Page 84 of Ruthless Serenade

His expression is somber. "Sorry, boss. Eva was a good woman."

I release a heavy breath and give a slight nod. "Thanks for telling me, Pavel. I'll take it from here."

After Pavel leaves, I quickly down another glass of scotch and squint at the article again. My ex is dead. Which is not good. Guilt begins to gnaw at me. I know exactly where she had those pills from. Maybe if I hid the keys to my safe more carefully…

Blyad!

It doesn’t matter now. She was an adult woman and she made her own choices. I’m not her babysitter and I never was. But what concerns me is who wrote this garbage? Maybe Alexis Williams? Maybe this has something to do with the fact that Mindy is back in my life?

I scan the small print, but the name doesn’t ring a bell. Alright, it’s not Alexis Williams. But that doesn’t make this fiasco any less frustrating.

Thinking about Alexis makes me remember Mindy.

Stop it, Korolev.

But the memories are flooding back. The sound of her laughter, the way she’d cling to me in bed on lazy mornings, her sharp tongue. Damn it, I still ache for her. It’s like a knife being constantly twisted in my chest.

Stop this bullshit, dolboyob!

She betrayed you twice in one lifetime!

I shake my head, trying to push these toxic thoughts away. The sting of her betrayal blends with the yearning, creating a dangerous concoction of emotions I can't afford to feel.

I can’t allow her to plague my mind like she did before.

Not again.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Maron

She haunts me, even in my sleep.

And I fucking hate it.

It’s early in the morning and I’m lying awake in bed, contemplating my fucked-up existence. I hate how Mindy still lingers in my thoughts. Just finished relieving myself, but all I can think about is her.

I need to find a way to support Sharon and spend time with her without her mother hovering around. But how? Take this shit to court? Yeah, right - so I can end up being the weekend dad who gets to see his daughter twice a month if he’s lucky?

Fuck that. That’s almost as bad as not seeing her at all.

A blast of ice-cold water might knock some sense into my head. I drag myself out of bed and stumble toward the bathroom, but just as I reach for the faucet, my phone starts ringing. Fucking perfect timing. Who the hell is calling at this hour? My hand freezes mid-air.

It could be Mindy.

Shit, what if Sharon needs help?

I bolt back to my room and grab my phone. Unknown number. What the fuck? This is my private line - the one onlymy inner circle knows about. The one I keep for emergencies. Frowning, I hit answer.

"Mr. Korolev." The female voice cuts like ice.

"Who the fuck is this?"

"Someone you need to listen to very carefully." Each word drips with predatory satisfaction. "I’m Dr. Rachel Anderson."

Fucking perfect.

Eva’s sister.

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