Page 22 of The Russian's Kidnapped Bride
I know it’s too much too fast, but I also know things could look much bleaker for both of us.
While my plan may not seem ideal to her, I’m still giving her the best I’ve got.
Chapter 7 - Lily
The heat from his touch on my face lingers against my skin, but it almost burns with the severity of the situation at hand.
I stare at him in complete disbelief. I can’t even find the words.
Marry him…he expects me to marry him despite everything he has done so far. Everything he represents.
Feeling like I’m going crazy from it all, I can’t help but laugh, yet it comes out more bitter and hollow than anything else.
“You’re out of your mind.”
As if nothing is possibly amiss, Mikhail stands there, annoyingly nonchalant about it all. His green eyes linger on me, frustratingly unreadable. The faintest pull of his lips stirs that frustration in me.
“You think this is funny?” I ask, eyes narrowing.
“No, I think it’s practical, and the best offer you’re going to get.”
An offer. He’s treating this like a business deal, and not him forcing my entire life to change just because of a few moments I wasn’t supposed to see.
“Marrying me is practical?” I throw back at him, unable to hide just how bewildered I am.
“It’s practical for you to marry me. For many reasons, frankly,” he says with a lazy shrug that makes my blood boil. “You’re already tied up in this, and you might as well make it official.”
My skin feels hotter, and my hand clenches. “I shouldn’t be involved in anything. I’m a med student. I have a future ahead of me that doesn’t involve you or the crimes you and your family commit.”
Mikhail chuckles, but it lacks warmth. “You can’t pretend like you’re above this now. You saw what you saw, and you know who I am. There’s no turning back now.”
“I don’t want to be part of this. I didn’t ask for this.”
“Yet, here you are. All because of one wrong turn,” he murmurs, tone hitting me hard.
Folding my arms over my chest to self-soothe, my legs hit the edge of the bed, forcing my steps to cease. My knees feel wobbly and unsure, like the weight of it all is dragging me down.
“This is too much…” I murmur, shaking my head in disbelief.
“I’m offering you a solution for all of this,” he reiterates, as if telling me again will make a difference.
“No, you aren’t,” I return, voice firmer. “You’re offering me a prison. I’m not marrying anyone with ties to—”
“Ties to what?” Mikhail cuts in smoothly, well aware of what I'm about to say. “Violence? Crime? Power?”
I try to hide it, but I flinch, and of course, he sees it.
“Do you really think you’re better than this world? You think being a med student makes you clean and completely untouchable?” He asks, taking on a more accusatory tone.
“It makes me someone willing to help others, not hurt them,” I grit through clenched teeth.
It happens so quickly I nearly miss it, but something flickers in his gaze—something too close to regret to ignore. But the moment it’s gone, his subtle grin resembles a smirk.
“You’re too smart not to notice that you’re already in too deep,” Mikhail says, too close to a taunt for my liking. “I’m offering you protection and freedom. Not a prison.”
“You locked me in a room. That isn’t freedom.”
“Ididn’tlock you in here. You only convinced yourself I did because you can’t see past what I do for a living,” he says, forcing out a slow exhale as if he’s finally running out of patience. “You know too much, and I can’t let you walk away. Which is why I’m trying to meet you as close to the middle as I can.”
