Page 65 of Forced Marriage Vows

She shrugs. “It just seemed easier to approach you rather than the Pakhan of the Russian mafia.”

My lips part. “You know.”

“Yeah, I do. I knew when we were dating, too. My brother used to work for the Bratva as well. He trained with Mikhail, but he got out a couple of years ago. Mikhail and I met through my brother at a party.”

“He has a habit of going after his friend’s sisters,” I say, rolling my eyes.

Sierra laughs. “Actually, I went after him. I was pretty relentless back then. Mikhail never chases after anyone. The things he wants tend to come to him. Especially women. I’d heard a lot about him before then. The ice prince. He was already building up a reputation of being ruthless. My brother warned me to stay away from him, but I didn’t listen. I pushed until we started dating. And things were going well, at least until we broke up. I found out after that I was three months pregnant.”

“That must have been so scary,” I say sympathetically. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“Two reasons—the first being that he had moved to L.A. by the time I found out about the baby. I could have called or texted him, but I was terrified. I had no idea how he would react. He’s always so closed off, I didn’t know if he would be open to the idea of a baby.”

I know what she means. When I asked Mikhail about kids yesterday, there was nothing encouraging about his answer. He said he’d be down for it if I wanted it, but that’s not how life works. It should be partnership.

“Plus, he’s in the mafia,” Sierra continues. “I wasn’t sure I wanted my child to be raised in an environment like that. My brother left because he almost lost his life. I don’t know if I could live with the threat of danger over my child’s life.”

“Mikhail’s the Pakhan now,” I point out. “It’s dangerous now more than ever before.”

“I know. But I don’t think I have much of a choice. Jalen’s asking about his dad. He’s such a smart, sweet kid. We were taking a walk through the park the other day and he saw a kid being lifted on his father’s shoulder. I could see how sad he was that he didn’t have that. And I know better than anyone how it feels to grow up without a father. I just want to give Jalen a chance to experience what other kids do.”

“I don’t know if Mikhail has it in him to be that kind of father, though,” I say softly.

Sierra looks pained at the statement. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

“Excuse me,” Lucia cuts in, drawing our attention. She’s been quiet all this while; I’d almost forgotten she was beside me. “The two of you incredible, smart women do realize that people are capable of change, right? I don’t know much about Mikhail, but I’m pretty sure he’s a man who rises to any challenge thrown hisway. He became the leader of an entire organization, and you think he’s incapable of becoming a father?”

I feel a little chastened by that. “It’s not the same thing, Lucia.”

“Of course not. Being a parent is hard. You weren’t prepared to be one when you had Jalen, were you, Sierra?” she asks, and the other woman shakes her head. “But you did it. You rose to the occasion. I think it would be so unfair if you didn’t give Mikhail the chance to do the same.”

Silence follows that statement. I immediately feel like a horrible person. I’m supposed to be Mikhail’s wife and yet it’s pretty clear that I don’t trust him. Lucia’s phone rings, disrupting the silence. She gets to her feet.

“I have to take this. I’ll be right back,” she informs us before walking away.

“She’s pretty feisty,” Sierra says once she’s gone.

“Yeah, she is,” I say on a laugh. “But that was a much-needed wake-up call. She’s right. Mikhail deserves a chance to know his son.”

“And I want to give him that chance. I’m just scared of what he’ll do when she finds out I kept the truth hidden for this long.”

“He won’t hurt you,” I assure her.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m starting to realize that I need to give my husband a little more credit. And I need to start trusting him, as well.”

Sierra studies me for a couple of moments. “You care about him a lot.”

“It’s hard not to,” I say self-consciously. “I never expected that I’d be in this deep.”

“Falling in love is a slippery slope. Especially when it comes to Mikhail,” she confesses quietly. “He makes it easier.”

I try to ignore the pang of jealousy in my chest.

“Don’t worry, Anastasia,” Sierra states, reading the expression on my face accurately. “I’m completely over Mikhail. Our relationship was nice, but it always felt stunted. I think he dated me simply because he could, not because he cared. I was chasing him the whole time we were together. Does it feel like that for you?”

I shake my head. If anything, he’s been the one to chase me, while I’ve been a brat. He must be sick and tired of my shit by now.

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