Page 162 of Cashmere Ruin

But in the end, he lets me. In the end, he chooses to trust me. Even if I haven’t earned it back yet.

In that, too, he’s so much like his sister.

“But Charlie, I need you to understand something: I hit a grown man. I didn’t hit a kid—mykid. Doing that to your own child… that’s not okay. Never.”

He nods grimly. “Apes used to say the same thing. Back when she lived here.”

“Your sister’s wise. You should listen to her.”

His lips twitch, the ghost of a smile. “Yeah, I know. You should, too, by the way.”

“Believe me, I know.”

“I’m glad she found someone like you,” Charlie says, surprising me. “April’s never… She didn’t have much growing up. Even though her dad’s rich, he never gave her a cent. Never took her anywhere, never came to visit… I’m not saying mine’s better,but at least I got to knowhim. For better or worse, he’s around. Dominic’s just… some stranger.”

I feel a stab straight through my chest. That’s why April doesn’t want to come clean, isn’t it? She knows the pain of not having her dad around. How could she possibly inflict that on her brother?

“And Mom always played favorites. She would spoil me all the time and treat April as a second-rate kid. It was unfair, but she never said anything. She just took it.”

“She loved you,” I say. “Sometimes, we eat shit for the people we love.”

“She had every right to hate me,” Charlie says. “But she never did. She was more of a parent to me than either of mine. All while both of hers treated her as the second choice.”

Second choice.I didn’t realize until now, but Charlie’s words have finally opened my eyes: that’s what I’ve been doing, too. It wasn’t intentional, but I still did it.

By marrying Petra, I treated April as a second choice, too.

It’s no wonder she reacted the way she did. No wonder she finally gave me an ultimatum. Would I ever have noticed if she hadn’t? Or would I have kept going on like this, blind to all her suffering?

“Matvey? Did I say something?”

I shake myself out of my thoughts. “No, no. I just realized I have to be somewhere.”

“I’ll walk you back.”

As we make our way out of the jungle-park, I give Charlie my number. “Not just for emergencies—for anything. I can’t promise I’ll pick up all the time, what with work and everything, but I’ll always call back. Always.”

“Thanks,” he says. Then: “Hey, is it true that you’re with the mob? Dad was yelling about that yesterday in the hospital.”

I give him a sideways glance. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

“Too soon.”

“Right. Sorry.”

He breaks into a big grin. “Nah, I’m just messing with you. I’ll visit, okay?”

I nod. “Anytime.”

Then I’m back on the road.

“Krasiviy!One more of these!” Vlad punctuates his request by slapping the waitress on the ass.

I clench my fist under the table, forcing myself not to create another diplomatic incident. “Tip her generously,” I mutter under my breath, then realize there’s no one at my side.

Right. Yuri’s still MIA.

I type a quick text under the table.You don’t need to follow Vlad anymore. Call me back.

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