Page 22 of Sweet Deception (Savage Vow #2)

Her tone softened, almost maternal. “I understand, my dear. Your sister is there now, and there’s no reason for you to stay. At least it’s fortunate he hasn’t consummated your marriage.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my head pounding. “Okay, Mom.”

“Talk to you later.”

But I wasn’t done. “Mom...” My voice caught in my throat. “Is Gleb’s sister really with you?”

There was a pause before she answered, “With your father, yes.”

I swallowed hard. “Mom, do you realize what Dad is doing to her?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Anna. She knew what she was getting into.”

I felt a wave of nausea. “He’s forcing her against her will. I saw the video.”

“She gave her consent.”

A cold chill spread through my chest. My stomach twisted violently. “Mom... I never knew this side of Dad.”

She chuckled lightly, as if amused by my na?veté. “This is how the mafia works, my dear. Your husband will do the same in time.”

I felt sick. “How can you be so comfortable with this?”

She didn’t answer.

I gritted my teeth. “Please, talk to Dad. Ask him to let the lady go.”

“And what about your cousins and brother? Did you forget they’re being held over there?”

My heart plummeted. I gripped the edge of the table for support. “Do you think he’ll let her go if I convince Gleb to release them?”

“I can’t speak for him.” She added, her voice distant, “When you come back, you can talk to your father about it.”

Talk? As if I’ll ever see him the same way again.

I didn’t know who scared me more, my husband’s family or my own.

“You’ll see, Anna. Once you’re back where you belong, everything will make sense.” She said softly.

“I don’t think it ever will.”

She chuckled, her tone unnervingly calm “That’s what your sister said too. Look where she ended up.”

The line went dead before I could respond.

I rested my head on the table, my body too heavy to move. The pressure, the suffocating weight of it all, was crushing me. I doubted I could even stand right now. It wasn’t just emotional anymore, it was physical.

But I had to leave. I had to get out of here. Maybe disappear to some island, far away from all of this.

A light tap on my shoulder made me flinch. I looked up to see Zoya. She pulled out a chair and sat down beside me, her eyes searching mine.

“Sad?”

I exhaled, staring at the floor. “I’m just tired. Tired of everything, Zoya.” My voice was hoarse. “Just last year, I was a teenager, happy, getting everything I ever wanted. Now? Ever since I came here, my life has spiraled into something I don’t even recognize.”

“So what do you intend to do?” she asked.

I hesitated before answering. “I want to leave. And I don’t mean running back to my parents. They’re worse than I ever imagined.” I swallowed, unsure if I could trust her, but at this point, I had no one else.

“I just need somewhere safe, somewhere I can rebuild my life.”

“Staying here...” A lump formed in my throat but I pushed it down. “I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Zoya shook her head slowly. “You’re giving up on Gleb already?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Giving up on Gleb? He’s the one who gave up on me a long time ago.”

She sighed. “No. You just don’t know him yet.”

I scoffed. “I know enough.”

She leaned forward, voice firm. “Listen to me. I’ll advise you like I would a friend.”

I stilled.

Zoya had never spoken to me like this before.

“Both your families are broken. But you and Gleb? You’re not like them.”

Zoya’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Don’t leave him, Anna. Be strong. Fight for this.”

I blinked, startled by her conviction. “Fight for what? For a man who loathes me? Who sees me as nothing more than an object?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “He told me he would never love me. That he would never let me go, either.”

Zoya sighed, “That man is his own worst enemy.”

“And I’m his prisoner.” I said bitterly.

“No, you’re not. And he’s not as unfeeling as he wants you to think.”

I frowned, but Zoya pressed on. “Did you know Gleb used to sneak food to the kitchen maids when we were starving under his grandmother’s rule? He was a child, and he still found ways to help others, even if it meant getting punished.”

I stared at her, heart tightening. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because people don’t change that much. You think he’s this cold, heartless man? He’s not. He’s just scared. And if you leave, you’ll prove to him that love, real love, isn’t worth fighting for.”

My grip tightened around the cup. I realized, maybe Zoya is right. Maybe Gleb isn’t lost yet.

My mind reeled back to all the moments I had brushed off, how protective he had been, how he canceled meetings just to bring me pizza on a private jet, how he bathed me when I needed help, how he let me interrupt his million-dollar deals without consequence.

Those weren’t the actions of a man who loathed me.

Was I really making the right choice by running?

If I left, Gleb might have no choice but to marry Maria.

Maria never hesitated to follow orders. If our father told her to slit Gleb’s throat in his sleep, she would. She had always been our father’s most obedient soldier, and I had no doubt that, given the chance, she would take everything from me.

“Anna...” Zoya called gently.

I sighed, “His sister is with my father. He won’t be himself knowing my father is... is hurting her.” My voice wavered. “How will he sleep? How will he even look at me, the daughter of the man who’s destroying his sister? The daughter of the woman who murdered his mother?”

Elisabetta reached for my hand. “Talk to him, Anna. Make him trust you. He always handles things alone, but this time, he can’t. Not without you. And not without Maria.”

I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Zoya.”

She patted my hand before standing. “Let me check what’s burning in the kitchen.”

I watched her walk away, her words still ringing in my ears.

Could I fight for this marriage?

For Gleb?

For us?