Chapter b21 /b

bElena’s /bPOV

Three days passed by just like bthat/b. Mom had finally let mee in on the second day, reluctantly allowing me to bsleep /bon bthe /bspare bed that bNiki /bhad the bhospital /bstaff set up for me. I bcould /btell she was still upset, though. That much was clear from the sharpness in her tone, the shortness of her replies, and the way her eyes would narrow ever so slightly whenever the topic of Niki surfaced.

The very first question she asked me when I returned to her room that day had hit me like a cold ssh of water

“If I tell you not to marry Niki… will you listen to me?”

It had made me pause, just for a beat. A single breath where I tried to read between the lines of what she was really asking. I gave her a small shook my head, and bsaid/b, “I know you aren’t cruel enough to ask me such a question.”

smileb. /b

bIt /bwas underhanded, bI /bknow. But bwhat /belse could I do? The real answer would have hurt her either way. If I’d said yes, then she would have known that I had truly sold myself to him–married a man for her sake, for her bills, for her bsurvival/b. But if I had said no, then it would have been a lie.

bAnd /bbI /bwas so damn tired of lying

She didn’t say anything else. Just gave me a longb, /bexhausted look before turning her head toward the TV and pressing y on her Turkish drama

gain. A low hum vibrated in her throat. Meanwhile, I quietly unpacked the items I had brought back from the apartment and organized them into drawers.

ording to the doctor, she would need to remain under observation for three more days. That left us with one day before the wedding. One single day.

I didn’t understand why Niki was in such a rush.

No matter how many times I tried to reason it out in my head, nothing made sense. There was no logical urgency. It couldn’t be the sex–we’d already had that. And it wasn’t as if he needed to maintain appearances yet. He didn’t even seem interested in unting our rtionship. Nor was he in love with me, not after what he’d said. No, his desire for this wedding to happen quickly… it felt personal.

Then there was the other matter–the things he knew about me. The small, almost unsettling familiarity he had with my life. My favorite color. The bfragrance /bI used. My favorite bfood/b. Even the fact that I was double majoring in mechanical and bautomotive /bengineering.

It wasn’t normal.

The thought that he might have been stalking me before all this still sent a little shiver down my spine. But what unsettled me more was that he didn’t even try to hide it. He admitted it with this strange confidence, like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. bNikl’s /bname appeared on the screen, lighting up the disy I reached bfor /bit automatically, only to freeze when I saw Mom watching me with narrowed eyes,

bShe /bpaused the TV.

“Tick it up,” she said.

bI /bblinked at her. “What?”

b“/bPut it on speaker.”

My stomach flipped. I looked at the phone again.

“You heard me,” she said. “If you want me to believe that you two are actually in love, glen let me see it. If I have even an ounce of doubt that this is some sacrificial marriage you’re being forced into because of me

Lout her off quickly. “Mom He bisn’t /blike that, okay? He’s nice. He’s not forcing me

She cut me off right bback/bb. /bThen let me hear bwhat /bhe has to say. And Elena… If I suspect even for a second that you’re being enerced, I’ll be the first person to object at the altar”

There it wasL

bI /bsighed and tapped to bept /bthe call, my tunnb hovering over the speaker icon for a second too long before finally pressing

“Good morning. Malishka!” His voice came through the bspeaker/bb, /brich and yful, like he was genuinely happy to hear me. It sounded intimate—the kind of voice a man would use bfor /bsomeone he loved.

8:40 PM

The first time he’d used that tone with me over the phone, I’d been baffled. But he’d done the same yesterday. When I asked him why, he’d said, “Well, whether contractual or not, we’re going to be husband and wife. We might not love each other per se, but we can at least share a good friendship, correct?”

I hadn’t known what to say to that. Because quite frankly, no, I hadn’t expected us to share a ‘friendship. It was meant bto /bbe contractualb, /band bI /bbhad /bexpected it to be more professional. At least in the beginning,

So, once bagain/b, I answered, “Good morning”

There was a pause.

“How’s your mother!”

I nced bat /bher.

“She’s getting better.” 1 replied.

“Good. Have you two had breakfast!”

I blinked. “Yeah, they served bus /ban hour ago

“Great,” he bsaid/b. “Do you think your mother is in a better bmood /btoday?”

My lips twitchedb. /bI nced at her again. She bnodded/b, but her expression was as unreadable bas /bever.

“Yeah.” I said slowly. “She’s better. In a better mood, I mean.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.“1 lied. “Not a problem.”

There was another beat of silence before he spoke again.

“I was thinking about the wedding dress,” he bsaid/b. “And I thought–how about I send over a few boptions /byou might like, so you and your mother can choose one together?”

I frowned. “Is that really necessary! I already have a wedding dressi

Then realization dawnedb, /band I mentally face–palmed.

bNiki /bchuckled. But when he bspoke /bbagain/b, there was a sharpness to his tone that hadn’t been there before.

“You think I’ll let you wear the dress you were going to wear to your bwedding /bwith Dmitri?“

His voice was calm. But underneath, there was a steel edge

My fingers tightened baround /bthe phone.