Chapter 14

Dmitry

T he hospital is ready to discharge Victoria, and all I want to do is take her home and care for her like I should have done in the beginning. This is my doing. I've let her down, and it pains me to know I haven't given her what she needed. I promised to show her another way, but all I've done is push her to despair. I need to put this right and take responsibility for getting her well again. Right now, that means getting her the best round-the-clock care. She may not thank me for it now, but one day, one day soon, she will. And I'll never have to let her go again.

I enter her room, offering a weak smile, but she rolls onto her side, putting her back to me. "Victoria, just hear me out," I begin as I make my way around her bed to sit in the empty chair beside her. She closes her eyes. "Tori, please look at me." Her eyes flutter open, and the hurt is evident. My heart stammers in my chest. "I'm doing this for you. You need this. I love you . . . more than life itself, and I can't stand by and watch you hurting yourself." I close my eyes, briefly running my hands through my dishevelled hair. It's been a tiring few days.

Victoria remains silent. "I need you to be okay. This is the right decision. You'll be home before you know it." I reach across and take hold of her hand, sighing with relief when she doesn't pull away. But she remains quiet, her eyes surveying me as she chews on her bottom lip.

"Dmitry," she whispers, and hearing her soften towards me gives me hope. "What if you're wrong?" Her voice wavers, and I squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Victoria, I know right now you don't trust me, and I understand I'm responsible for that, but let me fix this. Let me show you that you can trust me. All I want is to get you back. I don't want to change you. I don't want to mould you to be like Vivian or any other woman. You are mine, but you need help to piece together everything that's broken you." I kiss the back of her hand. "I love you just the way you are, my krasota ."

She lowers her gaze, looking at our entwined hands, and her brows pinch together. "What if they never let me out? Your father is trying to drive a wedge between us. He doesn't approve of me."

I lean in, placing a tender kiss on the end of her nose, and a small smile crosses her lips. "I will never let anyone hurt you. I would rather die than let that happen. I'd kill them all for you."

She scrunches up her nose and lets out a little laugh. "Yet, you're sending me to the nut house?" She arches her brow.

"Yes, my krasota , because I truly believe you need it and I only want what's best for you."

She closes her eyes and inhales sharply. "I hope you're right, Dmitry."

"So, you'll agree? No dramatics?" I smile because I was expecting more of a fight. Maybe she knows she needs this too.

"Yes," she whispers. "Dmitry . . ." She pauses, chewing on her bottom lip again with that worried look on her face. "It doesn't matter." I stroke my hand along her cheek.

"Are you sure?" She closes her eyes, nodding. This went way better than I ever expected it too, and I don't want to push her.

Saying goodbye to Victoria was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The doctors at the hospital signed her over to the care of the private hospital my father arranged, and the deal was done.

And even though her eyes pleaded with me as they led her away, she did what was asked of her with no fuss or chaos. Somehow, it felt wrong to see her so weak and broken.

I'm now sitting at my desk, the guilt of the last few days weighing heavily on my shoulders. The need to concentrate on the business I've neglected recently takes over any opportunity I have for a breather.

I pick up my whiskey while scrolling through my emails, staring at them aimlessly because right now, nothing makes sense. My head is filled only with her.

Marshall knocks at my office door, and I sigh when I see how apprehensive he looks. I know my men are currently walking on eggshells, terrified to set me off. "Come in, Marshall. Take a seat." I nod at the empty chair opposite me as I make my way over to the mini bar. I lift my glass up to him. "Can I get you one?" He nods and takes a seat, rubbing his hands over his tired face. "You look how I feel," I say with a small laugh as I pour the whiskey.

"Thanks, Boss," he answers, a note of sarcasm lacing his words. "The cleanup of the master suite is done. Is she okay?" His voice wavers like he's nervous, but I can't blame him for asking. If it wasn't for him, Victoria would be dead. I owe this man my life.

I hand him the whiskey before making my way round the desk and lowering myself into the seat.

"She will be."

He sighs. I know he doesn't agree with me having her sectioned, but this is my judgement call. Usually, I would shut him straight down, but given the fact that a few days ago he was the only thing between her and death, I give the man some slack.

"Boss," he pauses, looking over his glass at me. "Are you sure?—"

"Marshall, please don't push me on this," I cut in before he can finish.

He knocks back his whiskey, nodding before getting up and leaving the room.

I swirl the whiskey around my glass, watching as the ice cubes bounce around the amber liquid, Victoria's words playing in my head on a loop. ‘And what if you're wrong, Dmitry?'

It's been a couple days since Victoria was sectioned and I'm yet to hear anything from her. Sleeping without her is sending me out of my mind, and that's when I find myself questioning my decision, praying I've made the right call. My head is still very full of her.

