Page 55

The silence in the car was suffocating. I started to realize this was way worse than I'd thought.

Back at the estate, Gennady got out of the car like he was ready to tear the door off its hinges. I followed, my unease growing with every step.

The second we hit the living room, his anger exploded. He snatched my competition confirmation letter and ripped it to shreds right in front of me.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted, horrified. "That's my entry form!"

"You know what, Cassie?" He turned on me, his green eyes blazing with a fury I'd never seen. "The second you left the estate, Marco's men were tailing you. They were waiting for a chance like this."

"What?" My blood ran cold. "Tailing me? But I… I was watching, I didn't see anyone suspicious…"

"You think you'd see them?" Gennady's laugh was bitter. "You think professional killers would let you spot them?"

My legs felt weak, like they might give out. "I didn't know. I thought the concert hall was safe."

"If my guys hadn't spotted them first, if I hadn't gotten there in time, you'd be dead right now!" His voice echoed through the room. "But what were you thinking about? Your fucking music competition!"

I got it now—why he was so mad. And I saw how stupid I'd been. But hearing him dismiss my dream like that? It cut deep.

"I'm grateful you protected me," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "But it's not some fucking competition. It's the Vienna International Music Competition. It's my dream!"

"Dream?" Gennady scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "In the real world, dreams don't pay the bills or stop bullets. You need to learn what matters and what's just a luxury hobby!"

"Hobby?" I snapped, tears burning my eyes as anger surged. "You're calling my music a hobby?"

"What else is it? A childish fantasy?" His words were sharp, cutting. "Grow up, Cassie."

I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. "I don't get it. You supported my music before. You said you loved hearing me play, that it was my gift. Was that all a lie? Just a way to control me?"

His expression froze, pain flickering in his eyes for a split second.

"It was fine when it was safe," he said, his voice tight. "In the estate, under my protection. Not when you're running off to some bullshit competition and risking your life!"

"Bullshit?" I was practically screaming now, all my fear turning to rage. "This is the Vienna International Music Competition! It's my one shot to prove myself!"

"Prove what? How stupid you are? That you're willing to die for a fucking contest?"

"Prove I'm not just your toy!" I shouted, the words I'd held back for so long bursting out. "Prove I'm not just a bird in your gilded cage! Prove I'm a real person with my own worth, my own dreams!"

The room went deathly silent.

Gennady stared at me, his eyes a storm of pain, anger, and disappointment. "So that's how you see us?" His voice was low, dangerous. "I'm your jailer, and you're my prisoner?"

His hurt hit me like a punch, but I was too far gone to back down. "What else am I supposed to think?" I wiped at my tears. "You control every move I make, watch every decision, and now you're killing my dreams! That's not love, Gennady. That's possession!"

His face went white, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were pale.

"I did this to protect you!" he roared.

"Protect me? Or control me?" I shot back, torn between fear of the danger I'd ignored and fury at being caged. "Yeah, I screwed up. I underestimated the risk, and I should've told you. But did you ever ask what kind of protection I want?"

"In my world, staying alive is all that matters!"

"But in my world," I said, tears streaming as I looked at him, "living without dreams is no different from being dead."

I turned and ran for the stairs. "I'd rather risk everything for my dreams than die safe in this fancy prison!"

"Cassie!" he shouted after me.