MARRY ME, UNCLE DMITRI (ENGLISH)

4.MANIPULATION

Chapter Four

I walked out of my mother's VIP room feeling utterly defeated.

She was finally asleep, and it was time for me to go home. My body felt as though it might give out at any moment from sheer exhaustion and stress.

"I knew I'd find you here."

The familiar voice made me look up.

Magnus rose from one of the chairs outside the room and actually smiled at me.

My brows immediately furrowed.

Like a broken record, the image of him and Susane together replayed over and over in my mind.

I wanted nothing more than to walk away.

But the moment I turned, he grabbed my arm.

I tried to pull free, but I was too drained to put up much of a fight. In the end, I let him lead me wherever he wanted.

He took me to the hospital parking lot.

As soon as we reached his car, he opened the passenger door and ushered me inside.

Too exhausted to argue, I sank into the seat and waited for him to get in.

"Louella."

He said my name as though he hadn't shattered my world.

The car remained parked.

When he reached for my hand, I pulled it away immediately.

"Please... let's talk," he pleaded. "Just give me a chance to explain."

I turned to face him.

"You disgust me, Magnus."

My voice was cold.

"I'm disgusted by you..."

"...and by my sister."

"Louella, it was just a mistake." His voice trembled with desperation. "Please don't make this into something bigger than it is. It only happened once. We got carried away. I have needs too. I've waited years for you to be ready, but you couldn't give me what I needed."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"So now it's my fault?"

"My fault because I wanted to wait until we were married?"

Every word that came out of his mouth made my disappointment deepen.

How could the man I loved think like this?

It was revolting.

"No..." He quickly shook his head.

"It's my fault."

"Blame me."

"I gave in to temptation."

"But none of that changes how I feel about you."

"You're still the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"I love you, Louella."

"I love you so much."

"You're unbelievable, Magnus!" I shouted, unable to hold back my anger any longer.

"You cheated on me!"

"You and Susane!"

"How could you do this to me?"

"I loved you."

"I loved you with everything I had."

"So why?"

"Why would you do this to me?"

My voice broke as tears streamed down my face.

"I thought you were different."

"I thought you were nothing like my father."

"But you're exactly the same."

"You're a cheater."

His expression filled with regret.

"I know I hurt you, Louella."

"I know this is all my fault."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm so sorry, love."

"I made a terrible mistake."

"That's why I'm here."

"I want to fix this."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips despite the tears.

"Fix this?"

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"There's nothing left to fix, Magnus."

"We're over."

I reached for the door handle.

Locked.

I tried again.

Still locked.

"Open the door."

My voice left no room for argument.

"Open it, Magnus."

His expression hardened.

"So you're really breaking up with me over one mistake?"

The remorse that had filled his voice moments ago vanished.

Something darker took its place.

"That wasn't just a mistake, Magnus."

"You slept with my sister."

"You betrayed me."

"Isn't that reason enough to end this damn relationship?"

I screamed the words in his face.

I was so furious that all I wanted to do was claw at him until he felt even a fraction of the pain he'd caused me.

"No, Louella." His voice turned cold. "I only did it because of you. If you hadn't kept pushing me away... if you hadn't kept denying me, I never would've been tempted by another woman—"

Slap.

The crack of my palm against his face echoed inside the car.

His head snapped to the side before he slowly turned back to look at me, stunned.

"You're actually blaming me?" I shouted.

"The audacity you have, Magnus!"

"You have some nerve!"

I pounded my fists against his chest over and over.

Before I could land another blow, he suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair.

I gasped.

The sharp pain forced me to stop.

He shoved me backward, sending me crashing against the passenger seat.

"So you're really breaking up with me?" His voice was calm now—dangerously calm. "Are you prepared to deal with the consequences?"

He leaned closer.

"I'm still willing to fix this relationship, Louella."

"But you're the one who'll suffer if you leave me."

"Can you handle your father's anger?"

"Can you live without me?"

"And more importantly..."

His lips curled into a smug smile.

