Bound by lies Trapped by Desire (Elena and Nikolai) novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Elena’s POV:

A fresh wave of self–loathing washed over me. I hated it. I hated him for his manipulative games, and I hated myself for even momentarily considering his twisted offer.

My hands trembled as I typed out a furious reply. “Fuck you.” But the words felt hollow, insufficient to convey the depth of my disgust. With a frustrated sigh, I backspaced, deleting the impulsive message, and simply closed my phone, staring into the darkness of the room.

I slowly got out of bed, my limbs feeling heavy and unresponsive, and moved towards the digital clock on the nightstand. Five am. It was early morning on a Saturday. No work today or tomorrow.

With a sense of weary resignation, I made my way to the small bathroom. I turned on the shower, letting the hot water beat down on my tense muscles for a few minutes, then pulled on a comfortable turtleneck sweater and a pair of well- worn jeans.

My stomach rumbled softly. Right, I didn’t even eat dinner last night.

I headed to the kitchen to prepare a simple breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just waffles. Haruki had a waffle machine so it

was pretty quick.

The door to Shinichiro’s room clicked open, and he walked out, a soft yawn escaping his lips. Dark circles shadowed his

eyes.

I frowned. “Did you not sleep well?” I asked gently. He quirked a brow, looking me up and down. “Look who’s talking, have

you looked in the mirror?” He said, and I pursed my lips, unable to fully return his teasing smile.

I sighed. “Come on, I made breakfast. Make sure to take some paracetamol with you before you leave… just in case you catch a fever. The weather’s been so unpredictable lately. If you feel sick at all and want to come home early from your field trip, just call me, and I’ll come and get you, okay?”

“Okay, Mom.” He rolled his eyes, but then he sat down at the kitchen island, the sarcasm fading. “You’re going back to Velhaven today?” He asked, and I paused, a slight hesitation before nodding.

“Yeah. Nothing much for me to do here,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. He looked at me, his gaze perceptive, and said, “You sure that’s the real reason?” His question hung in the air, and my silence was all the answer he needed, earning me a

soft, knowing sigh from him.

We ate our simple breakfast in comfortable silence, the clinking of our forks against the plates the only sound in the kitchen. Then, he got busy getting ready for his school field trip while I talked to Haruki over the phone, giving him a brief update on Shinichiro’s well–being and his plans for the day. Afterwards, I busied myself packing my small handbag for the

trip back to Velhaven.

I pulled on my overcoat, and then slowly pulled my hair into a braid. It had been a long time since I had worn my hair like this, each attempt before today having been met with an unwelcome rush of memories of Nikolai’s lingering gaze.

‘You look good in a braid.‘ The words he’d said echoed in my mind.

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14.10

Wed, 30 Jul

Chapter 134

But today, for some reason, I didn’t mind having him on my mind. It was a far less painful thought than the alternatives that had been plaguing me.

I looked at my reflection dazedly in the small mirror in the hallway. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, snapping me out of my reverie, and I glanced at the caller ID. Sergei Morozov,

I clenched my teeth, a surge of annoyance and anger washing over me. I desperately wanted to decline the call, but a morbid curiosity, and a nagging sense of obligation towards Mielle, ultimately made me answer.

I stayed silent, my jaw tight, as the person on the other end of the line spoke, his voice smooth and laced with a smug satisfaction. “And here I thought you were the type of woman who bent over backwards for the people you cared about. Looks like I might have misjudged your dedication.”

“What the hell did you call me for, Mr. Morozov?” I gritted out, ignoring his petty barb. He had absolutely no right to talk to me that way, to judge my actions. He was nothing more to me than a sperm donor.

“Well, I was just idly wondering what scathing reply you had typed out to my earlier message but ultimately didn’t decide. to send, dochenka. Let me take a wild guess. Something along the lines of ‘fuck you‘?” Sergei taunted, his voice dripping with a condescending amusement that made my anger flare anew. I scoffed.

“I’m cutting this call.” I said, my finger hovering over the end call button, ready to sever the connection, only to freeze at his next words, his tone shifting, becoming suddenly serious.

“My offer is still valid, Elena. Come meet me just once. That’s all I ask. And not only will you finally be able to get some semblance of justice for your friend, Mielle, but I can also bring to light the complete truth about what happened eight years ago… and how your ex–fiancé ended up being responsible for the deaths of three innocent people.” He said, and my heart leaped in my chest.

But then I frowned.

“You… you want me to go against the Vetrov family? They’re rich and powerful… it doesn’t matter what I do, even if all of Dmitri’s crimes come to light, he’ll likely end up getting off with a ridiculously lenient sentence. I might end up ruining my own life in the process, inviting their considerable wrath down upon myself…and my mother.” I said. I didn’t have some heroic savior complex, even if I felt like a coward for not acting.

A low chuckle rumbled through the phone line. “You are Sergei Morozov’s daughter, Elena. Even if you refuse to acknowledge it publicly, it’s an undeniable fact. No one, and I mean absolutely no one in this city, is going to be able to touch even a single strand of your hair. On the contrary, my dear, you seem to be forgetting that the Vetrovs, for all their considerable wealth, aren’t even in the same league as the Morozovs. If you so much as utter one word, give me the go- ahead, I can command an army of men to silently… remove the entire Vetrov family from the picture overnight.” A chill, sharp and terrifying, ran down my spine at his casual, cold–blooded words. Then his tone shifted again, becoming softer,

almost paternal.

“However… I’m not a complete brute. I’m not a bad person, not entirely. I admit to my past wrongdoings… what happened to George, your stepfather, was regrettable, and I’m not asking you to forgive me for it. But let me at least try to make some amends. Let me help you. You won’t lose anything in this, I assure you… and instead, you will only gain

s a loyal friend who respect, admiration. You’ll clear your own name from those ridiculous rumors, people will deem bravely helped an innocent girl get justice. And not only that…” His voice turned persuasive, almo.. ily. “Don’t you still feel a burning anger towards how Dmitri so carelessly cheated on you? Is simply marrying his older brother really enough revenge for such a deep betrayal, dochenka? You only ended up getting used by Nikolai in his own twisted games-”

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14:15 Wed, 30 Jul

Chapter 134

“Enough.” I said firmly, cutting him off mid–sentence, my hand shaking as I gripped the phone.

AD