Page 94 of Unbreakable Vow

But she’s never allowed to remarry because she’s legally stuck with him.

I’ve already decided I won’t do it. I will move back into my old apartment, or get a new one, but I will not leave Chicago. I’m not going to be tucked away somewhere so he can feel better about what’s happened.

“This isn’t going to continue.” He sits and places his hands on the table, flat on top of a manila envelope. I glance at it. It wasn’t there earlier when I left.

“What’s not?” I clear my throat of the fear that’s trying to choke me.

“You living in the guest wing.” He puts his hand up when I open my mouth to argue. “Let me finish.”

“Fine.” I lean away from the table. “It’s your house, go ahead.”

His lips pinch together. “Victoria is gone.”

“I know,” I cut in. “I heard you had her taken back to LA or whatever part of hell she crawled out of.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “And?”

“And what?”

“You think I shouldn’t have?”

“I think you should have been honest with me from the beginning. I think you shouldn’t have shut me out.” It feels so good to say it out loud. “You should have talked to me, warned me she was going to be trouble. Then when she said all that bullshit to me in the bathroom, I wouldn’t have been so quick to believe her.” Tears build in my eyes. “Maybe I wouldn’t have been at Kraze at all that night. Instant of letting Krista drag me out of the house to try to get my mind off what was happening with you, I would have been here when Mom—” I have to stop, take a breath to stop the bubbling sobs from erupting. “I could have been here when Mom had the heart attack.”

His jaw sets.

He reaches across the table and grabs my hand, squeezing. “You’re right.”

I blink.

What now?

“I shouldn’t have distanced myself from you. I should have told you that seeing her reminded me of how badly she hurt me.” He runs his thumb over my knuckles. “But that would have been admitting I had allowed her to do so.”

“Of course she hurt you,” I blurt. “And I wanted to scratch her eyes out for it. But I wouldn’t hurt you, not like she did, and not like you’ve hurt me.”

I try to pull away, but he holds tight.

“I did hurt you,” he acknowledges with a small nod. “And I’m sorry.”

None of this is what I had on my bingo card for events happening in this lifetime.

“Sergei.” I have no idea what is supposed to come after that.

“I know you wouldn’t do what she did. I know because you’re an honest woman. You’re a loyal woman. You’re an intelligent woman who doesn’t need anyone to make things happen for you.You take the world by the balls.” He makes a fist in the air as though actually squeezing a pair of testicles.

“I’m not sure who you’re talking about,” I scoff. “I tried to extort thousands of dollars from you because I was broke and needed the money.”

“Right. You needed the money to care for your mother, so you grabbed a pair of balls and squeezed.” He makes the gesture again.

With my free hand, I wrap it around his fist and gently push it to the table.

“I think we’ve gotten off track. What did you want to tell me?” I pull back from him, giving a pointed look at the envelope beneath his arm.

His gaze travels the same path and he pushes it toward me.

“Like I said, this can’t go on.”

I take the envelope and open it, pulling out a document.

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