Page 76 of The Bratva King's Claimed Bride

“Are you okay?” Penny asks. “You’ve gone a bit pale.”

“Can’t seem to shake this bug,” I lie.

“I think we should call a doctor,” Kervyn says, looking up from his newspaper. “You’ve been sick since before you came to us.”

“I think it’s the stress with everything that’s gone on,” I say quickly. “I’m sure it’ll pass.”

Kervyn raises an eyebrow but returns to his newspaper, and Penny begins to eat.

I spoon butter and sugar into my oats and mix them in before I start to eat. The oats taste different here than at Igor’s house. They are still tasty but a little more salty. I eat in silence, letting my thoughts wander as I eat.

“We better get ready,” Penny says, standing up.

I startle slightly and nod. “Yes, of course. Let me go get my bag.”

I get up and hurry upstairs to my room. I get my handbag and come back downstairs to find Penny waiting for me in the entrance hall.

“Once we’re done at the exhibit, we’ll go shopping and grab some lunch at Zeek’s.”

“Is that the spot you always go to for lunch?” I ask. “I think you mentioned it.”

“It’s become a bit of a family tradition that the girls have lunch there,” Penny says as she leads me out.

Asher pulls up in her pink Mustang and waves to us. “Come on, girls, let’s go conquer the world.”

Penny climbs into the front while I climb into the back. Asher pulls out, and my stomach tightens as she swerves into traffic and speeds off.

“Stop driving like a hooligan.” I’m glad Penny says it before I do.

“Aw, we’re fine,” Asher says. “Danil’s been taking me to advanced driving courses.”

I swallow, and Asher sees my face in the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry, I passed all of them the first time.”

I nod. “Okay.”

Penny and Asher talk about the kids as we drive, and I sit back and try to keep breakfast down with all the swerving Asher does.

I can’t fault my family for trying to make me feel included. Every day, someone comes over to take me to do something, and I have had fun. I just wish I could go home to the father of my child, knowing I could trust him and be in his arms when we go to sleep at night.

I can’t help but wonder what Igor is doing now that I’m not there. I wonder if he’s upset or if he’s moved on. He hasn’t contacted me about a divorce, and I’ve expertly avoided the topic with everyone in the family.

Asher pulls into a parking lot, and we exit the vehicle.

“Zeek’s isn’t far from here, so we can walk,” Asher says. “We’ll go shopping, walk to Zeek’s, have lunch with Hannah and Elena, and walk back.”

“Get our steps in,” Penny says, checking her smartwatch.

I smile softly. She really is the cutest person alive. I’d hate to mess with her, though. She seems like a mama bear.

We walk into the gallery, and I look around. There are some exquisite pieces up. I’m not trained to appraise art or anything like that, but I have a good eye for paintings for houses when decorating. Before I got my real estate license, I studied home decor.

Asher ushers us into the room next door. “These are my pieces.”

The room is massive, and the pieces are even more so. It is space-themed, and there are a lot of star-studded galaxies, swirls of rings around planets, and planets themselves in bright, unnatural colors.

“This is gorgeous,” I breathe. “Wow, Asher, you’re really talented.”

We go to each painting, and Asher beams at us. “I’m so glad you like them. We’re going to auction three off for charity, and we’re selling the rest.”

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