Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 74

Ria's POV:

He threatened me. Vlad. I would pay if I told Nik-or anyone about Vlad being back. Well, actually, Nik would pay. He could hurt him, and knowing Vlad he would hurt Nik.

The words felt like poison running through my veins, making it hard to breathe, to think. That was the sick game Vlad played-he knew exactly how to get to me, how to make me crumble from the inside out.

Vlad had a restraining order against my family, but Nik... nothing. Nik was fair game, an open target for whatever twisted plans Vlad had in mind. And knowing Vlad, he wouldn't hesitate to hurt Nik, just to watch me suffer.

I could barely function these days. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart would leap into my throat, dread curling in my stomach. Vlad's messages were relentless, each one more twisted than the last, laced with threats and demands. He knew how to control me, how to manipulate me into doing exactly what he wanted.

I lived in constant fear, never knowing when the next message would come, or what horror it would bring. The worst were the photos-images of Nik, just going about his day, completely unaware that he was being watched, that his life was in danger. One minute he'd be grabbing a coffee, the next he'd be walking to class, and then there'd be a photo of him at hockey practice, laughing with his teammates. And Vlad would remind me that he could end Nik's life in a heartbeat if I stepped out of line.

Nik was clueless, blissfully unaware of the nightmare I was living. He had no idea that every time he smiled at me, every time he touched me, I was dying inside, knowing that I was the reason he was in danger. Vlad had made it clear-if I didn't do exactly what he said, he'd hurt Nik. Maybe even kill him. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I could live with being apart from Nik, but him being dead? I shook the horrifc thought out of my head.

Vlad was psychotic. He had me trapped in a web of fear, and I couldn't escape. I wanted to protect Nik, to keep him safe, but how could I do that when the only way to protect him was to push him away? Vlad wanted to see us fall apart, to watch Nik's heart break for "taking what is his." That's what he kept calling me-his. Like I was some kind of possession, something he could claim and destroy at will.

I couldn't tell anyone. Not Layla, not my sisters, and especially not Nik. If I did, Vlad would make sure Nik paid the price. So I did the only thing I could-I distanced myself from Nik. I canceled plans, avoided his calls, lied to him about why I couldn't see him. It was tearing me apart, but what choice did I have?

Every time he looked at me with those gray eyes, full of love and concern, I felt like I was drowning in guilt. He wanted to help me, to be there for me, but I couldn't let him. Loving him meant staying away from him, just like Vlad had ordered.

It was working, too. I could see the hurt in Nik's eyes, the confusion, the frustration. He didn't understand why I was acting this way, why I was pushing him away. I could see the doubts creeping in, the worry that maybe I didn't love him anymore, or that something was seriously wrong with me. And there was-just not in the way he thought.

I wanted to scream, to tell him everything, but the fear of what Vlad might do kept me silent. I was trapped in this twisted game, with no way out. And every day, it was getting harder and harder to keep up the facade, to pretend that everything was fine when it was anything but.

Vlad had full control over me, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was his puppet, and every time I tried to break free, the strings tightened, choking me. I was losing Nik, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The thought of that-of losing him-was more painful than anything Vlad could do to me. But if keeping him safe meant losing him, then that was a sacrifice I had to make.