Page 30 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

Blinking through the remorse and guilt, Ben shook his head in disbelief. “Gemma, I didn’t realize—”

“No,” I snapped, cutting him off as I took a step closer. “I’m furious at you. I’m so angry that you put me in this position from the moment you forced my hand. You did this to me. You forced me to marry you all because of that stupid article when you could’ve just sent me off with a warning! You dragged me into this bullshit why? So that you could feel like a big man, right? Not only did you screw over the intern, but you also got hitched and managed to pin your crimes on one of your competitors. You did all of this for yourself, and didn’t stop to consider me for even a second.”

Even if his eyes were full of guilt, aware that he was at fault for my current predicament, I couldn’t give in. I needed to get everything off my chest.

I pointed a finger at him, letting that vitriolic sensation guide me. “You’re selfish, Ben. I know you don’t want to face it, but you can’t ignore that fact. You try to convince yourself that everything is fine, and you rationalize everything just so you don’t have to bear the burden of a guilty conscience. You’ve ruined everything for me, and put me in an impossible position, and trying to act like a good husband doesn’t just erase that!”

While Ben had respected my request long enough to listen to me, the latter half of my tirade made his jaw clench as he stood.

It was clear he didn’t take kindly to being spoken to in that way, but despite his visible irritation, his voice remained calm. Somehow, it still pissed me off anyway.

“I knew the Ivanovs were aware of the article, but I didn’t know they cornered you. Why didn’t you contact me?” Ben questioned, sounding genuinely surprised, and potentially even a bit worried about that idea.

“Because if I tried to contact you, I would’ve been killed before you ever made it,” I grit back through my teeth, unable to let go of that unfiltered anger just yet.

Ben sighed and looked away, scrubbing a hand down his face like he was both fighting an internal battle and trying to force back his instinct to raise his voice in return. “I wanted to talk to you about all of this anyway, I just didn’t think they had already confronted you about the article. That being said, I think it would be better if you don’t return to the office for a while.”

I flashed him an incredulous look, not believing what he was trying to say as more fury flared within me. “What? You want me to quit my internship after letting me go back for a week?”

But Ben was quick to shake his head. “No, I don’t want you to quit. But I think you should talk to your boss and see about working remotely. We can come up with some sort of excuse.”

I blinked back at him in disbelief. While the idea wasn’t a bad one, given how I was a target, it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. The suggestion was avoidant, and it still somehow managed to absolve Ben of everything he had done. Of every way he endangered me, whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not.

“I’m so tired of excuses,” I muttered, unable to temper that deep rage inside me—the embodiment of everything I had been holding back for the last week. “I’m tired of the schemes and lying. It’s gotten me in enough trouble already!”

“Gemma, I know, but—”

As he tried to take a step toward me, I took one back, unwilling to be too close to him. “No, Ben. Just because your last name gives you power and influence doesn’t mean you get to push me around and expect me to just take it. You did this to me. You made me go against my better judgment and lie just to cover your ass. You made me forgo everything I stood for. Everything!”

As much as it seemed like he wanted to shout back at me, he didn’t. Instead, Ben stood there and took it, expression unchanging. I couldn’t tell what pissed me off more—the fact that he wasn’t saying anything, or that he was allowing me to speak without interrupting.

Even if I knew that yelling at him didn’t get me anywhere, I could feel from deep within me that I just needed to let it out. I needed to release that pent-up anger I had stashed away so that I could breathe again, if even for a moment.

“It is soul-crushing to know that I have become a target in a landscape that I have no business being in, targeted by people who have no qualms about putting me down,” I managed to get out, despite how my throat began to feel raw, and I felt like I needed to sit down. “You’ve been reckless about all of this—reckless about my life, and while you can put your head in the sand as much as you want, it won’t change the fact that I’m in danger. Whether I’m at work or not, so long as they are out there, I will never be able to let my guard down again. They threatened me, Ben, and I don’t take that lightly. And now, I have a decision to make, or risk becoming their prey.”

Many thoughts flitted behind his eyes then, but still, Ben didn’t speak. Instead, his eyes betrayed his guilt and remorse, even if he was trying to hide it.

As much as I had begun trying to accept the situation he brought me into against my will, I couldn’t shake the fact that it wasn’t as easy as Ben made it out to be. As if the moment I willingly signed those legal documents and framed the Ivanovs, everything else would cease to be a problem.

That had been a false promise, too.

Chapter 16 - Benedikt

Gemma was right.

I fucked up by bringing her into everything—especially by not taking her thoughts and feelings into account enough and forcing her to go along with my plans.

As much as I wanted to believe that everything I had done was for her own good, I knew there would be no reason for me to do all of that if I had just threatened Gemma with a warning from day one and sent her on her way.

There were other ways I could’ve handled the situation, but I went the self-serving route.

I saw her in the club and realized the opportunity. I seized it without thinking it through, and for that, I was completely wrong.

I didn’t want her to be stuck working at home either, especially not when she so obviously preferred being in the office, but I couldn’t understand why she was taking that aspect so hard. She had been cornered there, and I assumed she would feel safer staying home anyway until I'd at least figured out how to mend the situation.

It wasn’t fair of me to make her a prisoner in the house, but it would be completely irresponsible for me to allow her to go back to work after knowing the Ivanovs already had their finger on its pulse. It would only take them catching her at the right time to sweep her away and use her against me.

That thought alone was enough to make my stomach ache.

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