NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Dance of Madness
A cold morning in Saint Petersburg. The roads were blanketed in a thin layer of glistening snow, and the city seemed to be wrapped in a fragile silence—fragility that could shatter with the first step on the ice. Inside Dmitri's luxurious apartment, the quiet engulfed the atmosphere.
Irina sat by the large window, wrapped in a dark woolen blanket, staring at the white horizon. The usually bustling streets were nearly deserted, amplifying her sense of solitude. She hadn't slept all night, instead dwelling on everything that had transpired in recent days.
The room she sat in resembled a Baroque painting with its heavy furniture and dark tones. The walls were draped in velvet fabric, antique lamps cast a soft golden glow on the plush carpets, and an empty wine bottle and an overturned glass rested on the nearby table. Scattered ash next to a crystal ashtray told the story of a long, restless night.
As she gazed outside, her thoughts lingered on Dmitri. There was something dark about him—something that made her want to run away yet drew her to him like a magnet.
Irina (thinking): "Am I a prisoner of this man? A captive of his words, his gaze, his touch? Or am I just a pawn in a game I can't comprehend?"
The sound of his heavy footsteps on the wooden floor broke her reverie. She turned to see him standing at the doorway. He wore a long black robe, his hair disheveled, his eyes bearing the weight of exhaustion.
Dmitri (softly): "You were awake all night."
He approached her slowly, as if trying not to disturb the fragile peace of the moment. Sitting beside her, he took her hand gently. She felt the warmth of his hand seep into her cold fingers.
Dmitri (with a faint smile): "You think too much, Irina. That's not good for you."
Irina (with concern): "I think because I don't understand you, Dmitri. You say so much, yet you hide even more."
Dmitri let out a short laugh, though it carried an undertone of sorrow.
Dmitri: "Sometimes, Irina, it's better not to understand everything. There are truths that, if known, might make you hate me… or hate yourself."
Irina (insistently): "But I need the truth. I need to know who you really are."
He stood and moved a few steps away, turning his back to her as he looked out the window. The dim light reflected on his face, adding to his enigma.
Dmitri (in a low voice): "The truth, Irina, is that I'm not the man you think I am. I'm not your angel, as you believe."
He turned slowly to face her, his eyes a mix of sorrow and anger.
Dmitri: "I am the man who could take you to the heights of bliss, but I am also the one who might drag you into the depths of despair."
His words cut through her like knives. She felt as though she was standing on the edge of a towering cliff, unsure whether to leap or retreat.
"I love you, I love you, I love you,
I love you, I love you, I love you,
I love you, I love you, I love you…
You're my angel,
Sent from the distant heavens.
I love you, I love you, I love you,
I love you, I love you, I love you,
I love you, I love you, I love you…"
The words of the song echoed in her mind like a refrain, mirroring her conflicted feelings for him.
He moved closer to her again, lifting her face with his hands. He gazed at her intently, as if trying to read everything within her.
Dmitri: "You know I'll never let you go, don't you? No matter what happens, you will be mine alone. No one can take you away from me."
A shiver ran through her body. His words carried promises, but they also bore an unspoken threat.
Irina (trembling): "And what if I want to leave you?"
He smiled faintly, but his smile carried a hidden madness.
Dmitri: "Then I'll make you wish to stay."
The tension in the room crackled like electricity. Irina felt trapped within the walls of this world Dmitri had created for her. She knew escaping him would not be easy—perhaps even impossible.
As she looked into his eyes, she realized something significant: Dmitri was not just an ordinary man. He was something greater, something she could not resist.
In that moment, she wasn't sure if she wanted to escape him or remain by his side, no matter the cost.
"Perhaps there is no way back now."