Page 121 of Sinful Betrayal

I transfer allthe names and numbers from my phone onto the back of the note, hoping that even if Anton decides never to forgive me, some good can still come out of this mess.

My father deserves what’s coming to him.

I look at the time. My hour is almost up.

Anton wants me gone, and I have to respect that. It’s the least I can do after what I’ve put him through.

Folding up the note, I rest it against the framed photo of him and his family. As I nudge the frame, it falls over, and the back comes undone.

“Oh no.” I glance anxiously at the door.

I quickly gather the frame and try to set the backing back on, but then I notice that there’s another photo lodged behind the one of Anton and his cousins.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I pull the small polaroid free, and when I turn it over, it’s like I’m looking at a picture of myself gazing up at a teenage Anton.

“What on earth…”

The girl has the same long, dark hair and soft, delicate features.

Anton is reaching out to cup her cheek, and my chest tightens at the look in his eyes. It’s one I’ve grown to cherish myself.

You can see the love in their eyes as they gaze at one another, and I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as I stare at the photo, unable to take my eyes off of the girl.

“Katerina…” I whisper.

I understand now why Maria mistook me for her, considering we have such a similar appearance.

She looks a lot more than just a friend of the family, but I’m hardly in a position to be angry at Anton for hiding the truth.

They look happy together.

“Maybe you weren’t destined for me after all…” I whisper as I stroke my finger over Anton’s handsome face.

It doesn’t change the fact that I’m now carrying his child.

My heart aches for the life my baby should have had if I had just had the courage to speak the truth.

Will Anton want anything to do with this child now that he knows who I am? I can only hope that he will.

I head out of Anton’s study with my bags over my shoulder, my vision blurring so much from the tears that I almost walk straight into a side table.

I don’t have a car, and Yakov is no longer tied to my side, ready to drive me wherever I need to go. It seems his protection is only reserved for people who aren’t daughters of rival bratva dons.

“Uber it is,” I sigh as I pull out my phone.

Heavy banging sounds on the front door, and I jump, my phone slipping from my hands as I look up to see the outline of a man standing on the other side of the door.

“Anton?” I call out as I stagger forward.

My legs wobble, and I realize I’ve not eaten in what seems like days, not since I realized I might be pregnant.

The door bursts open, one of the hinges pinging right off the frame, and I cry out.

“What the fuck—” I gasp, my hand going to my heart as Akim appears, looking extremely pleased with himself.

“Going somewhere, Nina?” He eyes my bags suspiciously.

“You broke the fucking door.”

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