Page 118 of His Forced Bride
"Kirill's."
She's trembling.
I hate that I'm scaring her so badly, but I have to know how badly I'm hemorrhaging right now.
"And you arranged this meeting during your hospital visit?"
She nods, unable to meet my eyes.
"Look at me."
When she doesn't comply, I step closer.
"Look. At. Me."
Her gray-green eyes rise to mine, swimming with unshed tears.
But I'm beyond sympathy now, beyond the careful balance we've maintained this past week.
"You violated my trust. You compromised my security. You brought my enemy into my home."
Each accusation lands between us, building a wall of betrayal brick by brick.
"And for what? So she could poison your mind with lies about escape and rescue?"
"She's my mother."
"She's a manipulative whore who abandoned you when it served her interests and returned when she smelled opportunity."
Inessa flinches at the crude language, but I'm not done.
"You want to know what your mother really wants? She wants control of your company. She wants to use your marriage to meas leverage against both our families. She doesn't give a damn about your happiness or your safety. You're just another pawn in her game."
"You don't know her!" she whimpers, and the first tear breaches the dam.
"Neither do you. But you're about to learn what betrayal costs in my world."
The lock clicks into place as I turn to leave.
Inessa will remain in this room until I decide otherwise, with guards outside her door and no means of contact with the outside world.
As I walk away, her voice follows me through the wood.
"Yuri, please!"
But her plea’s aren't enough anymore.
Trust, once broken, requires more than words to repair.
And Inessa has just discovered that crossing Yuri Gravitch comes with a price she may not be willing to pay.
21
INESSA
He's locked me in here.
I press my palms against the cool oak door and listen to Yuri's footsteps fade down the hallway.
