Page 18 of Cruel Promise

“You would give me your daughter,” I state again.

“Yes. You asked me to consider something I have that’s valuable, and she is. She’s a virgin.”

I stare at him harder. “You know this.”

“I do.”

“And how do you know this?”

“Because I made sure no boy ever got close to her when she was younger.”

“But she’s an adult now, Charles. Can’t she do what she wants? Fuck who she wants?”

“Sure. But she’s not going to. My hold on her is too strong. I can give her to you if you pay off all my debt. I’ll never ask for any more money ever again.”

“Somehow, I doubt that. A man like you will always ask for more money. It’ll never be enough for you.”

He splays his hands onto the table. They’re thin and white and bony like spider fingers. He doesn’t have the kinds of hands that can kill someone barehanded. Not like my hands.

“I swear,” he says. “I’ll never ask for more ever again. Just pay off my debts. Please.”

“And if I say no to taking your daughter?”

“Then I’ll find someone else who’ll take her and pay off my debts.”

I’m not a good man. I’ve never pretended to be. But the thought of this woman being given to someone else sets my skin on fire.

“What’s her name?”

“Ava.”

A flicker of desire passes through me. “You’ll really give her to me?”

“You really want her?”

I stare at her photo once more. “Yes. I want her.”

And just like that, our deal is sealed.

AVA

Nikolai drives me home. Neither of us tries to make conversation. My tears have dried by now, but I can still feel the remnants of them on my face. He doesn’t comment on them nor does he ask. I’m glad for that. I don’t need pity from the man who bought me.

I sneak a glance over in his direction and catch him looking at me. Or, more specifically, looking at my legs. My dress ends at mid-thigh. I try to discreetly tug at the hem, but it doesn’t matter. He can see my legs, and there’s no stopping that.

Fortunately, he doesn’t look for long, and he doesn’t make a comment about my body, for which I’m grateful. My father would always comment on my body—from how much I’d grown to how indecent I was just by existing.

I step back through the front door and see Edmund still standing there. He offers me a smile. I don’t smile back.

It isn’t a smiling matter.

Before I can walk away, Nikolai grabs my arm. It’s not too tight, but it’s not gentle either. “You will not run again; do you understand me?”

“I know.” I know I won’t be free of him no matter how hard I try.

He nods once then lets me go. I hurry back into my bedroom and curl into a ball on the bed. This is my future now—being scared and alone in a strange home with a strange man who wanted me so much he bought me.

And now, he wants to marry me.

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