Page 124 of Sweet Deception

“No.” His voice was sharp, then he softened, realizing his outburst. He met my gaze, eyes filled with frustration. “I can’t even make a damn cup of coffee without fucking it up.”

I stayed quiet.

Gleb stared at the cup in his hands, his jaw clenching. “This is me, Anna. I try, but I can’t get anything right. It’s never enough.”

“You’re imprisoning me.”

He turned to me sharply, his eyes dark. “I’m protecting you.”

“You don’t protect people by locking them up,” I shot back. “Especially not your wife.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips, but it quickly faded. “I don’t know what Grandma is doing. She’s gotten rid of all the spies in the family, so now I’m flying blind. The only way I can be sure you’re safe is to keep you here.”

“That wasn’t why you locked me up. You did it because you thought I’d leave.”

“Won’t you?”

I blinked, a wave of frustration rising in me. “I will,” I said defiantly. “You’re hurting me, Gleb.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes drifting to the coffee he hadn’t touched.

“Sorry doesn’t fix it. You have to free me.”

“No,” he said, his voice firm, unyielding.

“So I’m stuck here for the rest of my life, huh?” My words were sharp, a mix of anger and helplessness.

He exhaled, a slow breath. “Just give me time to handle my family, okay?”

“Fuck you,” I spat before I could stop myself.

“What?”

“You heard me.” I stepped forward, fury coursing through me. “Keep me here while you deal with your family, huh? You annoy me so much. I wish I never met you.”

“My sister’s locked up by my family too, just so you know,” he said, his voice cold but not without a trace of something like regret.

I faltered, the anger in my chest cooling. “You don’t mean it.”

“Oh, I do.” He shrugged, the indifference in his voice cutting. “But she’ll be fine with Grandma. It’s better for her to be there than with your parents.”

Gleb’s gaze hardened as he spoke, his voice low.

“Anna, I know you don’t understand, but you don’t know my family like I do. Grandma... She’s not like the others. She’s ruthless when she needs to be, but she would never let anything happen to her own flesh and blood.”

I frowned, skeptical.

“You sound so sure of her.”

“Because I’ve seen it,” he said, his tone softened but still firm. “She took care of me when I was a child. After my father’s death, she was the one who kept us together, made sure we survived. No one crosses her, but she’s loyal. She’ll protect my sister, just like she protected me.”

I folded my arms, thinking it over. “Drink your coffee.”

“I’d have finished it already if you weren’t here.”

“So I ruined your appetite?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Not really.” He leaned against the counter, his expression unreadable.