Bound by lies, Trapped by Desire - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

Elena’s POV:
My chest ached, but I smiled anyway.
I had no idea why I expected anything different. Of course Nikolai’s father would greet his son and act like I didn’t exist. The man barely glanced my way, even as I stood there beside his son. I could feel the stiffness of my spine as I smiled through it—like I wasn’t entirely invisible.
We moved on, Nikolai pressing a kiss to the side of my temple, his fingers curling tighter around mine, and I knew—he’d noticed. He noticed everything. His hand hovered at the small of my back as we passed other guests, but I shook my head before he could ask.
“I’m fine,” I murmured, my voice tight. “It’s okay.”
He didn’t believe me. I could see it in the furrow of his brow, the way his jaw ticked, but he didn’t argue. Not here. Not now.
People looked at me like I didn’t belong. Like I was a charity case in a glittering red gown, desperately trying to play princess. Some of the women smiled too wide. Some of the men didn’t bother hiding their confusion. I was nothing more than a curiosity. A scandalous footnote to a bigger story—The woman who was supposed to marry Dmitri, but ended up with his older richer brother.
I thought I could handle it. I really thought I could. But my skin was beginning to crawl.
Then one man—old, slick hair, the kind of leathery tan that came from yachts and ego—walked straight up to us. His gaze was bold, unapologetic, crawling all over me with a leer that made my stomach twist.
“Well, well,” he said, eyes still fixed to my chest. “Now it makes sense. I always thought it was strange—engaged to Dmitri, and then suddenly the wife of his brother. But now I see. You’re even beautiful in person.”
He laughed, loud and gross. And I knew he hadn’t meant beautiful in any other way but degrading.
Every eye within earshot turned to us.
Nikolai didn’t say a word at first. But I felt his hand on my waist clench—tight. Possessive. Dangerous.
Then he spoke, voice quiet but glinting with ice. “I don’t appreciate you disrespecting my wife like that Phillipe. You should go back to your own. She seems to be looking over here…”
The man gave a hollow chuckle, like he’d been caught but thought it was funny anyway. “Touchy. Come on, Nikolai, I was just—”
“I wasn’t joking,” Nikolai said flatly. “You don’t want to push me right now.”
The man muttered something and walked off, still chuckling to himself like he hadn’t just been warned by someone capable of breaking his spine in half.
But the damage was done.
My stomach felt hollow. I hated the way I felt—small, disgusting, exposed. I hated the way people were still looking at me, and most of all, I hated that I was letting it get to me. This wasn’t me. I’d always been confident, even if I didn’t always have much. So why was I letting them make me feel like this?
I forced a tight smile up at Nikolai. “I need the bathroom,” I said quickly. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Elena—” he reached for me, but I pulled gently away.
“I’m fine. Really.”
He didn’t believe that either.
The hallway was quiet as I slipped away, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The bathroom had a line, so I kept walking toward the private suites at the end of the corridor. I just wanted to breathe, to hide for a second. Maybe even change.
After what felt like forever, I stepped out again, wiping beneath my eyes just in case. I didn’t cry—but I’d felt close. Too close.
I turned a corner—and walked straight into someone.
The scent hit me first. Familiar. Leather. Smoky cologne and cigarettes, a combination of scents I’d known too well once. I felt my chest jolt and my heart stutter.
Great. Just what I needed.
I looked up.
Dmitri.
His gaze locked onto mine, intense. There was no smile. No remorse. Just heat—and something else. Something darker.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, trying to move past him.
But his hand caught my shoulder.
Hard.
“Let go,” I snapped, yanking back. I winced as he shoved me back a step, pushing me against the wall. My spine slammed into it, and I gasped at the pressure.
What the hell—?
Dmitri was strong. I’d never noticed before. He’d never been this rough. Not with me. And after seeing his ass get beat by Nikolai, I had started assuming he just wasn’t that tough.
“Get off me,” I hissed, my voice rising.
His eyes roamed over me like he owned me. “You really think Nikolai’s some kind of knight in shining armor?” His voice was low, mocking. “You think he married you because he loves you?”
