Page 62 of Cruel Promise

Mrs. Brown and I pause, our hands in the soapy water from working on the dishes.

“Mr. Petrov?” she asks.

Nikolai doesn’t even register Mrs. Brown. He only has eyes for me.

“Upstairs,” he practically growls. “Now.”

I share a look with Mrs. Brown, who squeezes my arm, and then I wipe my wet hands on a towel and follow Nikolai to my room. My heart pounds the entire time.

“Nikolai?”

“How many times have you run from me?”

I blink, not expecting the question. “Uh … I don’t know. Three?”

“Four,” he says flatly. “You’ve run four times now. And each time you return, I don’t lock you away.”

“Why don’t you?”

He doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he says, “I wanted to trust you. But you’ve shown me I cannot. Maxim overstepped his bounds when he brought you back to me, speaking of peace.”

My chest constricts. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to make him regret ever looking at you.”

“But he helped me. He could have hurt me, but he helped me.”

Nikolai stands so close to me I can see all the different shades of brown in his eyes. “You like him.”

“No, I don’t like him. He was kind; that was all. I didn’t expect him to be. Not after how Dimitri treated me. Not after …”

“How I’ve treated you.”

I don’t say a word because we both know he’s right.

Nikolai takes a step away from me, running his hand down his face. His scar looks more pronounced in his frantic state. “I know I haven’t been a good husband.”

I suck in a breath. I never thought Nikolai would admit to that.

“But,” he continues, “you’re my wife, Ava. I can’t stand it when you run from me. How do I keep you from running from me?”

“Are … are you seriously asking?”

He meets my gaze head on. “I am.”

“Nikolai, the way to keep me from running is to let me go. You can’t keep me as a prisoner. I want to go back to school. I want to have my freedoms to go where I want when I want. Only then can we make this marriage work.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask for a divorce.”

“I know enough to know you wouldn’t like that. I need to ask for things you’ll agree with.”

He nods. “Smart. You’ve always been so smart.” The back of his fingers skim my cheek. “You are mine, Ava. I know you want your freedom.” He drops his hand. “But I can’t give that to you.”

All the hope within me dashes.

“I’m a possessive man. I’m not a good man. Many would call me a monster. You will remain here. I don’t want you to escape again.” He turns away.

“Where are you going?” I ask, dreading the answer.

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