Page 65 of Forced Innocent Bratva Bride

In what seemed to be like my last moment, all I did was hope and pray that Alexei found me on time.

Chapter 25 – Alexei

I wasn't sure that going to her location was a good idea. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing the right thing. For some reason, I felt uneasy about the whole situation. It didn't make much sense to me, considering that she just might be out with a friend or something.

This unease was not a hint of my jealousy or possessiveness. No. This was something else. I couldn't explain the feeling, but it just didn't feel right.

Something was off. But what was it? Why was I so worried and concerned about her safety when I'd come to the realization that she had my full trust?

She'd proven time and time again that she was a faithful wife, a loyal one, regardless of the situation surrounding our marriage. And in all honesty, I trusted her more than she knew. But there was just something different about the situation today that I couldn't wrap my head around.

More than a few times while driving to her location, I'd almost turned back and returned home. This was because a part of me thought that I'd appear too clingy and possessive even though we'd agreed that I'd let her make her own decisions.

She was mine, and I could control her as I deemed fit. But because I could didn't mean that I should. She was a rational human being like me, and although I was the head of the family, she was the neck and should be treated with respect and love.

I'd only recently learned this and would need a little more time to get used to it. However, right now, this wasn't me evaluating whether or not her decision was in line with my principles; this was me being worried, a feeling I was unfamiliar with.

Despite every reason I had to return home and patiently wait for her, I just couldn't bring myself to turn the car around. A greater part of me wanted to make sure she was fine at least.

But the question remained: Why was I so worried? Why couldn't I shake the feeling that something was off?

I wiped a palm across my face, eyes darting to the car's navigation system. The GPS indicated that I was just a block away, and my heart raced faster the closer I got to her location.

I'd never been so worried in my whole life, and that was the only reason I didn't turn the car around.

The moment I rounded a corner into a street as directed by the GPS, my eyes settled on a house on fire. I glanced at the navigation display only to realize that the burning building was her location.

My heart sank into my chest as I accelerated onward, fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

Fear gripped me in a way it never had before as I sped up toward the fire-ravaged building, with only one thought—my wife's safety. The streets seemed deserted, but I didn't have the luxury of time to wonder if there were neighbors living around. Did no one think it was necessary to call the fire department?

My car's tires screeched to a halt outside the blazing structure—now just a mass of flames, with walls crumbling beneath the intense heat. A fiery behemoth devoured the house, spewing smoke and embers into the air as orange flames danced across the roof.

I bolted out of the car, sprinting toward the entrance. With a powerful kick, I struck the door, but it wouldn't open. The damned thing was jammed from the inside.

“Fuck!” I cursed, fingers ruffling my hair as I rushed a few paces back. My chest heaved and my jaw clenched as I balled my fists while gathering momentum.

With a surge of adrenaline, I launched myself at the front door, using all of the strength that I could muster. My powerful arm led the charge as I struck the door with my shoulder, splintering the wood and shattering the barrier.

The damn door burst open, yielding to my forceful entry as a wave of scorching heat enveloped me. It was like hell in here! Flames engulfed the room, casting flickering shadows that forced me to shield my face.

A maelstrom of fire licked the ceiling as blistering heat radiated off the burning walls, searing my skin. I charged forward, my gaze sweeping across the smoke-filled room. “Lorena!” I bellowed, squinting through the haze, my voice strained.

The fire's deafening roar went on, drowning my shouts. Waves of scorching air slammed against me as I dared to run through the flames, eyes scanning the room. “Lorena!” I shouted, desperation overriding pain.

My coat caught on fire, and I immediately shed it off, standing vigilant and confused amidst the raging flames. A gentle and almost indistinct couch caught my attention, and like the Terminator, my head turned to the direction of the sound.

“Lorena!”

I spotted her by a window, lying on the floor as she coughed faintly.

With lightning speed, I dashed over to her and dropped to my knees by her side, my hands lifting her head in my arms. “Lorena!” I rapidly tapped her face, my heart pounding in my chest as I hoped the smoke hadn't done much damage. “Lorena!”

Her eyelids fluttered open, her finger pointing behind me. I shot a quick look back to where a young man lay on the floor, struggling beneath a pile of fallen wood.

“Help him,” she muttered, her voice faint and strained.

Hell no!

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