Page 83 of A Monster Is Coming

“I’m Naimh Orlov.” I stopped because I didn’t quite know how to form into words what I needed to say. The women had been open, and I knew they had more tales to tell. “My husband is Peter Orlov, and I met him in the small town of Pickle Quest, where I thought he was a personal trainer. It turned out he’d been sent with a mission of getting me pregnant, which he did. Only, my father found me because I had run away, and he beat me to the point that I lost the baby. Now, I’m married to Peter, and one day, I’m going to have to make a choice whether I stay married to him, or give him up and get my freedom.”

At my statement, all three women looked concerned.

“My vote is she is going to stay,” Ivan said, startling us all as he made an appearance at our table.

I hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning, and he cancelled last night, which I was happy about as I spent the night with Peter.

He smiled at all four of us, and then kissed Aurora’s cheek, Adelaide’s, and then Charlotte’s, before coming to me. He gave my shoulders a squeeze, and one of the guards was already grabbing a chair for him to sit down. The waiter came over and delivered him a drink.

“You do realize you’re intruding on a girls’ only event,” Charlotte said.

“I know, but I needed to make sure you’re all getting on well. You know how I pride myself in choosing the perfect brides for my men.” Ivan winked at the table.

This made me laugh.

“Ivan likes to think of himself as a matchmaker,” Aurora said.

“No, what Ivan likes to do is collect broken and damaged women, and give them a happy-ever-after,” Charlotte said.

I turned to look at Ivan.

Broken and damaged.

I had a feeling none of these women knew of Ivan’s past with another woman.

“Is there a reason you pay close attention to broken and damaged?” I asked, sipping at my water, and then knowing I couldn’t keep drinking water. All three of these women and now Ivan—I needed an actual drink. I was breaking all my rules, but I signaled the waiter and asked for a glass of something strong. I knew I was making a mistake when I asked for it.

Ivan looked toward me. “I have my reasons.”

“Care to share them?” I asked.

“No.”

Aurora chuckled. “One thing you will learn, Niamh, Ivan will only tell you his reasons when he’s good and ready.”

There was an agreement around the table.

The waiter came with the stiff drink, putting it in front of me. I averted my gaze from Ivan’s to look at the drink. I’d promised myself I would never drink. After going to the hospital too many times that I lost count to have my mother’s stomach pumped, I had vowed to never touch a drop of alcohol.

My life had changed a lot in the past few months. I was married to a man I loved, who didn’t love me back. According to Ivan, I was a wealthy woman, and when the threat against me was gone, I’d be able to make the choice to leave.

I found this so difficult. I loved Peter; those feelings hadn’t changed. I couldn’t just turn them off, even though I wanted to. But, I didn’t want to stay with a man who couldn’t love me back. That sounded like a nightmare, and not one I wanted to live.

Picking up the glass, I felt all of those years of abuse claw at me, threatening to get out, and then I ignored them and downed my drink, enjoying the hard, bitter burn as it slid down my throat.

Chapter Twenty-One

Peter

At first, I thought Ivan was joking. Niamh didn’t drink. She never touched a drop because of her parents, more importantly her mother. Only, Ivan wasn’t joking. My wife had been drinking through lunch, and when I arrived at my penthouse, it was to find Ivan sitting on the sofa, while Niamh held my bottle of expensive whiskey and danced on the wooden coffee table in the living room.

“Peter!” She let out a slurred squeal. “Peter is home. Peter is home!”

I’d never seen her like this and as Ivan got to his feet, I glared at him. “What did you do?”

“That, I don’t know. My suggestion is, the next time you want to get Niamh close to the other wives, take her out to dinner, and make it a date with the other men. Something triggered her.”

Ivan went to leave and I grabbed his arm. He looked down at where I held him. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I also couldn’t leave Niamh alone.

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