Page 262 of Hate to Love You

It feels and smells damp and musky.

I can hear birds outside, and the sound of men chatting as they kick up gravel.

I’m sitting in a metal chair.

The blindfold is covering my eyes and nose, making my face feel hot.

“Awww look! Our guest is awake,” comes a shrill feminine voice to my right.

…A voice with a Russian accent.

“She’s a pretty one, ma’am, do we get to play with her?” Another voice, this one male, comes from my left, his tone instantly making me cringe, my stomach twisting.

I know that voice.

Heels click against the concrete floor, echoing off the walls.

I straighten as much as I can in my chair, but my arms are pinned behind my back, tied tightly with something that is painfully digging into my skin.

“Not yet,” she chuckles viciously. “First, I need to have a little chat with my brother’s new toy.”

Wait a minute…brother’s new toy?

My thoughts are interrupted as the blindfold is pulled from my head. I groan as it catches in my hair, yanking it painfully and snapping my head back.

The light is blinding, and it takes me a few seconds to adjust.

But that’s when I see him.

No. It can’t be.

My chest tightens, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek, my mind instantly recalling every past interaction, looking for signs I must’ve missed.

Trying to find any reason that he would do this.

“Why?” I choke, my voice rough, strangled by the suffocating feeling of betrayal.

He shrugs, smirking at me.

Only, it’s not sweet Teddy that answers.

“You silly little girl. You killed my husband,” she laughs, the edge in it sharp enough to slice the air.Polina glares at me, her gun held loosely in her hand.

“He…” I clear my throat, “he was cheating on you. He had a mistress!” I state, keeping my eyes focused on hers.

Taking a deep breath, I stare at her.

“He disrespected you,” I continue. “He even did it in your house! She was in the cupboard when you came home!”

“Oh, Abigail, I know.”

“He probably fuck—wait…what?” I blink at her, my head cocked to one side.

“I already know that bitch was in the cupboard,” she snorts, narrowing her eyes at me and licking her lip. “Because I put the little bitch there. She knew what she signed up for when I picked her.”

“You… picked his mistress?”

“I picked our mistress,” she grins wickedly. “I always prefer the young and desperate ones. And, of course, her fantastic fertility results helped too.”