Page 125 of Koroleva

"I know I have the right, but I don't feel like it. I've missed you a lot and Adri too. It would hurt me a lot not to see him again. Hasn't he asked about me these days?"

"Yes, of course he has asked. In fact, the day you sent me the videos we were going to call you to have lunch together, but then Nikita was shot and everything got complicated."

"They shot your wife?! But is she okay?" I nodded. "How awful, I had no idea! It's understandable that you didn’t respond..."

"No, it's not, you didn't deserve that. Above all, as you've said, you are my friend and that shouldn't have changed. Forgive me."

"Don't apologize anymore. True friends are always there, even as time passes you know they accompany you and just a glance or a word is enough for them to cross the country if you need them."

"Irene, seriously, I'm a jerk, you don't deserve me," I squeezed her fingers.

"Then let's toast to my friend, the jerk." She grabbed her lemon. "They say no pain lasts through two bottles of tequila, and as far as I know, this bar has a good arsenal."

"That goes without saying," I confirmed, grabbing mine. "If life gives you lemons, add salt and tequila." I smiled.

"And if you don't mind, I'll join the tequila quote challenge by joining the round and adding that everything can wait, except a good tequila," Dante chimed in, joining us with a huge wedge of lemon in his hand. "To good and jerk friends!" he exclaimed.

We all laughed, bit the lemon, licked the salt that my friend had sprinkled on our hands, and swallowed the fiery liquor.

After the first shot, a second followed, then a third, and even a fourth.

The distance I had self-imposed with my friend evaporated. And I felt free to explain what happened those two weeks.

She listened attentively and was happy for me when I confessed that I believed I was beginning to feel something for my wife.

She encouraged me to go all in on my marriage and took a stand regarding the revelation that Adri wasn't my son.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but... Nikita has a point." I looked at her astonished.

"You're not siding with her after what she did to you, are you?" She made a face.

"That night was tough for everyone. Neither of us behaved well. I should have shown a bit more empathy and not slept with her husband on their wedding night, no matter how much you had agreed to it. Nor should she have let her personal demons get the better of her and hit me. We lost the plot because a clothespin wasn't enough. To be honest, I would like it if, in the not too distant future, we could coexist in this Galaxy without needing to come to blows." I admired her attitude.

"You're an amazing woman, the man who ends up with you will be very lucky. Most women would hold a grudge, but you..."

"I'm realistic and very self-critical. This scar will remind me of my stupidity for life." She touched it. "And you should do the same, be more self-critical and not just throw out distractions to divert my attention because you don't want to hear what I have to say about your marriage. You always ask for honesty, and that's what I was ready to give you, if you want applause, there's a flamenco tablao two streets down where they do it wonderfully." She pursed her lips into a breath-taking smile.

"Message received. Go ahead, shoot, I'm more of a Rifle Girl than a Camarón."

"Okay. Partly, I understand your wife. I know you've told me kids aren't her thing, but Adri is her brother's son, the only thing she has left of him, so it's normal she wants him to carry her surname and know that Yuri was his father."

"But Adri is my son in every way! I registered him in my name and he's had a really hard time. I'm not against him knowing, but later on."

"You told me when he's eighteen, and that's not fair. I understand that you feel Adri is part of the family, but I also understand that she wants to give him his rightful place in hers." I sighed. "I'm not a psychologist, you know Juliet is better at that, but your son deserves to know the truth, tactfully of course, but you can't deny him that."

"And send him to Saint Petersburg?"

"No, that Nikita has to understand she can't and shouldn't take him away from your side. He already considers you as his family, he's lost his mother and grandparents, he needs to be raised in a stable and secure environment, another change wouldn't be positive."

"That's what I think too."

"Both of you have been set off because it wasn't the news you were expecting, you need to accept the truth and talk calmly, with your hearts open and without getting upset. Maybe it would be good for you to get away from everything and everyone, take a few days, be honest. If you've started to feel something for your wife, it would be good to show her. Some women are guided more by actions than words. Saying 'I love you' isn't enough, because the most important actions aren't wrapped in phrases, but in deeds."

"The current situation is too complicated to go on a trip."

"Look, I'm not saying you should go off on a honeymoon for a month, you can do that when you see fit. Just a few days, somewhere remote where no one knows you and where you can feel safe. Let your wife see the Romeo we all adore, the fun, adventurous, sincere, and protective guy who won us all over. It's impossible for Nikita not to fall in love with you, because any woman would feel lucky to have a man like you by her side. And give a little on the issue with Adri to smooth things over, I'm sure she'll appreciate it and you can reach an understanding." I considered the possibility she had just opened up before my eyes. It didn't seem so far-fetched. Maybe she was right and we needed a few days alone to get to know each other and clear things up, away from everything and everyone except us.

"Damn, Irene, don't let me ever push you away again, and if I do, you have permission to send Dante over to slap me twice for being an idiot."

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