"Can you bear watching your mother suffer because you can no longer afford her treatment?"

My fists clenched.

Every muscle in my body trembled with rage.

"I'm the only one who can arrange an appointment with the specialist who's willing to examine your mother and perform her surgery."

"If you leave me..."

"You'll have no one left to rely on."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"You're a horrible person, Magnus."

My voice shook.

"How did it take me this long to see who you really are?"

"I'm not a horrible person, Louella."

"I made a mistake."

"That's all."

"It wasn't intentional."

"You refuse to listen to my explanation."

"Susane and I didn't plan for it to happen."

"We got carried away."

"That's all."

"So forgive us."

"Let's fix our relationship."

"I love you."

"I don't want you to suffer."

"That's why I'm trying to make this work."

As if he were doing me a favor.

"No."

My answer came out cold and unwavering.

His jaw tightened.

"Fine."

"So that's what you want?"

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Cancel my appointment with that doctor."

"We won't be needing it anymore."

"Even if he agrees to my request, it doesn't matter now—"

Before he could finish speaking, I snatched the phone from his hand and ended the call.

"Magnus!"

I was crying again.

"What are you doing?"

"My mom needs that doctor."

"She's already starting to forget who I am."

"She needs to be examined."

"She needs him."

Magnus calmly took his phone back.

Without warning, he grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me toward him.

I winced.

His grip hurt.

"Then we'll stay together."

His voice was low and threatening.

"You're not breaking up with me, Louella."

"If you want your mother to stay alive..."

"You'll do exactly what I say."

"You won't tell anyone what you saw."

"And if you leave me..."

"Then we'll see what happens."

Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.

I felt trapped.

Breaking up with him was the only way to save myself.

But staying with him...

Felt like the only way to save my mother.

The only sound inside the car was my quiet sobbing.

A few moments later, Magnus started the engine.

"I'll take you home."

"Pull yourself together before your father sees you."

"You're the one who'll have to explain yourself."

I remained silent.

I wiped away my tears and forced myself to calm down.

After twenty minutes of driving, he spoke again.

"We have a family dinner at the mansion tonight."

"My presence is mandatory."

"It's Uncle Dmitri's birthday."

"You're coming with me."

"I'll pick you up at six."

"I expect you to look presentable when you meet my family."

His tone made it clear he wasn't asking.

He was giving orders.

When we finally arrived at the mansion, I reached for the door.

"One more thing, Louella."

I paused without looking at him.

"Don't start a fight with Susane."

"Listen to her."

"If she tells you to do something..."

"Do it."

"What the hell?"

I turned to him in disbelief.

"Remember this."

"Your father and her mother will always take her side."

"In that house..."

"You're just an outsider."

My chest tightened.

"So this is what you want for me?"

"You cheat on me..."

"And now you expect me to pretend none of it ever happened?"

He looked at me without a trace of guilt.

"You don't have a choice, Louella."

"Just do it."

"I love you."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"Don't ever say that to me again."

"If you truly loved me..."

"You never would've put me through this."

"You disgust me."

"I hate you."

Magnus let out a weary sigh.

Before either of us could say another word, someone knocked on the driver's side window.

We both turned.

"Magnus!"

Susane's face lit up the moment she saw him.

"I knew you'd come."

"Did you miss me already?"

When Magnus rolled down the window, she acted as though I wasn't even sitting beside him.

"Do you want to come inside..."

"...my room?"

She let out a playful giggle before finally glancing at me.

Magnus looked at me as though making the most ordinary request in the world.

"Louella."

"Can you help me get inside without your family suspecting that I'm really here to see Susane?"

My hands curled into fists.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You're both disgusting."

Every ounce of revulsion I felt seeped into my voice.

Without another word, I opened the car door and stepped out.

I left them behind.

I had no idea where people like them found the audacity to act as though they had done nothing wrong.

If I stayed there any longer...

I was afraid I'd forget every threat they'd made and expose them both.

But I couldn't.

Not while my mother's life depended on the people who were destroying mine.

I wanted her to live.

I wanted more time with her.