Page 24 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

“That’s very kind of you, Sky. I appreciate it,” I said, forcing a smile.

I hated lying to her, and I hated how I had to put on that face. She was my friend, and I didn’t want to mislead her.

Ever since Ben entered my life, he seemed to have a knack for backing me into abysmal corners.

I already knew I had my work cut out for me.

Chapter 12 - Benedikt

By the end of the day, the quiet clink of silverware against our plates was our only ambiance as we ate together.

Just from the look of her as she absently ate her food, more out of necessity than to derive any kind of pleasure from it, I could tell Gemma was worn down from her day.

As much as I didn’t mind the idea of letting her recuperate from her time at the office, my questions lingered silently in the air. I needed to know whether or not she followed through with her end of our bargain.

I had to know if the situation had been wrapped up neatly, or if I needed to prepare for shit to hit the fan.

After sipping my water, I looked over at her, keeping my voice as non-intrusive as possible. “Was it done?”

Despite my vague word choice, there was no doubt we both knew what that meant. It didn’t require any context—not when it was the one obstacle left before we’d be able to move forward and hopefully find a state of normalcy that didn’t involve me blackmailing her.

Regardless of what she likely thought of me, I didn’t take any joy in it. I had at first, but after we slept together and renewed my idea of having an actual life with her, my grand scheme didn’t seem satisfying anymore—rather, it was simply a necessity that had to be carried out. Nothing more.

Gemma sighed through a moment of silence, and she nodded, looking at her plate instead of me.

“It was.”

Able to exhale the breath I'd been holding, I nodded, feeling a slight spark of pride, glad that I could trust her to carry it out. That fact would eventually be confirmed with the article being published, but at that moment, I was comfortable enough to believe her.

While it should’ve been a happy moment to celebrate, given how neither of us would have to worry about the family name being tanked and dragged through the mud, I could sense her resignation.

Looking over, my brows came together in question. “But you aren’t satisfied knowing that.”

It was her turn to pull in a steadying breath. Remorse lingered in her words. “It tainted my integrity as a journalist, and if anything in that article is eventually brought into question, I might never come back from it. My reputation is on the line because of the fabrication, but it was done.”

There was more significance to her claim than I wanted to admit, but even I couldn’t deny how compromising it must’ve felt for her.

As someone who prided herself on sharing stories that mattered, which unfortunately meant telling the truth, I couldn’t imagine how much it weighed on her throughout the day. Given the state she was in, it was easy enough for me to believe.

Normally, reporters and journalists were our natural enemies, as they were almost like emissaries for the feds. But given how I married one, I couldn’t simply threaten the newspaper as a whole. And as much as I didn’t want Gemma to be caught in the middle of the situation, there wasn’t much else I could do about it.

But with her confirmation that the alterations had been made, I found myself in a better mood, and able to breathe a little easier.

“I hate to say it, but you’ve found yourself wrapped up in a world where integrity is scarce. It’s something you’ll have to get used to.”

It was supposed to be a lighthearted remark to lift the mood a bit, but it was easy to see that Gemma didn’t appreciate the comment very much. She looked over at me with an unimpressed expression before she shook her head absently and returned her gaze to the plate in front of her.

Realizing I took a swing and a miss, I sighed quietly and worked at my food as the sense of guilt in my chest deepened.

It wasn’t my intention to be a jackass, but it seemed to come fairly easily to me. I wasn’t used to having anyone outside of Ari keep me accountable for anything, and being able to read Gemma’s reactions to my antics was a sobering reminder that not everyone thought like me. That, unfortunately, I didn’t always hit the mark.

Being confronted with that notion, even if silently, was an odd feeling that I didn’t enjoy too much. But it seemed unavoidable.

Life as a bachelor allowed me to skate by assuming I couldn’t do anything wrong, and since being married, no matter how briefly, I couldn’t keep up that mentality anymore. As much as I wanted to think I would be able to just do as I pleased and have someone by my side to keep me company, I was beginning to see just how incorrect that was.

It wasn’t just me anymore, and if Gemma wasn’t happy, then we would both suffer for it.

As dinner continued through another bout of silence, I couldn’t ignore how agonizing it felt, and I had to at least try to lighten the mood.

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