Kidnapped to love

chapter 31

Dimitri entered his parents' room, tension already thick in the air. His mother stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The moment the door clicked open, she turned on him.

“What is Maria's daughter doing in our house?” she snapped, her voice trembling with anger.

“Mom, relax. Listen to me first—” Drimti started, his voice calm but firm.

“Relax?” she shot back. “How can I relax when you bring our enemy’s daughter into this house, introducing her as your girlfriend? How can she be your girlfriend? ”

Dimitri sighed, trying to keep his composure. “Let me explain, Mom.”

“Then explain!” she demanded, her eyes blazing with fury.

Dimitri sat down, gesturing for his parents to do the same. His father remained quiet, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were locked on Drimti, waiting for an explanation.

“I brought her here, yes. But it’s not what you think,” Dimitri began.

His mother’s eyes narrowed. “You are doing this  for revenge?”

before he could say anything , a soft gasp from the doorway made his heart sink. Dimitri turned sharply to see Crystal standing there, her face pale, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Revenge?” Crystal’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the hurt in it was unmistakable.

Dimitri felt his heart drop. “Crystal, wait, let me explain—”

But she didn’t wait. Crystal spun on her heels and left before he could get another word out. Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she stormed away, her mind racing with confusion and pain.

Revenge? The word kept replaying in her mind. Was that why he had been with her all along? Had everything between them been a lie? She didn’t know the details, but the implication was enough to send her mind spiraling into panic. Dimitri hadn’t fallen in love with her—he was using her for some twisted scheme. Her heart pounded as possibilities flashed through her mind, each one worse than the last.

Back in his parents' room, Dimitri cursed under his breath. “Dad, I told you, I’m not doing this for revenge. I love her! Crystal is here because I want to be with her.”

Dimitri exclaimed, exasperated. “I love her, Mom. Crystal is here because I love her.”

His father, who had remained silent for most of the conversation, finally spoke. “I was just asking, Dimitri. I wasn’t assuming anything.”

“But now she’s misunderstood everything,” Dimitri groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “And I already know how this is going to play out. She’s going to throw a tantrum, think I’ve been lying to her all along. It’s going to be a nightmare.”

His mother remained standing, arms still crossed, though her anger had softened slightly. “You have to admit, it looks suspicious, Dimitri. She overheard us talking about revenge, and now you expect her to believe that you’ve fallen for her? Of course she’s going to react.”

Dimitri knew his mother was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow. He could already picture how Crystal would react—her fury, her tears, her insistence that he had played with her emotions. She would beg him to let her go, to end whatever cruel game she thought he was playing.

But that wasn’t the truth. He did love her. He just didn’t know how to make her see that now.