When I arrive home, my first thought is to check on Tessa. I don’t care about the meetings or the business I’ve just left behind. All that matters is her safety and well-being.


    I head straight for the living room, pulling out my phone to check in with Maksim and Dmitri, knowing she was out back when I called earlier.


    “Maksim,” I say once he picks up. “How is she?”


    “She’s fine. She finished her run, then spoke to a friend on the phone. Now she’s reading a book outside, just rxing.”


    “Good. Let her enjoy herself. Don’t tell her I’m home yet.”


    “Horosho.” Okay.


    As I remove my shoes in the foyer, one of my maids approaches with a package in hand.


    “Sir, this arrived for you.” She hands it over before she leaves without saying anything further.


    Staring at therge yellow envelope, I wonder if it’s those contracts I’ve been waiting for. Taking it into the study with me, I head for the bar and pour myself a cognac, needing it after the stress of today’s meeting. The moment I settle down, I rip open the p, pulling out the contents crammed inside.


    But as I flip through the first few pages, it bes clear this has nothing to do with business and everything to do with my wife.


    My world shifts, the crystal-cut ss nearly slipping from my fingers as my eyes race across the words, the photos attached.


    This can’t be happening.


    My blood runs cold.


    Who sent this? Svolichy!


    As I flick through everything, my mind races, struggling to make sense of it all. The room shrinks, the air thickening as my grip tightens on the papers, crumpling the edges. Grabbing my phone, I dial my cousin again.


    “Bring her to me. Now!”


    I hang up before he can reply, my eyes still fixed on the documents. Fury surges through me, coursing like a poison through my veins.


    Tessa will answer for this. And if she thinks she can hide behind her secrets, she’s about to learn how far I’ll go to make sure that doesn’t happen.<hr>


    EMILIA


    I sit on the bench outside, my legs sore from the run, the sun warm against my skin. I try to lose myself in the pages of the book in myp, but my mind keeps drifting, unable to focus.


    Maksim’s and Dmitri’s shadows stretch across the stone path, and I look up to see their stern expressions.


    “Konstantin needs you back home,” Maksim says, a sharp edge in his tone that sends unease crawling through me.


    I close the book slowly, tucking it under my arm. “Is everything okay?”


    Dmitri shrugs. “He just said to bring you in.”


    A knot tightens in my gut.


    Something’s wrong.


    I force myself to walk calmly beside them, convincing myself that now is the right time to tell Konstantin everything, which is exactly what I had nned to do before he left.


    Minutester, we enter through the back door, and when I find Konstantin pacing in the foyer, a yellow envelope gripped tight in one hand, I stop short.


    The second our eyes meet, my stomach drops.


    He steps forward, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my knuckles. His jaw is clenched, his touch gentle—too gentle. It’s as though he’s struggling to hold himself together, fighting not to snap.


    “Let’s go take a drive.”


    My pulse jumps. “Is everything okay?”


    He doesn’t answer, guiding me to his red coupe and helping me in. He slides into the driver’s seat, the engine roaring to life as we drive in suffocating silence.


    I nce at him, watching the sharp line of his jaw, the tension in his grip on the wheel. He won’t even look at me.


    “Where are we going?”


    “Shh.” He nces at me briefly, his mouth twitching in a way that only heightens my fear.


    “Konstantin, you’re scaring me.”


    Still, he says nothing, only lowers his hand to my thigh, squeezing until every muscle feels like it’s being torn apart. As we pull onto the dirt road leading to the farmhouse, a wave of dread washes over me.


    Did he find out who I really am? Is this it?


    Fuck, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I wanted to tell him. I should’ve told him sooner. But he could’ve killed me either way.


    He parks the car, stepping out first and walking around to open my door. When he takes my hand, I shudder, his grip firm and almost deadly. Or maybe that’s just how it feels because I’m quite certain I’m about to die.


    I brace myself, hoping he makes it quick, though I’ve heard rumors he can calmly skin a man alive with a smile on his face.


    I’m so screwed.


    And here I thought being married to the head of the Russian Mob was going to be a walk in the park…


    A bitterugh’s trapped in my throat. I always knew, deep down, that once he found out the truth, he’d stop caring. He’d stop wanting me. He’d see betrayal, and he’d want me gone.


    It’s too bad, though. I was actually falling for him. Falling so hard that it physically hurts right now.


    He leads me up the porch steps, the boards creaking under our feet like a warning. When we enter, he gestures to the leather sofa.


    “Sit. Now.”


    My legs feel weak, but I obey, settling on the edge, my heart pounding in my chest. He paces in front of me, his fingers twitching around the envelope.


    “What’s going on, Konstantin? What’s this about?”


    Heughs, a dry, ominous sound. “Do you know how many times I’ve imagined killing you?”