I enter V's early evening for yet another meeting with Vivian. She's taken a lot of my time over the recent days. She seems incapable of managing anything herself, even some of the most basic tasks. My father headed back to Russia a few days ago to attend to business, so it feels like I've been left babysitting and stopping her from making a lot of stupid business decisions. The thought of spending any more time here with her already has me wanting to turn around and leave.

I make my way over to Vivian, who's perched on one of the high stools at the bar. She has a whiskey ready for me, and the second she spots me, she slides off the chair elegantly and greets me with a kiss on each cheek.

"Take a seat," she says, smiling as she does the same. "It's wonderful to see you again, Dmitry," she gushes enthusiastically, even though it was only last night that we were together going over the accounts. Apparently, the numbers made no sense to her, but it was like talking to a brick wall, and in true Vivian style, she wanted me to break every damn thing down.

"Morning," I mutter, careful not to show an ounce of interest.

"How are you?" she asks, peering at me over the rim of her glass as she takes a small sip.

"The same as I was yesterday, Vivian." My tone is bored, conveying how I feel about being in her presence again.

"Heard anything from . . ." she waves her arms around as if trying to remember her name, even though she damn well knows it.

"Victoria," I answer, taking a sip of my own drink and allowing the amber liquor to take away the stress of not knowing how she's doing.

"That's the one," she says, placing her glass back on the bar.

"I'm hoping to check in with her after our meeting, not that it's any of your business."

"Oh, right," she frowns. "Is that a wise idea, Dmitry?" she questions, raising my hackles immediately.

"And why would it not be?"

"Well, given the reason she's in there, maybe it would be more beneficial for her to find her feet," she says.

I laugh at her audacity to dare show concern when she's made it very clear how she feels about Victoria. "All of a sudden, everyone seems to be an expert in these matters." I run my fingers over the rim of my glass with a sinking feeling in my gut. I don't need any more doubts planted in my mind, even though I know everything I've done is for her welfare.

"We're only looking out for you, Dmitry." She reaches over to where my hand lays on the bar and gently caresses it. I snatch it away, taking my glass and draining the contents.

Tori

I'm awoken by cold water being thrown over my body. I shiver involuntarily, gasping as the coldness steals my breath. I force my heavy eyes open, but it's too hard and I give up. The last thing I remember is being loaded into an ambulance to be transferred to a mental health facility. Marshall promised he'd get me out, but even knowing that didn't calm the terror I felt when leaving Dmitry behind.

My attention is drawn right back to the present when a hard slap connects with my cheek. The sting burns in a way I've never felt before, like everything is extra sensitive. I try to pull my arms up to my face to figure out if I'm bleeding, but there's resistance on my wrists. It's then I realise my hands are tied behind my back.

"Wakey, wakey." It's a woman's voice, and as the venomous tone penetrates my brain, I realise I recognise it. I force my eyes open and find everything around me is fuzzy, but when the haze begins to lift, I see Vivian standing in front of me, sneering her sinister smile.

Panic begins to fill me, and I glance around, trying to figure out where the hell I am. I soon realise I'm tied to a chair. A slither of light shines through a crack in the curtains. The room is bare, and the floorboard creaks beneath her as she steps closer to me, delivering another hard slap to my face. I bite the inside of my cheek, preventing me from screaming profanities at her given that I'm not in any position to protect myself from her onslaught. The all too familiar metallic taste fills my mouth, and I feel a sense of ease wash over me.

"What's the matter, Tori? You're certainly very quiet now you don't have your bulldog to protect you," she sneers.

"Why don't you untie me and see how fucking quiet I am?" I hiss, adding a wink to try and show I'm not as scared as she wants me to be, even though I am well aware she holds my life in her hands.

She throws her head back and cackles. "Yeah, sure thing."

"You realise when Dmitry finds out I'm not where I'm supposed to be, he'll come looking for me, don't you?"

"Oh, hunny, you clearly didn't get the memo. You've been out of it for a couple days already, and he hasn't even asked about you. So, I wouldn't be overly confident about that, but don't you worry that messed-up little head of yours—I'll take care of him for you."

My jaw twitches as I digest what she's saying. How the hell could I have been out of it for the last two days? He must be looking for me . . . right? Surely, he wouldn't go through all this trouble just to get rid of me when I wanted to walk away anyway. She grins at me, clearly revelling in my frustration. I pull on the restraints, hoping they'll give just a little so I can wipe that smug look off the bitch's face.

"It's been a while since I visited the dungeon, but I remember every fantasy of his. And I'll take great pleasure in deleting every memory of you from that room and his mind," she hisses as she leans into my ear. I push myself forward on the chair, hoping to connect with her but with little luck.

