All Chapters of VOLKOV’S OBSESSION : Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

JENNI’S POVThe urgency in Ivan’s voice sent jolts down my system. I didn’t ask questions. You don’t ask for a checklist when a man like Ivan Volkov tells you the clock has run out.I scrambled into my bedroom, my hands shaking so violently I nearly dropped my backpack. I shoved a few changes of clothes inside, not even looking at what I was grabbing.My eyes landed on the small photo of my mother on the nightstand. For a split second, I hesitated, my heart crashing against my rib cage. If I took it, this was real. If I took it I was admitting that I might not come back to this apartment for a long time.I grabbed it, wrapping it in a sweater before burying it deep in the bag.When I stepped back into the living room, Ivan was a different person. The softness that coloured his green eyes just minutes ago was gone, and replaced by a terrifying, cold clarity.He was standing by the door, his silhouette sharp against the dim light, checking the magazine of his handgun with a practiced sm

JENNIE’S POVThe truck felt like a cage, the suspension was shot, sending a jolt through my spine every time Luka hit a pothole, but I didn’t dare complain. Outside the glass, the familiar skyline of the city was being replaced by skeletal trees and rusted warehouses that looked like they hadn’t seen a coat of paint since the eighties.Ivan was silent. He had let go of my hand to lay a fresh clip into his handgun, his movements were mechanical and hypnotic. He didn't look like the man who had asked me about my school or eaten my soup anymore. He looked like the head of the Russian mafia that the news reports always warned about.“How much further?” I asked, my voice cracking.“Not long”, Ivan said. He didn’t look at me, but he reached out and rested his heavy hand on my knee. It was a grounding weight, though his eyes remained fixed on the road behind us.“Luka, take dirt path by water, they will struggle with mud if they follow us.”Luka nodded, wrenching the steering wheel to the r

JENNIE’S POVThe drive back to the city was nothing like the frantic escape from the night before. We were in a different vehicle now, a nondescript silver truck that smelled of stale tobacco and cold air. Ivan sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the unfolding road, while I huddled in the back. The silence between us was no longer heavy with tension, it was thick with the grim reality of what was about to happen.Ivan had spent the last hour on his burner phone, speaking in rapid, low Russian. The name Viktor was a recurring curse in his sentences, spat out like a piece of lead.Every time he spoke his hands would subconsciously drop to the heavy weapon on his hip, his fingers drumming against the leather holster.“We are close,” Ivan said, turning slightly in his seat to look at me. The morning light caught the sharp angles of his face, making the green of his eyes look like shattered glass.“When we reach perimeter, you stay with Luka in second car. You do not leave his s

JENNIE’S POVThe mansion was a fortress of cold marble and high security, tucked away behind iron gates that felt more like prison bars than a grand entrance.Everything about the house screamed power, but as I sat in the hallway outside the medical wing, it felt empty. Luka and the others had moved Ivan inside quickly, their faces grim as they carried his limp body past me.I waited for hours, my hands still stained with his blood. When the doctor finally emerged, he simply nodded. I did not wait for permission before I pushed past him.Ivan was awake, propped up against a mountain of white pillows. His shoulder was a thick mass of bandages, his skin was dangerously pale, but his green eyes were sharp.They locked on to mine the moment I stepped into the room, filled with a look I couldn’t quite name.“Why?” He whispered, his voice was dry. “You should have listened, stayed with Luka where it was safe.”I walked to the side of the bed, my knees trembling. "I couldn't leave you. I wo

JENNIE’S POVThe two days leading up to the date felt like a slow agonizing year. Every second that ticked by on the clock in the lecture hall was a reminder of the war happening at the docks. I couldn’t focus on my lectures, and I could barely eat. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart stopped, terrified it could be Luka calling to tell me Ivan was gone. I spent my nights staring at the ceiling, praying with everything I had that his green eyes wouldn’t close for good.By the time evening had arrived, I was numb with anticipation. I unboxed the red dress he had left for me. The silk was the color of a fresh wound, smooth and heavy as it slipped over my skin. The heels matched perfectly, forcing me to stand taller than usual. Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I looked like someone who belonged in a mansion, not a crowded coffee shop.I arrived at the restaurant at exactly six o'clock, the precise time he had written on the paper. The venue was dark, expensive, and emp