Bound by lies Trapped by Desire novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Elena’s POV:

Nikolai leveled a steady, intense look at me. “I’m not telling you to empathize with him, Elena. What he did was reprehensible, and there are no excuses for it. If you really want those papers signed, if this is also a matter of principle for you, then it will take me but one day to ensure they are signed by him directly. I give you my word on that. I’m just telling you the underlying reason for his volatile reaction… and that it would be far better and much safer for Mielle to stay away from him from now on. He is not a stable individual, Elena.” His words were a stark warning, and I frowned, the implications settling heavily in my chest.

Mielle’s safety. That was the paramount concern now, overshadowing even my own lingering anger towards Dmitri.

“Right,” I said slowly, the pieces of Nikolai’s explanation starting to click into place. “You said… Liberty died. How?” I asked, I could feel Mielle beside me getting increasingly uncomfortable.

“My father is a Vetrov, Elena. You might think there are a lot of scandals surrounding us, the Vetrov name is often in the tabloids… however, most people aren’t even aware of half of it, the truly dark underbelly of our family’s dealings. No… in fact, most ‘problems,‘ as my father euphemistically called them, are swiftly nipped in the bud before they can even truly begin. The same approach was taken in this case with Liberty. Because of her accusations, her ‘framing‘ of Dmitri, my father, who had initially held back due to concerns about the family name getting further tarnished, decided to take a more… direct, albeit morally reprehensible, way out. He could have easily gotten Dmitri bailed out of juvenile detention, used his influence to smooth things over. However, he instead orchestrated Liberty’s mother’s kidnapping. She was then brutally blackmailed, coerced through unimaginable threats, into pleading guilty to framing his son, all in exchange for her own life.”

My heart sank slowly, a cold dread seeping into my veins as I listened to Nikolai’s chilling words. “After Liberty’s mother’s .death, which was swiftly followed by the deliberate leak of her mother’s… private videos…” Nikolai paused, his jaw tightening, and I understood instantly the horrific nature of that particular blackmail. They had likely subjected her mother to a brutal assault, recorded it, and threatened to release it to the world unless she complied.

“They didn’t stop there,” Nikolai continued, his voice low and heavy with disgust. “They went after her father next.” He paused again. “As a last resort, unable to save her father, Liberty gave in and decided to take her own life. In her suicide note, she pleaded guilty to everything, effectively exonerating Dmitri in the eyes of the law.”

“Is her father still alive?” I asked, the image of a broken, grieving man filling my mind. Nikolai shook his head sadly.

“No, Elena. Her father was shot dead by Dmitri himself, when the man finally snapped, driven mad by grief and alcohol, and started claiming that Dmitri had murdered his wife and daughter. The whole family is gone now, Elena. Well, except for one younger brother of Liberty’s, who managed to escape this whole mess.” Nikolai’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion, yet the sheer horror of the story sent a shiver down my spine.

Mielle sucked in a sharp breath beside me, a small, choked sound that betrayed her shock and fear. I turned to look at her, her face pale and tear–streaked. I pursed my lips, my stomach sinking with a profound sadness and a dawning understanding of the truly monstrous depths of the Vetrov family’s influence. How did all of this happen? And I… had

never known even the slightest hint of it.

But one thing did start making a grim kind of sense. Dmitri’s constant night terrors. I had naively assumed he had simply had a difficult childhood, growing up in the shadow of his powerful older brother and having a father like he did.

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Chapter 127

It also explained his strange aversion to nightclubs. For someone who cultivated the Image of a carefree party animal you’d think he’d always be found at some exclusive nightclub or another. But he actively hated them, always preferung private house parties and getting drunk in more controlled environments. This terrible history would certainly explain that peculiar aversion.

Although I now understood that Dmitri had likely been manipulated and framed by Liberty initially, his subsequent actions, resulting in the deaths of three lives. And not just that, but he had thoroughly humiliated Liberty and her family in the process, compounding the initial injustice with further cruelty.

I’m not saying he should have simply given Liberty and her family money, or allowed himself to be extorted. Even if he had just threatened them to leave him alone, to stop their demands, I would have considered it somewhat understandable. But this… this elaborate, destructive campaign of revenge was completely unreasonable and utterly unforgivable.

“So you’re saying that Mielle would be in real danger if she kept insisting on Dmitri signing those papers?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my gaze locked on Nikolai, seeking confirmation of the chilling of his story. Nikolai nodded.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. I then nodded slowly, my gaze shifting to Mielle. “Alright…” I began, my voice soft but resolute. “Under normal circumstances, Mielle, I would always advise–taking the proper legal route, going through the right channels. But when you’re dealing with people like this… I’d actually prefer for you to prioritize your own safety

above all else.”

Mielle nodded slowly, her eyes wide with a dawning understanding. She then looked at Nikolai, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, “Can you… can you truly help me get an abortion without Dmitri’s signature on those papers?”

Nikolai nodded firmly, his gaze unwavering. “Yes, Mielle. I will personally ask my doctor to schedule an appointment for you as soon as possible. In the meantime… you should stay home. It’s the safest place for you right now.”

My fists clenched involuntarily, a sudden tightness gripping my chest. I didn’t know why, but a nagging feeling of unease settled over me, a sense that something wasn’t quite right or like something was about to go wrong.

I pondered on it for a minute, but then shook my head, glancing at the time displayed on my phone. It was well past

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