Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 311: Pathetic

Braelyn’s POV

"Katerina and that witch Avelina were the ones who pushed her."

My brows furrowed. I did not understand exactly what she meant by Katerina and Mum being the ones who pushed Nadia into the situation she ended up in. How could Katerina make a girl who was younger than her own daughter become her husband’s mistress?

But from the way Yelena’s eyes stared at me like a monster, my gut told me there was more to the Nadia saga that Mum did not write in her diary. The entries started from Nadia’s accident. What happened before then?

What made a sheltered princess like Nadia stoop so low? With the Orlov background she could have gotten better matches. The more I thought about it, the more something felt amiss.

That aside, the other question was how Yelena found out the truth. The same way Amelia found out the truth? Was it possible Amelia was the one who told Yelena? I went cold at the thought.

She went that far just to get rid of her rival. I still forced myself to face her head on. The crazy part was that I was not scared. Maybe it was because the thought of death did not terrify me as it should.

Our eyes met. "So you are going to kill me for my mother’s sin?" I asked. A small smile crossed my lips. So this is how Braelyn’s story ends.

A laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. I really could not stop it.

Another slap ran across my face.

Smack. The sound rang loudly.

This one was from Yelena. I felt every inch of her anger from that slap. I spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. My teeth were now red.

Yelena’s finger pointed at my nose. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She was hyperventilating.

My cheeks hurt from being slapped. For a moment my mind drifted back to my wedding day. I remembered how Raphael had cried seeing me walk down the aisle. At that moment I could not imagine any man being a better companion than he was, and now years later things had reached this point.

"You are acting so smug because you have Lucien wrapped around your fingers," she spat, the fire in her eyes burning even brighter.

"Do you think he would still love you when he finds out the truth?" she asked, then broke out in laughter as tears poured out of her eyes.

"You think Lucien will protect you. That boy even threatened to cut ties with the Orlovs because I attempted to kidnap you," she sneered. The dignified woman I saw earlier when I stepped into this greenhouse was nowhere to be seen.

"Not only are you the daughter of that vile woman, you are also the reason he does not want to reveal his identity as Killian Orlov yet. He has been holding back against the Volkov family."

She bent down and grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at her.

"I would not kill you, at least not yet. I just have to stall long enough for him to forget you exist," she said coldly. Her blue eyes were like glaciers. She looked like someone who had a million ways to make me wish for death. In the hands of people like this, death could be considered mercy.

"With you out of the way he would not have any distractions," she continued as she let go of my hair, still looking at me with pure disdain.

The man from the train who had been playing chess with her earlier handed her a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her hands slowly.

"Thank you, Vuk," she said.

Then she gave me one last glance.

"We would have remained blind to the truth if we had not been tipped off. I cannot believe I was blind for so long, oblivious to Avelina," she scoffed before turning around to pick up a hose and carry it towards a plant.

The valve was already open. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I hope she rots in hell. Suicide is nothing compared to what she did."

Yelena’s back was turned to me. I could see the slight trembling of her shoulders.

She was crying.

"Get her out of my sight."

With that being said, I was dragged from the floor and carried away from the greenhouse. My mind kept racing.

Something was off.

There was something I did not know. From the sound of things, Yelena did not hate Avelina just because of the accident. There was more history and bottled up hatred. She claimed Mum destroyed both Dad and Nadia.

What really happened all those years ago?

I was taken away. The mansion was enormous with so many corridors and turns. Eventually I was taken out of the building through the back entrance.

The guards led me onto a wooded path behind the mansion. After what felt like an endless walk we finally arrived at a cave. My legs ached from walking the entire rough path barefoot.

I was confused. Did they plan on leaving me in a cave out here? My stomach churned. Did they have wolves or something else terrifying living here?

"Move," the guard shoved me forward into the cave.

We continued inside. The cave was deep and dark. The guards had to switch on their phone flashlights to light the way until we finally arrived at an enormous metal gate.

It was an electric door. A code was punched in and the door opened with a beep.

It led to a narrow hallway with sensor lights that lit up as we walked down.

The air smelled damp with a strong pungent scent that made my stomach churn with the urge to throw up. The corridor led to an area with multiple doors. At least four.

I was dumbfounded. It was an intricate maze underground.

We went through the third door, which led into something I could only describe as a prison. There were several empty cells.

One of the gates was open and I was shoved inside, falling onto my stomach.

Pain shot straight through my spine.

A bag was tossed in after me, landing beside my hand. I was in so much pain that I could not sit up.

"That is your breakfast. Hopefully you might get dinner," the guard hissed before he shut the cell. The creaking metal sound echoed through the empty room.

After securing the lock, I heard their footsteps fade away, followed by the slam of a distant door.

That was how I ended up in an underground prison with just one bulb that kept flickering.

My meal was dry bread and water.

I did not even try to stop the tears.