    His eyestch on to mine, his words cutting deep. His stare holds me captive, the intensity of it almost unbearable.


    “But every time I saw your face, I forgot why I wanted to do it in the first ce.”


    I’m frozen, every muscle tight, and it takes a moment to grasp the full meaning of his words.


    “Do you know how difficult it’s been falling for a woman I know is betraying me?”


    Oh my God…


    Dizziness swirls in my head, and I clutch the sofa, needing this to end, knowing he’ll drag it out. He’ll make it hurt.


    He shakes his head, a sinister half-grin creeping in. “Just answer me one thing. Why?”


    A bitter taste hits my mouth. “Why what?”


    “Why did you save my life that day in Chicago? Was that part of your n?” He steps closer, his knuckles grazing my cheek.


    His touch, once afort, now feels like a cage, and I’m desperate to escape it.


    “I haven’t figured out what you were doing here exactly, Tessa. Or should I call you…Emilia Hayes?”


    The blood rushes from my face, as if he’s drained it all from me. My mouth opens, but no wordse out.


    What’s there to say? He knows who I really am.


    I was a fucking idiot for thinking I could deceive someone like him.


    But if he knew and didn’t kill me, why now? What’s changed?


    “How…how long have you known?” Each word feels like lead, heavy and painful.


    He takes a shallow breath, his hand slipping away, and I immediately feel the cold in his absence.


    “I knew who you were before you even begged me for that job the second time.” His voice is strained, as if each word is a battle. “From the moment I saw you, you intrigued me. I needed to know everything about you. And when I finally uncovered the truth, I couldn’t help but wonder what you were nning. What it was that made you want to get close to me. At first, I was going to end you…” His jaw tightens, his bicep flexing as his hand forms a fist. “But when I saw you again…I couldn’t. I had to have you. You poisoned everything I ever thought I knew about myself until all I wanted…was you.”


    His confession shreds everything inside me—guilt, sorrow, and the bitter truth. I hate that I hurt him, but I know I had no choice. Nate needed me.


    He moves in quickly, gripping my jaw and tilting my face up to his. “You betrayed me, my love. And now I have to decide what to do with you.”


    “Konstantin, I-I had no choice. You’d have done the same if you were me.”


    “We all have a choice, lubov moya.” He tosses a stack of papers on myp.


    I look down, my stomach dropping as I see files and photos.


    Oh my God…


    Pictures from my FBI graduation. Me with Nate,ughing in his uniform. A full dossier on my life. My name, my face, my badge.


    “Who sent this?” I re up to find him watching me intently.


    “Anonymous.”


    “Gerardo…” I whisper.


    His head jerks, eyes narrowing. “Who?”


    “Never mind.”


    But I know it was him. Who else could it be? Maybe he sees me as a loose end, worried I’ll remember he killed that cop years ago. Maybe he got tired of waiting to see if I would.


    In one swift motion, Konstantin’s fingers tighten around my throat, cutting off my breath.


    “Don’t do that.” His thumb grazes the underside of my jaw. “You’d better tell me everything before my devotion for you turns into something much, much worse.”


    I swallow thickly, closing my eyes.


    He’s right. At this point, I have no choice. I have to tell him everything and face the consequences.


    He releases his grip, settling across from me with a calm that only irritates me. “Talk.”


    ncing up at the ceiling for a moment, I start at the beginning.


    “My brother, Nate. He’s the cop in that photo.” I lift it for a moment, releasing a sigh. “He was used of killing his partner, Tim. My boss, Gerardo, made me believe one of your brothers, or even you, was the one who killed him, and I had no reason not to believe him, especially when we found a connection between your organization and Tim.”


    Konstantin’s chest rises sharply, but he stays silent.


    “You have to understand, Gerardo practically raised us. So when he said it was most likely you, I believed it too. That’s why I came here, looking for proof to clear Nate’s name. I was even ready to trade his freedom for yours.”


    He chuckles, sending a chill through me. “And how exactly were you nning to do that?”


    Leaning back, I cross my legs and raise an eyebrow. “I was going to pin a cold case on you. Steal some of your DNA and nt it.”


    “Wow.” He ps slow. “Bravo. You really are a lioness, aren’t you? No wonder you impressed me from the start.”


    I fidget in my seat, unable to really gauge how mad he truly is.


    “Please, continue. I’m deeply intrigued now.”


    “After I…” I hesitate, unsure if he’ll believe the rest.


    His gaze turns to a sharp slit. “Tell me. I want to hear it all.”


    Clearing my throat, I shift in my seat. “After I started to have feelings for you, I was relieved to find no proof linking you to Nate. It felt like I was waiting for permission to want you.”


    His body visibly tenses at that, but he says nothing.


