I know. And I know you don’t understand because you weren’t there, but it’s what I went through. It’s how I felt.” I draw in a deep inhale. This next part will hurt to speak, but I have to say it.

“He told me you were alive,” I say. “Just tonight. He didn’t tell me you were alive the moment he found out. He’s known for at least a week. I knew right then it was foolish I ever had feelings for him. But right before that, Mom, he laid down his life to save me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“He’s the Bratva, Mom. He’s part of the mob.”

She doesn’t look as surprised as I thought she’d be. “The mob?”

“Yes. Another man, another Bratva man, had taken me, and Nikolai was going to let himself be killed so I would be ok. I knew at that moment I loved him, but then … then he told me about you, and he betrayed me just like Father did. I came here as soon as I had your address.”

“He just let you go?”

“Yes.”

“Honey, a man like that doesn’t sound like someone who would just let you go. Not when he …” She gulps. “Not when heboughtyou.”

“But he did.” I think back to my conversation with Nik. How hurt he looked. How …scared. He didn’t want to lose me. I understand that. But he still lied to me about my mother. After he knew how important it was for me to find her.

I think he let me go because he felt guilty.

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