I didn’t answer.
“Do you really think he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart?” He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my cheek. “There’s something in it for him. There’s always something.”
I stared at him. My stomach twisted.
I knew that. Of course I knew that.
But…
But Nikolai was different. Or at least, he acted different. He liked being at my place. He was weirdly affectionate. He asked questions. He listened. He cared in his own gruff, twisted way. That wasn’t part of the contract.
“You made a mistake, Elena,” Dmitri went on. “You think he can love you the way I did?”
I scoffed. “You didn’t love me.”
His jaw twitched.
“If you loved me,” I continued, “you wouldn’t have cheated.”
That shut him up.
Whatever spell he’d been under cracked, just slightly. But I wasn’t done.
“You don’t get to do this,” I hissed. “You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to talk to me. You don’t get to act like I belong to you. Because I don’t. Not anymore.”
I shoved him—hard—and he stumbled back. I finally gained a semblance of control over myself.
“Nikolai may be a lot of things,” I said, my voice sharp, “but at least he’s not a goddamn liar.” and I realized that I trusted him way more than I ever trusted Dmitri. Because Nikolai? He’d always been upfront. He didn’t hide the fact that he was interested in me, nor did he hide the fact that once he fucked me enough, he’d get over me. He didn’t hide anything and he didn’t betray me. That was enough. More than enough to prove he was more believable than Dmitri.
Then I turned, giving him one last glare as I walked away, without looking back.
When I returned to the hall, Nikolai was scanning the crowd. His eyes lit up the second he saw me, but the relief was quickly replaced by worry as I approached.
“Elena?” His hand reached out instantly, resting gently on my waist.
“I’m fine,” I murmured, leaning into him a little more than I meant to. I didn’t want to talk about it—not here, not now.
We didn’t stay long, though. Nikolai brought me over to greet and congratulate a few of his partners and investors.
The CEO and person who were hosting this banquet were definitely more inviting than the guests I’d seen earlier. Maybe it was because they had a good relationship with Nikolai, but they didn’t treat me like air, nor did they take me for a hired escort and leer at me.
Dinner was polite. Tense. As soon as the last course was cleared, Nikolai made our excuses and ushered me back to the limo.
The silence inside was thick.
He waited until we were halfway to the hotel before speaking.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was quiet. Raw. “About my father. About everything.”
I glanced at him. He looked tired—angry in that quiet way of his.
“It’s not your fault,” I whispered.
“It is,” he replied. “He knows what he’s doing. So do the rest of them.”
I reached for his hand, twining our fingers. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t. But he needed to hear it.
Back at the hotel, we slipped into the suite we’d checked into earlier that morning before we’d gone to attend the opening ceremony of one of Nikolai’s store branches.
We were both obviously exhausted after the tense day.
Nikolai moved into the bathroom without a word, the door clicking shut behind him. I heard the shower start moments later.
I stood in the center of the room, pulling off my earrings. The rhinestones on the dress shimmered as I moved, catching the light, hugging curves. My skin still burned from Dmitri’s touch. My chest still ached from the things he said.
And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nikolai. The way he’d stood up for me in front of Phillipe. The way he’d looked at me when I returned, like I was the only thing that mattered.
Maybe this wasn’t just about the contract.
Maybe—maybe he actually liked me.
I bit my lip.
If I let myself believe that…what then?
I couldn’t trust that hope. I didn’t want to. But it was there, anyway, fluttering in my chest like some desperate thing trying to escape.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I crossed the room and walked to the bathroom door. I raised my hand and knocked.
A pause.
Then his voice, muffled through the sound of water. “Yeah?”
I swallowed. “C-can I join you?”
I heard footsteps. The door yanked open faster than I could breathe.
Nikolai stood there, completely naked, hair wet and sticking to his forehead, water dripping down his chest.
His eyes were gleaming.
“If I ever say no to that question,” he murmured, pulling me inside, “you best believe I’ve gone insane.”
Then he pinned me against the shower door and kissed me like he’d been waiting his entire life to do it.