Page 72 of The Russian's Stalked Bride
All the while I endure his rough treatment, I can only think of Ivan and his steady hands. The way he swooped in and helped me that day, shielding me against his body while he took down their men. Every day after the fact, even when I hated him, he looked at me like I was something worth protecting. Not something to be traded.
Looking over at him now, Ivan hasn’t taken another step closer, but there’s a raw determination simmering beneath the surface. He’s holding back for my sake, even if he wants to charge forward more than anything.
Even now, while my brothers are becoming more unpredictable, he isn’t trying to rush this. My safety is his priority, which I could never say about my own brothers.
With that lingering in my mind, I brace myself as I hold Carlo’s gaze, not backing down, regardless of how terrified I am. “You never gave me a choice. But if I could choose, I’d pick the man who doesn’t value me based on purity every time.”
I can see that there’s so much more Carlo wants to say, but distant footsteps echo somewhere in the building, causing him to hesitate.
Cesare stiffens and reaches for Carlo’s arm. “Time’s up. We have to go!”
Though even with their window of opportunity rapidly closing, Carlo’s pride seems to war with his survival, taking stock of the situation. Given how he stares at Ivan, expression tight with rage, I know he wants to hurt him. To savor what he thought would be victory, but now, it’s costing them everything.
“Let her go,” Ivan says once again, not taunting or mocking them. Just telling, like he already knows how this will end if they don’t. “Take the chance.”
For the first time, Carlo looks uncertain.
Where the brutal, opportunistic man corrupted by the image he forced himself into still lingers, I catch a glimpse of his younger self. Of the boy who ached for confirmation that he was on the right track, who just wanted to know that Dad was proud of him.
I know that’s not him anymore, even if it pains me to admit it to myself. But at the very least, I can separate the innocent boy from the monster, able to see him for who he really is.
Caught in a room with the men who controlled me and tried to sell my future, and the man who stalked me, forced me to stay, and terrified me in his own way once, I know one thing to be glaringly true.
Only one of them is trying to save me. Only one ever truly cared.
Chapter 27 - Ivan
The longer this goes on, the more my patience frays, piece by piece.
Every second drags into what feels like an hour, and every breath from Mila serves as a reminder of what’s at stake.
Carlo still grips her hard, pinning her in place with conflicting thoughts passing through his furious eyes. I can’t tell if he still wants to take her with him or is looking for a way to somehow salvage his pride if he lets her go, but either way, he’s losing everything fast.
Cesare, holding his own pistol now, keeps glancing between his twin and the door behind them, clearly anxious and wanting to slip away while they still can.
It’s obvious now why they were so fixed on getting Mila back. Of course, the gist of it was easy to assume before, but with everything laid out, there’s no doubting just how screwed they are.
They were supposed to hand Mila over to Maksim, still a virgin and ready for whatever he had planned. In exchange, Maksim would lend his resources to them. But, with Mila’s admission, she has compromised their plan. Rather, we have, without knowing it until now.
With all of that in mind, they don’t have anyone to hand over, and they’ve managed to back themselves into a corner.
“If you want any chance of getting out of here alive, then you'd better make it quick,” I tell them, keeping my posture as poised to act as possible. Though, for as calm as I seem on the outside, it’s taking everything in me not to tear them apart right here. “Just let her go.”
Glancing over to me again, Carlo laughs, but it only carries the heavy weight of the fate he has brought himself. He knows this moment has slipped out of his control, but he still won’t admit it.
“You keep saying that, but look around…you’re still over there, and she’s right here. What reason do I have to keep her alive now?”
Mila’s eyes lock onto mine, wider now and terrified at the implication. For all of her resistance before, there’s something closer to trust tangling in with it, too.
She’s trusting me to fix this. She’s trying so hard to believe my claims before, and I can’t fail her.
“Carlo,” Cesare says a bit louder this time, grabbing his arm as sweat beads at his temple. “We can’t wait.”
“Shut up,” Carlo snaps, shoving his brother off his arm with a hard scowl. He points the gun in my direction with a deliberate movement. “I want him to see it. I want him to watch while I—”
The doors at the opposite end burst open with a flurry of movement as dark figures pour in, catching them both off guard. Even if they knew they only had so much time, that closing window crashed down harder than expected.
Cesare’s face goes pale. “Maksim—”
