Page 15 of Cruel Promise

“Oh, no, it was good. I’m just not hungry.”

He scoffs. “Typical. Of course you don’t like my food. What would your highness prefer me to make for you?”

I blanche. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Well, offend me, you did.” He motions at the plates with his knife. “You can do the dishes at least.”

Feeling terribly guilty, I bring the plates over to the sink and begin to wash them. It doesn’t take long for my hands to trembleagain. My mom’s face enters my mind, and I drop the plate in my hands. It crashes into the sink and cracks into pieces.

“What have you done?” Claude mutters, rushing over. “You broke a plate? Mr. Petrov won’t be happy with you for breaking his things. I won’t tell him. You have to.”

“I can’t,” I whisper. I think I would pass out if I have to speak to Nikolai again.

“It’s your mess.” He turns back to the eggplant and acts like I’m not even here.

Tears sting my eyes as I leave the kitchen. The air is too thin in this house. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.

I slump against the wall and hold my hand to my chest. Everything is closing in around me. I squeeze my eyes shut, but it doesn’t help. I can still see my mother dead on the floor.

With a large gasp, I push myself off the wall and run for the front door.

“Where are you going?” It’s Edmund. He’s standing beside the front door with perfect posture.

“I can’t stay here. Please. I can’t.”

“But you can’t leave. Mr. Petrov?—”

“I don’t care what Mr. Petrov wants. He wants to marry me, and I can’t—” I stop. “I’m leaving.” I run past him and open the door. Edmund doesn’t stop me.

The dark night sky startles me.

I know I’ve been here for a while now, but I was hoping the sun would help give me a sense of safety. Without it, everything feels dark and dreary.

And dangerous.

After my shock wears off, I start running down the circular driveway and onto the street. It’s New York City late at night, meaning there’s still a ton of people around.

But this is Billionaires’ Row. There’s no one out this late at night. The streets are kept clean, and people are kept away. There’s no one to help me.

That doesn’t stop me from screaming anyway.

“Help me! Please!” My shoes weren’t made for running, but I run despite it. The clack of my shoes on the sidewalk match the pounding of my heart.

I can’t be married to Nikolai Petrov. I don’t even quite know what he does for living, but seeing those red stains on his shirt, I know that whatever he does, it can’t be good. He will hurt me. He’s already taken me from …

From nothing, I realize. I stop dead in my tracks.

I don’t have my mom any longer. I never had my father to begin with. The only thing I have left is my education, and that feels so inconsequential now that I’ve lost my mom.

Maybe Nikolai Petrov and his staff are the only people I have left.

And then I realize—no. I have Jason. He’s my friend. He’ll help me.

He has to.

I know he lives on campus, which is hours away. But I can take the train. I just need money.

I had money stashed at my old apartment. Unless my father stole that, too, it should be there.

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