"Nuh-uh-uh. No, you don't. I can't have this beautiful face marked for my Master," she chimes, wrapping a stray curl around her finger.

"Fuck you, Vivian," I spit. "You were just a piece of ass to keep his cock warm for a while. What he has with me is real. He loves me."

I can see I've hit a nerve as her lips form a firm line and she reaches her hand back to slap me again. It's then that another figure comes into view behind her and grabs her wrist, halting it mid-air.

"Enough," he barks.

A shiver runs down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. I'd know that voice anywhere. He steps into the small slither of light, and sure enough, my fears are confirmed. It's Vladimir.

Vivian sighs, dropping her hand. I swallow hard at the realisation that this isn't just some psycho ex having a bit of a jealous rage. My heart beats aggressively in my chest as his menacing figure towers over me. His stoic stare goes right through me. I can't show him weakness, so I square my shoulders as much as my restraints will allow and jut out my chin like I've always done.

His jaw twitches at my defiance before he replaces it with a cruel smile, and I falter momentarily before taking a breath. "How lovely to see you, Mr. Volkov, but you really didn't need to go to this much trouble." My tone drips in sarcasm.

"Even tied up, you still don't know when to keep your fucking mouth shut," he growls, and I smile at him sweetly.

"I'd like to assure you I've had pricks like you in and out my life since the day I was born, so I'm an expert at running my mouth."

Vladimir scoffs and circles behind me. I try to follow him with a watchful eye, but the restraints won't allow me to. He grips my hair at the roots, tipping my head back painfully. I seethe as pain radiates down my neck.

I feel his warm breath in my ear before he even says a word. "That's right, isn't it, you dirty little slut? You killed your brother and used my boy to clean up your fucking mess."

My eyes widen in panic at learning his father and Vivian have been aware of Marcus's death this entire time. Marshall was right back at the hospital, and now, there is nothing that can be done about it. I quash my racing thoughts because I have to deal with this situation the best way I know how. I laugh out loud, and he frowns before releasing my hair.

"Something funny, you dumb bitch?" Vivian screeches.

"Yes," I snigger. "I just realised I'm not actually crazy. You bastards have been setting me up from the start."

She rolls her eyes in irritation. "Can't we just fucking end her, Vladimir? This is taking too long."

Vladimir stands in front of me and removes his jacket, handing it to Vivian. He pulls out a knife, which catches the stream of light and glints dangerously. Fear rips through me, but I force myself to appear calm while slightly moving my head back away from the blade. He leans closer, pressing it against my neck. He applies enough pressure to nick the delicate skin, and I wince. Vivian moves behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders so I can't move away from the knife. "Any final words, whore?" she snipes.

"Actually," I say, and she outwardly groans as I look Vladimir dead in the eyes, "just one thing." My throat constricts and my voice breaks slightly as emotion threatens to make an appearance. "You'll need to tell Dmitry that not only have you killed his wife-to-be, but you're also responsible for killing his child." I close my eyes as a tear falls, and I will myself to be stronger.

A scream leaves Vivian, cutting through the silence around us. "You're fucking lying," she spits, losing all composure.

"I'm sure you can get my medical records seeing as you managed to have me discharged into the bogus care of a hospital that doesn't even fucking exist." I look around and groan. "Where the hell am I, anyway?"

The blade scratches the surface of my skin again, and I feel wetness along my neck, dripping down my collarbone. I close my eyes briefly then fix them back to Vladimir. He looks as if he's battling with himself as he considers his options, but I remain silent, daring him to end the life of his grandchild. He suddenly pulls away the blade and tucks it back into his jacket pocket.

"What are you doing?" screams Vivian.

"We can't kill her until I know for certain she isn't carrying an heir to my throne," he grits out through clenched teeth.

I close my eyes in relief. Why didn't I tell Dmitry before I left? I was so close, but after everything, I was terrified he'd think I'd done it to trap him. After the doctors ran my bloods, they broke the news to me, but I pulled the patient confidentiality card because there was no way I wanted Dmitry to find out until I'd sorted my head. He lied to me, and I was doubting everything we ever had. How could I dump the baby news on him and expect him to let me leave?

And now, here I am in this fucked-up situation, wanting nothing more than for him to burst through the doors and tell me it was all a mistake, that he was wrong.

I drop my head and close my eyes as tears begin to flow. I can't let them see they're getting to me. Come on, Tori, you've been through worse than this. I mentally scold myself in the hope I can bide enough time to get myself out of this situation because, surely, Marshall will come through for me. He's my only hope.