Page 14 of Cruel Promise

“Are you going to eat the rest?” I ask.

Her nod is barely perceptible.

“Good.” I turn to walk away.

And then she speaks.

“Why did you buy me?” Her voice is so soft; I can barely hear the question.

I don’t look back at her as I reply. “Because you had a shitty father, and I thought I’d take you off his hands.”

“You have blood on your shirt.”

This time, I turn back around to face her, letting her see the red stains in all their glory. “I do.”

“Why?”

I walk back over to her until I’m right in front of her. She has to crane her neck back to look at me. She meets my gaze for just a moment before averting her eyes. “You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”

“What are you going to do to me?” she whispers.

That’s easy to answer. “I’m going to marry you.”

She sucks in a breath and looks at me again. “What?”

“Your father needed to pay off his debts. He showed me your picture. I thought you were beautiful. I knew right then that you were going to be mine, and what better way to truly make you mine than to marry you?”

“But you don’t know me. I … don’t know you.”

“That’s right. And you’ll never get to know me. I’m not a man you just ‘get to know.’ I’m a man who takes and does whatever the fuck he wants. I want you, so you’ll be mine.” I nod at her plate. “Now, eat. I didn’t buy you just so you could kill yourself.”

She gasps.

I stare at her harder. “You didn’t think anyone would realize? When Mrs. Brown told me you hadn’t eaten all day. I figured it out. You want to die. You don’t want to be my prisoner. Well, I’m not going to let you die, Ava. You’re mine now.” I tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. She shivers.

I let my hand linger for just a moment before I step back. “Just eat.” I can feel her eyes on me as I leave the room.

AVA

You’re mine.

Nikolai’s words keep rattling around in my head.

I understand he wants me, but I don’t understand why. Why would a scary Mafia man such as him want me? I’m just a young woman trying to live my life. I’m not a princess or a celebrity. I’m no one.

I just happened to have a father who sold me for money.

I wonder if he got his money. I wonder if he thinks it was worth selling me and killing my mother for it.

Despite Nikolai warning me to eat, I can’t. I take a few bites of everything, and that’s it. My stomach refuses to cooperate.

Poking my head out of the room, I check to see if the coast is clear before heading downstairs to the kitchen, the tray full of half-eaten food in my hands.

Claude is in the kitchen, cutting away at eggplant. I’m relieved it’s him and not Nikolai. I’m not sure I can handle another encounter with him.

I set the tray down on the counter.

He glances over at it and sneers. “Was my food not to your liking?”

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