Page 38 of Sweet Deception

I had heard rumors about his mother, but...

“Gleb had a lover?”

Zoya opened her mouth to respond, but her phone rang again.

She answered immediately. “Gleb, I’ve been trying to reach you. Your uncle, Antonio, came here and...” Her voice shook with fury. “He did more harm than you can imagine.”

I couldn’t hear Gleb’s response, but Zoya’s expression remained tense. “How soon can you get here?” A pause. “...Because he promised he’d be back.”

She hung up, pressing her lips into a tight line.

I swallowed hard. “What did he say?”

She hesitated, her fingers fidgeting.

She walked to the couch and sat down, staring at nothing.

“Zoya.” My pulse pounded in my ears. “What did he say?”

She rubbed her temple. “He said not to bother leaving. He’ll be here soon.”

My hands clenched around the bedsheets. “I wonder what kind of man disappears without telling his wife where he’s going.

A few minutes later, my chest tightened as I glanced at the door, bracing for the worst.

Gleb had better get here first.

Because if Antonio came back before him...

I wouldn’t survive a second time.

Chapter 9

ANNA

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The door opened, and my heart jumped. My breath caught as I watched, every muscle in my body tensed. But when Gleb stepped inside, relief flooded through me. He dropped the box he was holding by his side, his gaze settling on me for a long, unreadable moment before shifting to Zoya, who had already risen to her feet.

“Thank God you’re here, Gleb,” Zoya said, taking a step forward.

“You’ll give me the details later,” he replied, his voice calm but laced with something darker.

Zoya nodded. “Of course.” Then, without another word, she left the room.

Gleb walked toward me, his every step slow, deliberate. When he reached me, he tilted my chin up with his fingers. His expression remained unreadable, his dark eyes a mask I couldn’t penetrate.

“Your uncle said he’s coming back for me,” I whispered, desperate, “Please, help me. I don’t want him to take me. I’m scared. He said he’d let other men take turns on me.” My voice cracked as I repeated Antonio’s sickening threat.

His hand slid to the side of my head, his fingers brushing against the raw, open wound. “My uncle did this to you?” His voice was barely more than a whisper, but the menace beneath it sent a shiver down my spine.

I nodded. My throat felt tight, my emotions raw.

He stood, running a hand down his face, as if trying to shake off the rage simmering inside him. Then, as if rememberingsomething, he turned back and pulled a box from his pocket. “I couldn’t find the Italian cheese you like anywhere in Russia.” His voice was quieter now. “Mexico had it.”

I blinked. “You... you went all that way for me?”

He exhaled sharply, setting the box on my lap without answering. His gaze darkened again.