Page 81 of Ruthless Lullaby

Maron, with his sharp intellect, commanding presence, and air of dangerous sophistication, seems to be cut from an entirely different cloth than my ex. Where Maron exudes power and control, Maurice... well, he seems more like a lost puppy.

I understand that about Maurice now. Too bad I didn’t understand that when I was with him. In my defense, he hid it quite well. I never even realized he had alcohol and gambling problems until recently.

But none of that is helping the situation. As I sit here in the aftermath of my ex-boyfriend’s drunken tantrum, I can't help but wonder; how on earth did I end up caught between Maronand him? The only reasonable explanation I can find is that it's another twisted joke of fate.

The door creaks open and Maron’s robust form enters. He walks over, settling down next to me without saying a word. The silence between us feels heavy and oppressive.

"Is there something you’d like to say?" I finally ask, turning to look at him.

He lets out a weary sigh, rubbing his face with his hand. "That was my brother, completely drunk and out of control," he replies. Frustration and tension are evident in his voice. "Sorry for not telling you that we’re related, Mindy. I was going to do it later. But I didn’t want you to be caught up in our family drama."

“Did you know?” I ask, steeling myself for what I'm about to say. "Did you know that Maurice and I used to be together? That we broke up shortly before you and I started dating?" I whisper, watching his face carefully for a reaction.

To my surprise, Maron nods. "I did," he says quietly. "And I know those photos you sent were meant for him. Except he never saw them."

My eyes widen in shock. "So, you knew? This whole time, you knew about my relationship with him and you never said a word?"

He seems to hesitate. I never saw Maron hesitate before. "Well," he starts, “I didn’t know the details. But I knew more than I let you in on." He pauses and looks at me. "Maurice and I were barely in contact until recently. I knew he had a girlfriend but I didn't realize it was you. Until I saw those photos."

I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief. "I had no idea you two were brothers. You’re like polar opposites."

"We're half-brothers," Maron corrects, his voice softening. "Maurice was only a toddler when his mother passed away. Then, our father married my mother, and they had me, followed by Timofey."

"So, Maurice was the 'third one'," I comment. “The sore thumb.”

Maron nods, searching my gaze. "My mother loved all three of us equally. But Maurice always felt that he had no place in the family. And he would never fail to bring that up and blame me for it."

My thoughts suddenly drift to my own sister, Alexis. Being blamed is something I know a thing or two about.

“What else are you not telling me, Maron?” I ask, deciding to change the subject. “First you turn out to be the head of the Bratva and now this? What else are you going to throw at me?”

He stares back at me, with an unfamiliar tenderness in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would recognize it as caring. But at this point, I don’t even know if I should believe my own senses. What I do know is that I can’t be with a man who keeps secrets from me, no matter how much we’re attracted to each other. Sexual chemistry can’t be the only foundation of a relationship.

Maron continues to keep his gaze on me, his expression sincere. “I hold no more secrets,” he says. “But there is a lot you don’t know about me yet.” He’s searching my eyes like he’s preparing himself for whatever I’m about to ask him next.

“Then tell me what I don’t know,” I fire back. My voice comes out more demanding than I intended.

Maron stares at me for what seems like an eternity. A long silence stretches between us until he finally nods. “Fine. Where do you want to start?”

“Help me understand what happened here tonight,” I demand.

Seeing that I’m not backing off, he sighs and looks down at his feet. It’s as if he’s contemplating where to start. I wait, giving him the time he needs to gather his thoughts despite the fact that I’m growing impatient. I’ve had enough of all the secrets and the drama. It’s all I’ve been dealing with lately and the last thing I want right now is to be with a man who’s hiding something from me. Maybe I am acting like a demanding bitch right now, but I need to stand up for myself. If we’re going to have a relationship, I need to understand the man I’m dating.

Maron reaches out to hold my hand and there’s an unspoken emotion in his eyes. I can tell he has something heavy on his mind. After a deep breath, he begins talking. "You’re right. Mauricewasthe ‘sore thumb’ in the family. After our dad died, he started having problems. Got caught up in drugs, gambling, and blowing his inheritance on parties and booze. Meanwhile, I used my share to start Global Media."

I shake my head in disbelief. How could I have been so blind about Maurice? How was he able to hide his addictive patterns from me during our time together?“Your dedication to shitty dates is admirable, Mindy,”Betty’s words echo in my mind. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m intently keeping myself blind because I’m afraid to be alone.

Maron shrugs and continues. "Look, I always tried my best to be there for Maurice. But instead of accepting my help, he constantly wanted to fight. Eventually, our relationship becamethis vicious cycle. He'd blow all his money on booze and then come crawling back to me for help. I wanted to support him, but it always ended up with me being the bad guy. So, in the end, I said screw it and walked away. We didn’t talk for years. That’s when he met you."

I raise an eyebrow. "He seemed relatively well put together when we were dating."

Maron shakes his head. "Maybe he was at the time. He was living on the money I gave him before we stopped talking. But in the end, his wallet started getting thinner, and he had to face the music. And instead of taking responsibility like an adult, he ended up in Marble Monkey.”

As I watch the hard, rugged lines of Maron’s face and the fierce look in his eyes, I can’t help but notice the change in his demeanor as he talks about his brother. I see a whole different side to him - one filled with genuine sadness. Just like when he was talking about his late daughter. How can a man like him care so deeply about someone like my ex?

"I recently hired Maurice, to work with me," Maron continues. "I made him an important member of my team and to my surprise, he's done a good job so far. The man has brains, just doesn’t know how to use it sometimes."

Alexis crosses my mind again. My once bright and beautiful sister, who is now wasting away. "Addiction is a bitch. And sibling relationships aren’t exactly easy." I pause before adding, "I have experience."

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