Page 88 of Bought By the Ruthless Pakhan

The door opened.

Anna stood there, that welcoming smile still on her face. When she saw it was me, the smile froze.

"Ivan? What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer. I looked past her into the living room. Chris was already gone.

"Where's Chris?" I asked.

Anna closed the door. Then it hit her. "How did you know Chris was here?"

The silence was deafening. I could hear her breathing quicken.

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm. "You're watching me, aren't you?"

Sharp kitten.

I turned to look at her.

Her face had gone pale. Her honey-gold hair trembled with agitation. Her eyes blazed with a fury I'd never seen before—like a small wild animal whose territory had been invaded.

"I knew these past few days were too smooth, too off—"

"Ivan Volkov, you're absolutely insane! How could you have someone spy on me!"

Her words were knives, each one stabbing into my heart.

I lost it. Days of suppressed jealousy, fear, obsession—it all erupted at once, burning away every shred of control.

"Insane? Yeah, I am a fucking lunatic!"

I stared at her hard. "If I wasn't worried about you, you think I'd use these lowlife tactics?"

"Worried about me?" Her voice pitched higher, eyes turning red. "Your worry made you spy on me? Ivan, you're too controlling! What gives you the right to interfere with my life? What gives you the right to have me watched? What am I to you? Your property?"

Property?

Yeah. I wanted to hide her away. I wanted her to belong completely to me.

Her words made my head throb. The darkest thoughts I'd buried came rushing up my throat.

"Controlling? Anna, you're just now figuring out I'm controlling?" I laughed, but there was no joy in it. "Let me tell you what real control is. It's not watching you—it's locking you up, keeping you by my side, making sure you never see anyone but me for the rest of your life!"

Yes.

That was what I thought would actually work.

Lock her up. Keep her safe. Make sure she only faced me.

Her eyes went wide, like she couldn't believe I'd said it.

The terror in that look was a poisoned blade, driving straight into my pounding heart.

Anna was afraid of me.

She was afraid of me! That look of fear hurt worse than any insult she could've thrown at me.

"Get out! Get out now! I don't want to see you again!"