Page 22 of His to Own

“Maxim. That’s who. I’m sure Nikolai is in on it as well. This is why I don’t want you spending time with Lana anymore. She is married to that man and a bad influence on you. I not letting you get married without my say. I am choosing the man for you. No one else will make that choice. And you will stay in this room until I find someone.”

“What about school?”

“Who cares about school? You’ll be a wife soon. You don’t need school.” He slams my door shut after he leaves.

After a beat, Adriana slips into my room, quietly shutting the door behind her so Father can’t hear. “What happened?”

“I’m not allowed to go to school. Father wants me here until he can find a husband for me.”

“But you love school. I don’t understand how you can love it but I know you do.”

Because it’s the only thing to get me out of this house and my father just took it from me.

Tears hit me so fast before I can stop them. “I don’t know what to do, Adriana.”

“El…” Her eyes light up. “You should run away.”

“What?”

“You should run away. You’re an adult now. Run away. You don’t need Father controlling your life. Just go. Now.”

“It’s your dream to run away. Not mine.”

“You’re too good, Elena, but for once in your life, be bad. If you want to go to school, then go to school. I know you have friends at your school. Go to one of them. Or go to Lana. You know she’ll protect you. Just get out. While you still can.”

“And go where?”

“Anywhere,” she cries. “Just anywhere but here. Go. Now.”

I think Adriana is crazy sometimes but she’s making sense right now. The urge to run has never hit me this hard.

I round up all my books for school and shove them into my backpack before hurrying out of my room. Father is in his study and Mother is in the kitchen, doing dishes.

Sasha is outside, on guard duty for the night. He’s smoking a cigarette.

“Miss Karetov,” he says.

“Take me to school, Sasha. I need to study.”

“But you normally study in your home at night.”

“I have a study group. We have a project we’re working on. You understand. Please. I need to get a good grade on this.”

Sasha hesitates. “I should let your father know.”

“You’ve known me for a long time, Sasha. Since I was a girl. Just do this for me. Please. I just need this.”

He must be able to sense the desperation in my voice because he eventually nods. “All right. I’ll take you to school.”

The moment my campus comes into view, I feel the weight on my shoulders lift. I have no idea what I’m going to do after this but I’ll figure it out. Right now, I just need to be far away from my father.

I grip the strap of my backpack tight and hurry across campus to the library. Sasha promised he’d remain behind when I was ready to go back home.

Once I’m inside the library and find a small desk hidden at the back behind rows of bookshelves, I feel like I can breathe again. Professor Burgov’s words come back to me. Fight for it.

With that in mind, I open the next book on our reading list. The Brothers Karamazov. I am going to pass the essay due for this one and I will impress Professor Burgov in the process. I want that internship. I have to fight for it.

I can feel the vise tightening around my throat. Maxim killed Sergei to get closer to me. My father is trying to control me even more. I am going to lose myself if I don’t stay steady at school.