    “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” Iugh bitterly. “Because Nate’s the only real family I’ve ever had. Everything else I told you about my past, my mom, it’s all true. She was shit, Konstantin. I spent my childhood imagining a different life, one with decent parents, but I didn’t have that. I had Nate.”


    I run a hand down my face, waiting for him to say something, anything, to acknowledge what I just told him. But he doesn’t, so I go on.


    “Then my contact found proof that Nate’s partner and my boss were tied to the DeLuca crew. They were both dirty, and Gerardo was the one who set up my brother.”


    “And this Gerardo, where do I find him?”


    “Why?” Amusement flickers in my tone. “You nning to kill the head of a field office?”


    “You insult me, moya lyubimoya.” His arms stretch across the sofa.


    I shake my head at his level of ego. “He’s got bodyguards. He’s never alone. And he’s in deep with the DeLucas. He’s been on their payroll for years.”


    “And you’re telling me this like I’m supposed to be afraid?” He breathes deeply, his chest rising like the calm before a storm. “They’re the only ones who have something to fear now.” Then he says something that flips my world upside down, more than it already is. “You should know…the hit at the hotel in Chicago. That was meant for you, not me.”


    “What?” The word escapes me in a strangled gasp.


    He nods. “Whoever sent those guys knew you’d be there.”


    My head spins.


    “Only two people knew.” My stomach drops as realization crashes over me. “It was him. It had to be. He knew I was getting too close. Knew I was going to remember that he was the one in my vision, the one I told you about.”


    “So, that’s what you remembered? Why you did what you did…”


    I nod, the words heavy. “He knew this whole time that I saw him kill that cop. He needed me gone. He…fuck!”


    I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to steady the chaos of emotions spiraling inside me. Everything’s clicking into ce, but it’s all too much to process.


    Then, suddenly, he’s there beside me, his arms pulling me in.


    “Emilia…you’re okay. I’ve got you.” His voice offers a sliver offort, but it doesn’tst.


    “No, just don’t.” I push him away, the need to protect myself overwhelming.


    I know it’s over. Why let it drag on any longer?


    Konstantin’s gaze sharpens, his intensity growing. “I know you’re hurting. I understand. Because the ones who betray us are always the ones closest to us.”


    And I realize he’s talking about me.


    “What do you n to do with me?” I ask, desperate for this to end. I just want it over.


    “What I’ve been doing all along.” He rises to his feet, pacing around me. “Try to keep you from getting killed. I know it may be difficult since I know how stubborn you can be, but this is the part where you thank your husband.”


    I scoff. “You’re so generous.”


    “I’m d you noticed.” His lips curl as he slips his hand into his pocket, pulling out a flip knife and flicking it open. “Do you know what would’ve happened to you, to this household, if my brothers found out who you were? Any one of them would’ve slit your throat by now, and then I’d have to kill them.” He flips a hand dismissively. “It would’ve been too messy.”


    He returns to me, dragging the tip of the knife slowly along my corbone. “The fact that I didn’t kill you when I found out about you? That’s the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done.”


    “Like I said, generous.” My tone is cunning, no longer afraid but filled with irritation.


    He drags the knife between my breasts, his gaze never leaving mine. “Now, tell me…” He pauses, his breath steady. “What should I do with you, Mrs. Marinova?”


    “Let me go. Forget I existed. I won’t go to the feds. I only came here for Nate. He’s all I’ve ever had.”


    His nostrils re, his anger suddenly palpable.


    “You had me.” He ps his chest with violent intensity.


    My voice breaks, wanting to believe that with all my heart. “I never really did, though, did I?”


    I grip his wrist, the urge to go back to thosest few days, before everything fell apart, overwhelming me. But it’s toote. The life we could’ve had is gone.


    “None of it was real, Konstantin. You never truly knew me.”


    In an instant, he presses the tip of the knife to my jugr. “I knew you. I still know you.” He fists my hair, dragging his lips and tongue across my mouth. “You think you can walk away from me after everything you’ve done?” His lips drop to my jaw with a growl. “After the way you slid into my heart? No, malyshka. You’re mine now, until I decide otherwise.”


    “So, what’s the n? Drag this out, then kill me?”


    His fingers tighten around my hair as he pulls back, his gaze cold. “I should. But I still can’t do it. What does that say about me, dorogaya? Have I gone weak like my brothers think?”


    “So, how does this end, huh? You keep hiding my identity and forcing me to stay as your wife? Because we both know it’s over, right? You won’t trust me after this, no matter what.”


    The words taste bitter, and my gut twists with the finality of it. I hate that it’s over, that this is the end. All I want is to throw my arms around him and beg him to love me. For once in my life, I want to be loved with nothing in return, to have that unconditional devotion I never felt as a child.


