I woke up to an empty bed. Frowning, I looked to my side and saw that his side was still perfectly made, showing that he never came to bed last night, not even for a few hours.

Disappointment filled my body, making me sag my shoulders.

I waited for him last night for hours. He went out with his uncle and came back later at night. When I went to his study to talk to him, Scott didn't let me enter, he told me that Nikolai was busy and didn't have time. Scott also sounded so brusque, for a second there, he felt like a stranger, a cold stranger that I don't know anything about. 

I caught a glimpse of him from the half-opened door, he was reclining back in his seat smoking a cigar. He had time for a smoke but didn't have a few seconds to spare to see me. How can he be so busy that he doesn't even have a few seconds to talk to his wife?

A knock on the door resounded in the room, I tossed aside the duvet and made my way to it. A maid stood outside, she was one of the cleaners that come and goes daily.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to pick up a suit for Don Niko."

I furrowed my eyebrow and opened the door wide for her to enter. She nodded with a smile and headed towards the walk-in closet.

I followed behind her and saw her picking out the first suit, "Where is Nikolai?"

"Downstairs," she responded while looking for socks and ties.

"Get aside," I told her and opened the drawers that had his ties and then the other drawer that had socks. I handed them to her, "What is he doing?"

She hesitated for a second as if she was scared to tell me, "He took a shower and then asked me to bring him a clean suit."

Both of my eyebrows went up, "He took a shower? Where?"

She shifted her weight from one foot to another and kept glancing at the door, "In the guest bath..."

"Guest bath, why would he shower in the guest bath? He could have come up here—"

"He slept in the guestroom last night, madam."

So, he did go to bed last night... just not with me. I could help the sinking feeling I felt in my chest. I couldn't make sense of his behavior.

Was it because I told him to not touch me or talk to me until he confesses his feelings for me? Is that why he was acting this way? That's exactly the reason I wanted to talk to him. Bianca was right, it was not wise or fair to force Nikolai to confess, he can do it, in his own time, in his own way because all this is torture and it's not gonna end any time soon. We'll go back and forth again and again if I keep fighting him for it.

"Ma'am, I really have to go, Don Niko would get mad at me."

"Give his clothes to me," I said.

Her face visibly whitened as if I have asked for her life. She shook her head, "No, madam, I can take the clothes—"

"I will take them to him."

"But Don Niko told me to not let you—" she cut herself off mid-sentence and tried to walk past me but I held her elbow.

"Not let me what?"

"Madam, please..."

"Not let me what?"

"He thought you'd still be asleep, he said do not let her know..."

My hand dropped from her elbow. Nikolai was ignoring me on purpose. He was ignoring me because I had told him not to touch or talk to me until he confesses. He didn't want to confess his feelings, that's why he was avoiding me...

Was it that difficult to love me?

"Madam, can I please go now?"

I looked at the maid and nodded, stepping out of her way as she almost ran out of the closet. I kept standing in the closet... it hurt that he had to go to these lengths to avoid me, just so he doesn't have to say he loves me. Maybe, he doesn't love me and I was just reading too much into his words that I thought he did and just didn't want to admit.

He can't do this. We can't live like this. This is not how you handle a relationship, you don't run from it. That's not how a relationship works...

I grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I did it all so fast just so, I can go downstairs and have a talk with Nikolai.

Once, I was dressed, I went downstairs and walked straight to the guestroom, I went inside the room and found it empty. Nikolai's watch was laying on the nightstand, bed was ruffled from one side. I swallowed and squeezed my eyes shut. I checked the bathroom and it was empty as well.

I made my way out of the room and then headed towards the dining table to see if Nikolai was having breakfast but no, he wasn't there as well.

I heard the guttural sound of the car's engine starting and my stomach sank to my feet. I hastily went outside and stilled when I saw him. He was talking to his cousin Dimitri.

He was dressed in the suit that the maid had brought him, sunglasses covered his blue eyes, and his hair was combed back neatly.

I wanted to touch him, talk to him, maybe kiss him...

I really missed him...

They seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation but then Dimitri's eyes fell on me and a flirtatious smile pulled on his lips. He said something to Nikolai whose eyes were on his phone, Nikolai looked up at him, and then his face snapped in my direction; his glare knocked the wind out of my lungs, making me a little unsteady on my feet.

Dimitri leaned towards him slightly and whispered something that made Nikolai laugh a little and he slapped a hand over his chest, to which Dimitri raised his hands in the air in a surrendering manner.

