Page 55 of Breaking the Annulment

“It’s a shortcut,” he replied, his tone light and reassuring. “Don’t worry.”

But the nagging sense of wrongness grew. The road stretched endlessly, desolate and dark. “No,” she said more firmly. “This isn’t right. Turn around.”

Tanya let out a low laugh, her voice laced with mockery. “Relax, princess. We know what we’re doing.”

Aurelia’s chest tightened, alarm bells ringing in her mind. “David,” she pleaded, turning to him, “what’s going on? Please, just tell me the truth.”

David sighed, his smile slipping as he pulled out his phone. “You’ll see soon enough.”

She froze as someone on the other end of the line answered, and David spoke rapidly in Romanian, her mother’s native language, his tone sharp and commanding. Though he didn’t realize it, she understood every word.

“I have her. It’s unbelievable, really—she came to us. The plan at the party failed when she left early, but it doesn’t matter now.”

He listened for a moment, his expression smug.

“Yes, she flagged us down, desperate to leave. She has no idea who she’s dealing with.”

Tanya glanced at him, smirking, adding in Romanian. “Lucky, huh? Didn’t even need the needle. She practically threw herself into our car. Tell them how she practically begged us for a ride. Poor thing has no idea she just delivered herself on a silver platter.”

David relayed the information, then added, “We’ll be there in a few hours. Get ready. This is going to be easier than expected.”

He chuckled, his voice smooth. “Exactly. Get ready. It’s all coming together.”

Aurelia’s blood ran cold.I’ve walked right into their hands.Forcing herself to remain calm, feign ignorance, she waited until he ended the call. “David,” she said, her voice trembling, “Who was that? What’s going on? Where are we going?”

He turned to her, his mask fully gone now. “We’re going to see your father.”

Aurelia’s breath hitched. “I––I don’t understand. My father is dead.”

“No,” David said, his voice cold. “That’s what your bitch mother wanted you to think. But Victor’s been looking for you ever since you disappeared.”

Frowning, she shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. My father died when I was little. You’ve made a mistake. Please, take me back.”

Her heart raced as Tanya cut in with a sneer, “Oh, poor little princess. You thought this was about saving you? No. You’re going to meet Daddy dearest. And while you’re at it, say goodbye to that happy little family you were planning. That husband of yours? That baby? They’re as good as dead.”

Aurelia’s world tilted, panic clawing at her chest. “David,” she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No. Please…”

He only smiled; the man she thought she knew nowhere to be found. “This could have been so much easier if you’d stuck to the annulment plan, but no, you had to go and fuck it up, didn’t you?”

Panic clawed icy fingers down her spine, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. She tried to get the door open, but they were locked, the vehicle in motion. “David, please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “Don’t do this.”

But David only smirked, his mask fully gone now. “It’s already done.”

Hours passedin a blur of fear and exhaustion. Aurelia drifted into a fitful sleep, jolting awake as the car came to a stop. The car pulled up to a nondescript office building hours later. Aurelia was dragged inside, her protests ignored. The sterile interior was cold and unwelcoming, the fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows over bare walls.

The sterile office building loomed in the dim predawn light, its unmarked exterior offering no clues to its purpose. Aurelia’s legs trembled as Tanya dragged her inside, her breath coming in short gasps. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting harsh reflections on the tiled floors.

Victor Khomenko waited in the center of the room, a tall, imposing figure dressed in a tailored suit. His salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed, his dark eyes sharp and calculating. When he saw Aurelia, his lips curved into a warm smile that sent a chill down her spine.

“Aurelia,” he said smoothly, his voice a deep purr. “It’s been far too long.”

Her body stiffened as he approached, his arms opening as if to embrace her. She recoiled instinctively, but Tanya shoved her forward, forcing her into his grasp. Victor’s embrace was firm, almost fatherly, but she felt no comfort in his touch.

“You look so much like your mother,” he murmured, releasing her and stepping back to study her. “Beautiful, but with fire in your eyes. Just like Nadia.”

The mention of her mother sent a pang of grief through Aurelia’s chest. “She said you were dead,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why?”

Victor tilted his head, feigning surprise. “You don’t know? Your mother never told you what happened all those years ago?”

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