A Forced Contract Marriage with the Devil novel Chapter 38

A FORCED CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE DEVIL

Chapter 38

I exhaled slowly, my frustration simmering beneath the surface as I stated at the pen Black SUV in the miter. Of murse, Alessandro wolde let me go anywhere alone. I should’ve known better than to believe, even for a seinnd, that I had any control over my own life.

I forced myself to sit back, Clenching my

sinst my thighs. Maybe I could still talk freely to the therapist. My And he’s plented someone who’d report everything back to him. But knowing him, that was exactly what he’d da.

The cut glided through the city streets, the buildings nutside blurring into a hor of steel and glam. My pulse rented nately, my mind racing with posibilities. There had to be a way to berak her of him.

When the car finally slowed, I glanced up at the sleek office building in front of me. The tinted windows reflected the cercast sky, casting the place in an rere gloom. The driver stepped out and opened the door for me, I hesitated for a split second beter beting myself to move. The moment my feet hit the pavement, I felt it, eyes on me,

I turned slightly, catching sight of the reflection in the building’s glass doors. Two men in dark its stepped out of the SUVs, their gases locked onto me,

Alessandro’s men.

A bitter taste settled in my mouth. I wanted to walk away, to do something reckless, but there was nowhere to go. Not yet.

sring my shoulders, I pushed through the glass doors and approached the receptionist’s desk. My voice was steady despite the storm in my chest.

Appointment for Nikolai.”

The woman behind the desk smiled politely, completely oblivious to the war raging inside me

“Of course, Mr. NIKOLAL. Dr. Laurent is expecting you.”

I nodded, but my thoughts were elsewhere. I wasn’t just here to talk.

I was here to figure out how to escape.

I followed the receptionist’s directions down a quiet hallway, my footsteps echoing against the polished floors. The air smelled sterile, like faintly scented. candles and freshly printed paper. My throat felt tight, my pulse hammering in my ears

This was it. My one shot at speaking freely, if Alessandro hadn’t already tainted it:⠀⠀

I reached a door with a gold nameplate that read Dr. Laurent, hesitating for only a second before turning the knob and stepping incide

The office was warm, decorated with dark bookshelves and soft lighting. A woman with sharp blue eyes and neatly pinned back hair sat behind a desk, a notebook open in front of her. She looked up and smiled in a way that was meant to be reassuring, but I wasn’t sure I could trust it.

“Nikolai?” she asked, standing as she extended a hand

“Tes“, I shook it briefly before lowering myself onto the couch opposite her. The leather was soft, but I sat rigidly, my back straight, hands clasped together in my lap and my foot that wasn’t on the ground quickly moving up in down due to nerves.

She studied me for a moment before picking up her pen. “You don’t have to be nervous.

A therapist sat across from me, her blonde hair, a little white with age, pulled back into a tight bun. Her hands relaxed as the pen and clipboard were useless to her, due to me not speaking.

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. I’m not nervous.” A lie. I was on edge, every nerve in my body coiled tight. She nodded like she expected that response. “Alright, Let’s start simple. What made you want to come here today?”

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. The words sat heavy on my tongue, reluctant to leave my mouth. I wasn’t sure where to begin, but I knew I had,

to say something

“I feel like I’m losing myself, I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

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Chapter 38

Dr. Laurent tilted her head slightly, Losing yourself how?

1 swallowed, my fingers curling into my palms. ‘I was forced into this marringe,” I said bluntly. “My sister was supposed to be the one in th but when she pas…. I paused, my chest tightening. “When she died, I was made to take her place.”

Her expression softened, but she didn’t interrupt. She let me speak, which was more than I could say for most people in my life.

“And now, I’m stuck with a man who controls everything. I continued, my voice colder now. Alessandro. He decides where I go, who I see. Even this, here it’s just another illusion of freedom. His men are waiting outside, watching me.” I find myself hlubbering everything that

Dr. Laurent’s pen hovered over her notebook, but her focus remained

And how does that make you feel?” She asked.

in the sense of control? Or something else

“Like a prisoner.“, I retorted immediately.

She nodded slowly. And you mentioned losing yourself. Do you mean in

Something else.

The words twisted in my gut, heavy and unspoken.

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