Bound by lies, Trapped by Desire - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

Elena’s POV:
Oh god. Not him again.
I wanted to groan. Scream. Do anything but turn around and face him. But the hallway felt like it was closing in, and there was no escaping the inevitable.
So, I turned.
And there he was. Dmitri. Standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of yet another gaudy Adidas tracksuit. As he frowned down at me.
But it wasn’t just him.
Behind Dmitri, like a looming shadow, stood Lazar Morozov. The sight of him was enough to annoy me. His arms were crossed over his chest, his green eyes narrowed. Unlike Dmitri’s ridiculous tracksuit, Lazar was dressed sharply in a black coat, collar popped, hair slicked back.
His gaze locked onto me, unblinking.
“What the hell happened to your hands?”
I opened my mouth, but before I could even get a word out, Nikolai stepped forward, his broad shoulders blocking me from Dmitri’s view.
“That’s none of your business,” Nikolai said, his voice flat and cold. There was no humor there from earlier. Just ice.
Dmitri’s eyes shifted to Nikolai, scanning him up and down like he was something scraped off the bottom of his shoe. His gaze lingered on Nikolai’s attire. A look of disdain twisted Dmitri’s features, and he let out a short, condescending laugh.
“What the hell are you doing here, Nikolai? Dressed like... that?” Dmitri sneered, his eyes glittering with petty malice. “Did the billionaire lose all his fancy suits or are you just trying to look young after marrying a girl eight years your junior?”
Something in me snapped. The way Dmitri said Nikolai’s name, like he was trying to demean him. Maybe it was the way his smirk grew as he looked down at Nikolai’s clothes, like he had any right to judge anyone’s wardrobe when he was wearing that tacky tracksuit.
But I was done keeping the peace.
“At least he doesn’t walk around looking like a washed-up wannabe rapper,” I said, my voice sharp and clear. “Seriously, Dmitri. We’re at a university, not some middle school sports day. You should really start dressing like an adult. Or are you just upset that even while wearing such an outfit your brother looks more of a man than you’ll ever be?”
Dmitri’s eyes widened, his jaw clenching. A muscle in his cheek twitched, and his nostrils flared as he took a step forward. But before he could get another word out, Lazar snorted. The sound was low, almost a chuckle, and when I glanced at him, he was smirking, clearly enjoying the show.
Dmitri’s scowl deepened. “You think you’re so tough now, huh?” he said, leaning forward, his breath hot against my face. “It’s sad, Elena. Really fucking sad. With me, you never got hurt. And with him?” He jerked his chin toward Nikolai, his eyes dropping to my bandaged hands. “Only one week into the marriage and look at you. Pathetic. At least with me…you never got hurt.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my nails digging into my palms through the bandages. His words echoed, hitting me right in the gut, and for a split second, I felt the sting of them.
Because he was wrong. So wrong. I couldn’t help recalling every night I cried alone when people compared me to Dmitri. Calling me a gold digger. And he just laughed when he found out. Defending me, but not taking it seriously. That hurt.
I remembered every missed call, every forgotten date, every lie he spun while he probably might have been fucking someone behind my back. I remembered all the times he made me feel like I was nothing. Like when I found him balls deep inside another woman. And the worst of all? When even now, he didn’t respect me enough to just fucking leave me alone. It hurt.
The anger surged, hot and blinding, and before I knew it, the words were spilling out of me.
“I got hurt plenty of times with you,” I said, my voice shaking but strong. “You just never bothered to notice.”
Dmitri’s eyes narrowed, but I kept going.
“If you were even half the man Nikolai is, you’d have actually reached out. You’d have asked how I was doing. Because in case you missed it, we were in a car accident,” I said, my voice growing louder, harder. “But you wouldn’t care whether I lived or died, would you? You’re too busy chasing skirts and drowning in your own ego. You never gave a damn about me. Not then. Not now. All you care about is your brother one upping you.”
Dmitri’s face darkened, the smugness slipping away to reveal something raw and angry underneath. “One upping me? You're naive if you think Nikolai wouldn’t do the same as me. It has only been a week into your marriage so obviously he’s being your loyal dog. Once a year or so passes, I guarantee you, he’ll leave—-” Before he could finish that sentence Nikolai moved.
One second, Nikolai was standing beside me, calm and composed. The next, he was in Dmitri’s face, one large hand fisted in his collar, slamming him back against the wall with a force that made the nearby lockers rattle.
My heart lurched.
Dmitri’s eyes widened, and for a brief moment, I saw something there that I’d never seen before – fear.
Nikolai leaned in, his face mere inches from Dmitri’s, his eyes dark and dangerous. “I’m not like you, Dmitri,” he said, each word deliberate, precise. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You made your choice. Now live with it. I’m not abandoning Elena. Not like you did. I would never willingly hurt her like you did. So don’t compare me to trash like yourself.”
Dmitri swallowed, his jaw tight. He looked away, his eyes darting around the hallway like he was hoping for someone to step in and save him.
But no one did.
Lazar snorted again, pushing off the wall as he adjusted the collar of his coat. “Jesus Christ, you brother’s,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’re embarrassing yourselves….fighting over a girl?”
But no one paid attention to him.
Nikolai released Dmitri with a shove, stepping back as Dmitri stumbled, his face flushed with humiliation and rage.
I stepped forward, my heart hammering in my chest. I reached for Nikolai’s hand but winced as the movement pulled at the tender skin beneath the bandages. Nikolai’s eyes immediately snapped to mine, concern flashing across his features.
“Let’s go,” I said softly, my voice trembling.
Nikolai’s jaw worked, his chest rising and falling with every heavy breath. He gave Dmitri one last, cold glare before turning away and guiding me toward the exit. I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to. I could feel Dmitri’s eyes burning into the back of my skull, could hear the angry, labored breaths he was taking as we walked away.
We didn’t speak until we reached the car. Nikolai opened the passenger door for me, and I slid inside, my hands resting limply on my lap as he rounded the hood and climbed into the driver’s seat.
For a few seconds, the only sound in the car was our breathing. Heavy. Unsteady. Then, Nikolai gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.
“What the hell was that?” I finally asked, my voice small.
“What do you mean?” Nikolai said, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead, jaw clenched.
“All that... stuff you said to Dmitri,” I said, swallowing thickly. I didn’t know why I was saying all this. “You said you’d never hurt me. That you’d never abandon me.” I hesitated, my heart pounding as I forced myself to look at him. “But... we’re going to divorce after a year, aren’t we? You will leave. You said so yourself.”
Nikolai’s grip tightened on the wheel. His jaw clenched, the muscles ticking beneath his skin. Then, slowly, he turned to me.
My fingers trembled under that look. And all of a sudden, I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to know why he said all that.
“Nevermind you—-”
“What if we don’t?” He cut in.
My breath caught in my throat.
“What... do you mean?” I whispered, my pulse thundering in my ears.
But Nikolai just stared at me, his dark eyes searching mine, like he was looking for something. Or maybe... hoping I’d already found it.