I expected him to come over to me, so I could get a chance to talk to him, instead, Nikolai just sat in the car with Dimitri. I watched the back of the car as it drove out of the gates.

I inhaled sharply and dialed his number. He can't ignore me forever, he should at least talk to me. He was the only person in my life, I will go crazy if this went on like this for a few more days. He didn't pick up, he didn't even bother to reply to any of my text messages.

I went to the kitchen to get something to eat and saw an envelope laying on the counter with my name on it. I picked it up and ripped the top open and pulled the papers out. It was from the college, it was about the start of the new semester and everything else that was inferred to the readmission.

A smile made its way to my lips but then it got wiped off as I remembered Nikolai's behavior. This was his doing too. He got me back into the college and placed the papers here, so, that I could find them. Can't he just give them to me; face to face?

He may be this cold but I'm not. I didn't even mean what I said to him, I just did that to threaten him, I didn't mean it! I groaned and slumped my head over the countertop.

The rest of the day passed by with me waiting for him to get home. I had breakfast alone, lunch alone, and dinner completely alone. The house walls closed in on me, the maids also left and when I decided to go to the garden, the stupid soldier at the front door didn't let me. He told me to go back inside because some of Nikolai's men were outside doing god knows what and Don Niko would get mad if he saw me outside with them.

Late at night, I changed into my nightdress and went to the pool, I sat on one of the lounge chairs and watched the night sky through the glass ceiling.

For a second, I felt like I was still back in my home with my parents, how I used to sneak out of the window in the middle of the night, so, I could talk to the stars.

I felt like that girl again—trapped, alone and miserable.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I wish I could tell him how much I love him. I love Nikolai Costello so much that it even hurt to look at him. He could be the most dangerous, ruthless, and merciless man in the world but for me, he is my whole world.

He was the first man to ever touch me, to make me feel all these new feelings, he changed my world.

I wanted to tell him... I wanted to tell him so many things but I was stubborn too. I didn't want to say it first because the thing I was most afraid of, is that I didn't want it to be one-sided. I will tell him I love him when I know that he will say it back. Because if he didn't, that would shatter me.

The night sky looked so beautiful, so peaceful. I closed my eyes and let my imagination run wild but it didn't work this time. When I was back in my home, I had a such vivid imagination, but now every time I closed my eyes all I could see was Nikolai.

"I'm sorry..." I breathed out lowly. 

"You're forgiven."

A smokey voice and a thick Russian accent—not Nikolai or Scott.

My eyes snapped open and I saw Nikolai's cousin Dimitri standing over me. I sat up and smoothed my hair. I was nervous, dread crept up from the pit of my stomach, I didn't know what he was doing here, why he was here.

"I was talking to the stars..." I voiced out and then swallowed as he settled on the lounge chair beside me. Shit, that would have sounded so stupid.

A hint of dark amusement lit up in his eyes, "You talk to the stars?"

I lifted a shoulder. I had already embarrassed myself, there was no going back now, "Sometimes..." I looked back at the door and then at Dimitri, "Is Nikolai back too?"

He brushed his thumb over his lower lip, just like Nikolai does, "Yes, he is, he is in his office. He works too much. I wouldn't work that much if I had a pretty little wife waiting for me like this."

Unease crawled all over me, his backhanded comments were not lost on me.

I reeled the conversation back to my husband. I wanted to ask what was keeping Nikolai so busy nowadays. He won't tell me maybe his cousin will, "Where did you guys go?"

"Business..."

I noticed his eyes travel to my bare legs and that made me stand right up immediately, "I will go see him then..."

He stood up as well, towering over me with his huge, tall frame, "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Costello."

I smiled uneasily, "It was nice meeting you too, Dimitri."

He breathed out a laugh, "Ah, Dimitri..." he said in the same tone as me, "I like the way you say my name. You sound wonderful with your silky accent..."

What was wrong with him? Wasn't he scared of Nikolai Costello?! He offered me his hand for a handshake, I hesitantly placed my hand in his big one.  He raised my hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back.

"Dimitri..."

My soul left my body as that deep, familiar voice fell on my ears. Goosebumps rose all over my body, I squeezed my eyes shut...

Holy mother of god!

I pulled my hand out of his grip, and my face heated up as if I was caught doing something illegal.

I turned to look at Nikolai, standing right behind me, not looking at me but at his cousin. The expression on his face told me, he was beyond pissed off.

Either I'm screwed or Dimitri will die...

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