Page 155 of His Forced Bride

A laugh emerges from my mouth that is so bitter and sharp, I almost fear I sound like her.

"There was never any coming back from the moment I said 'I do' at gunpoint. Everything since then has been adaptation, survival, becoming whoever I needed to be to stay alive in this world."

"You don't understand what you're asking for," Yuri cautions.

I know he wants me to be careful, but I just don't fucking care anymore.

"Don't I? I understand that my mother won't stop escalating until either I'm dead or she is. I understand that everyone I've ever cared about becomes a target the longer this continues. I understand that playing by civilized rules against someone who has no limits is a guaranteed way to lose everything."

I stand and move to the window, looking out at the compound walls that have become both prison and sanctuary.

Beyond them lies a city where my mother moves freely, planning her next attack on anyone unlucky enough to love me.

"She made this personal when she went after Alina," I continue.

"She wants to hurt me by destroying everyone I care about, then force me to watch while she takes credit for saving me from the consequences of my own choices."

"And what do you want?"

My answer comes out ice cold and absolute with dead certainty.

"I want her dead."

Yuri's expression shifts as he processes what I'm telling him.

I'm not the protected wife seeking his guidance but a partner demanding immediate action.

Someone who's moved beyond fear and caution.

And I'm not changing my mind.

"The timeline we discussed?—"

"Changes tonight. Whatever resources we need, whatever risks we have to take, whatever lines we have to cross—it all happens now."

"My family's ultimatum—" he says, but I cut him off.

"Becomes irrelevant if we move fast enough. By the time Dimitri realizes what we're doing, it'll be too late for him to interfere."

I return to my seat, leaning forward with the same intensity he's showing me.

"Unless you're not willing to accelerate things because you think I can't handle the consequences."

"That's not the issue," he says, and I sense uncertainty in his tone.

He's never uncertain about anything, so why this? Why now?

"Then what is it?"

He's quiet for a long moment, weighing words that will reshape our entire approach to this conflict.

When he speaks, I sense his compassion toward me.

He's struggling to keep his monster back right when I need it the most.

"Inessa, you aren't this person. This isn't you…"

"I am," I tell him, but even as I do, I realize he's right.