Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 299: The plan

Braelyn’s POV

The way he swore made it seem like he was such a devoted husband. I almost laughed.

"Till death do us part?" I repeated our wedding vows with an arched brow. Despite the anger simmering in me, I was unusually calm about everything.

Too calm. Even Raphael looked uncomfortable. He had no intention of ever letting me go. It felt more like an obsession than love. "You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds," I sneered at him. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He drew in a deep breath, trying to bring everything under control when it clearly was not. He walked around the desk to approach me. I did not back away. I just stared at him intently.

"Please do not mention divorce, Lynn," he pleaded, grabbing my hand. His hold was firm, but I felt the slight trembling in his grip. "I know things are messed up, but we can fight this together."

I did not say anything at first. I just stared at him. He was not screaming or lashing out, aware of how fragile the situation was.

"How can you mention our wedding vows when you broke them first? You vowed to protect me, not destroy me, but you hurt me more than anyone," I said coldly. He could not meet my eyes.

His fist clenched. "I am sorry. Things got fucked up," he pleaded. He was at a loss for words, yet still adamant.

I yanked my hand from his grip. "Then let go. We both know you cannot fix this. Enough damage has been done."

"No, no," he stuttered. "It is not over. This is Amelia’s plan to tear us apart," he argued, but I cut him off with a laugh.

"Amelia again," I snarled. "Yes, she might have destroyed us, and I cannot really explain what you saw that night, but you cannot deny this was also your fault. You knew Amelia liked you, but you ignored it. Even when things started falling apart, you did not confront me." My words left him stunned.

"You said you can fix this, but can you really choose between that baby and me?" I asked.

He did not reply because he knew the answer. It was beyond him.

I still spelled it out. "You cannot do anything about that baby, even if you wanted to. Your parents have Amelia under their protection, and as long as that child exists, we are forever doomed."

He remained silent.

"Call me selfish or whatever. It is the truth." I stepped forward, lowering my voice. "Deep down, you want that child."

He still did not say anything.

Frustrated, I stomped my foot and marched out. His gaze followed me out the door.

I was fuming. I did not slow down until I got to my room. I pushed the door open and slammed it behind me so hard I was sure Raphael heard it.

I flung my bag onto the bed and pulled off my jacket. My hand tangled in my hair and I tugged at it as if the pain would help me think clearly.

My emotions were all over the place. Things were out of hand, and I did not want to imagine how everything would play out if I did not find a way out of here.

I started pacing around my room, my brain running at full speed. I could ask Lucien for help, but he was far from a saint. Lucien was too dangerous to trust.

"Think, Braelyn. You can figure something out." I tried to calm my nerves. I had expected this move to fail. I knew from the start Raphael would not let me go.

My eyes stung and I sat on the bed. My chest tightened. Why did things have to turn out this way? I felt like crying, but I would not let the tears fall. Not now. Not anymore. It was not over. Not yet.

Time to go back to the drawing board. After the stunt I pulled today, Raphael would be more cautious of me. I could not make any reckless moves.

The buzzing of my phone rang out loudly, drawing my attention to my bag. I quickly grabbed it and pulled out my phone. The caller ID flashed across the screen. It was Genny.

My eyes narrowed, wondering if she had heard about what happened. After a moment of hesitation, I answered the call. Genny’s voice immediately came through the line.

"Hi, Brae," she said softly.

"What is up? Did something happen?" I asked, trying to probe.

Genny went silent for a moment before she spoke.

"I was at a store today and overheard some rumors about the Sinclair family expecting a grandchild. Mrs. Sinclair was so excited it made my stomach churn," she explained, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me.

Her voice grew quieter. "Is Amelia pregnant? I do not know, but it kept bothering me."

I stayed silent for a while before replying. "Yes. It was confirmed last night."

Now Genny was the one who fell silent.

Finally, she spoke, her voice shaky. "What are you going to do, Brae? That makes Amelia stand stronger. Is it only a matter of time before the Volkov..." She did not finish her sentence, but I understood what she meant.

I might still be the legal Mrs. Volkov, but Amelia had a child and my in laws’ support. Raphael was not the patriarch of the family yet. His parents still held the main power, and Amelia might use this period to get rid of me.

My life was on the line. Amelia was not a mere mistress but someone with the family’s backing. I, on the other hand, was just an orphan. The Alderheim family was not even as strong as the Sinclairs without Gregor’s support.

Even if Raphael protected me now, Amelia would be a constant, growing threat. I would just be another pawn in the equation.

"I know, Genny. Raphael refuses to divorce me," I said.

Genny cursed under her breath. "I expected that. He loves you to the point of obsession. He would hold on until death. But if you both die, Amelia wins." Genny was not speaking like a carefree woman, but like an heiress who grew up surrounded by scheming.

She understood how things worked in high society. Mistresses and open marriages were not uncommon.

"There are only two options. Either you eliminate Amelia or you leave. There will not be peace with both of you in the equation. And I have a plan."

My breathing slowed.

"No one should know, not even Lucien, if we want this to work. The Volkov family has ears everywhere."