Page 68 of Dark Truths

“Yeah. As an engaged man.”

“Wait. What?” Rose’s mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water, like she’s unable to process the information.

“To who?” Lily asks.

"Sophia Mikailhov."

“Sophia Mikailhov? As in Michael’s ex-wife Sophia?”Rose asks.

“One and the same.”

Rose scoffs. "No way. How do you know?"

"When I went to him last night, I overheard him."

"Why would he do that?"

I shrug and mumble, “I left before he could explain.”

Rose latches on to the guilty tone in my voice. “Because he didn’t want to explain or because you didn’t give him the chance?”

Throwing my non-injured arm over my face, I groan deep. “Because I didn’t give him the chance.”

“Gabriella,” Rose reprimands me like the mom she is.

“What?” I toss my arm away and sit up, leveling her with a look. “I was mad. I’m pretty sure that’s what he’s been hiding from me. What he’s been refusing to tell me. What if he’s been seeing her and me at the same time?”

Rose snorts. "I highly doubt it. Have you met her?"

Her question is rhetorical but still makes me laugh.

"Rose is right," Lily jumps in, trying to reassure me. "If you saw how the man was looking at you when we arrived, there's no one but you."

"Besides, you know better than anyone that politics runs our world," Rose adds. "Dimitri may be engaged rightnowto Sophia, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to marry her. The way I see it, you’re a better catch than that box blonde will ever be, and her father would be an idiot to ignore that.”

I stare at her as I make sense of her words. “You’re…talking about marriage between Dimitri and me.”

She nods, her eyes bright with excitement, like she’s just figured out the meaning of life and is busy making wedding plans already. “I am. Think about it, Gabriella. Since no one knows about you two, they don’t even know it’s an option. But it is.”

Glancing down at the photo of the twin babies, I chew on my bottom lip while I consider her words. It makes as much sense as it is an insane option. If there’s even a chance that we can be together…don’t we deserve to fight for it? Don’t the pair of lives we created deserve that?

26

Dimitri

Ihate to admit this, but I actually kind of miss Igor.?

As annoying as he was, he was good for at least one thing, serving as a distraction for his brother. Without him here, I’m all Sergei is focusing on.Even in death, the fat bastard is still screwing me over.

“In here, Volkov,” Sergei calls from his office when I step inside his home.

The closer I walk to the room, the more I smell the familiar scents of alcohol and cigars. A common cologne as of late for the Bratva Pakhan.

“Boss,” I say as a way of greeting the man responsible for keeping me from my angel right now.

“About fucking time,” he growls back.

I could entertain his unwarranted frustration, but nothing productive will come from arguing with a drunk. Doesn’t mean I’m going to just roll over and take his attitude by making sure he senses mine.

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