    His mouth curls into a twisted grin as he lets me go, and every inch of me turns ice cold. “You’ll stay here until I figure out how to keep my brothers from killing you.”


    I shake my head, a harshugh escaping. “You’re insane. You can’t keep me locked up here.”


    My heart beats louder, fear and adrenaline racing through me. I can’t stop him, but I won’t let him think I’m just going to let him walk all over me.


    His eyes gleam with dark delight. “Give me your phone.”


    He reaches for it, waiting. When I don’t move, he shakes his head.


    “Either you give it to me, or I’ll take it. The choice is yours.”


    I re at him, but with a sigh, reach into my pocket and hand it over.


    “I’ll keep it safe for you while you reflect on your life choices.”


    “Go fuck yourself.”


    He chuckles, turning away. In that second, something inside me snaps. Without thinking, my body moves faster than my mind can keep up. I lunge at him, and the knife slips from his grasp, ttering to the floor.


    My fingers close around the cold handle, and for a brief second, power surges through me.


    But he’s quicker. Before I can react, he’s effortlessly twisting my hand, sending the knife flying across the room.


    He towers over me, a smirk still ying on his handsome face. “What now, Emilia?”


    My breathes in uneven bursts, my chest heaving, skin slick with a mix of sweat and the violent energy rushing inside me. Without warning, I kick him in the chin, and blood bursts from his mouth as he lets out a sinisterugh.


    “You always know how to excite me. Both in the bedroom and out.”


    I rush for the knife, fingertips grazing its tip, but he drags my legs before I can reach it. In thest second, though, I snatch it up.


    He flips me over, teeth gritted, his fists on each side of my face. “Do you want me to bleed, Tessa?”


    When he calls me by that name, I almost wonder if it’s on purpose, if it was him reminding me of my betrayal.


    “Then let me bleed for you the way I always have.” Before I can process what he’s doing, he pushes his abdomen onto the de.


    “What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?!”


    Heughs as his blood drips down onto my white tank top. Removing the knife from my hand, he tosses it across the room.


    “You are mine, do you understand me? Mine!” In an instant, he yanks my shirt, tearing it violently, exposing my bra and bare skin beneath.


    His fingers graze the cut on his abdomen, and without hesitation, he rips off his shirt, while his blood continues to drip, warm and sticky. The rawness of him stirs something dangerous inside me. He’s fearless, his grin wide, as though nothing can stop him. Rising onto his knees, he cups my jaw, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that starts soft, but quickly deepens, leaving me breathless, my body strung tight.


    One hand pins my wrists above my head, holding me captive as his grip tightens. With the other, he moves slowly, dipping his finger in his own blood before dragging it across my stomach. The motion is deliberate, sending a tremor through me, every nerve igniting with the sensation.


    “Moya,” he growls.


    He begins drawing the letter M on me before continuing to spell out the rest of the word, each stroke igniting a deeper, darker feeling inside me.


    “Mine,” he finishes, his breath hot against my ear.


    My body stiffens, but I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I shudder beneath him, my pulse thundering in my ears. He owns me in this moment, in every twisted way. And I don’t know if I hate it or if I just want more.


    His mouth crushes mine without warning. It’s not tender. It’s rough, frantic—like he’s trying to take everything all over again. To ask me to stay, to love him, to need him.


    But can he truly want me after this?


    His lips bruise against mine—demanding, searching, as though this kiss is the answer to something neither of us can say aloud.


    Every nerve in my body ignites under the force of him. The warmth of his body, the heat of his touch, consumes me. He tastes of blood, sin, and destruction, and I can’t tell if I want to pull away or sink deeper into it.


    But then, just as quickly as it started, he pulls back, leaving me breathless, gasping for air. My lips are throbbing and swollen, a sharp reminder of the battle that just unfolded. The echo of his kiss lingers, burning through me, even as he walks to the corner of the room and picks up some chains.


    No. NO!


    “Please don’t do this. I’m begging you!” My voice cracks with desperation.


    He ignores mepletely, grabbing my ankle and fastening one end of the chain around it, securing me to the support beam. The cold metal bites into my skin, a cruel reminder of how powerless I am in his world.


    When he begins to walk away, my heart races.


    “Konstantin, wait! Please, just don’t do this. Don’t leave me like this!”


    A rush of thoughts hits me: maybe I should tell him. Maybe it would change everything.


    But the words stay trapped inside, and I stay silent. His back is all I see as he steps away, each footfall a hammer strike on the fragile wall of my sanity.


    “Konstantin!” I call after him, wild and furious, my body straining against the unforgiving metal.


    But it’s useless. He doesn’t care.


    The door creaks open, followed by the cold, final click of it closing, echoing in the silence.


    I’m trapped here now.


    And as the desperation sinks in, the only thing left to do is figure out how to break free.