Page 84 of Split

I’ve gotten in the habit of taking my coffee out here each morning, as the weather allows, and there’s a sense of freedom in reclaiming control over even the most mundane of my routines. I’ve altered many of them in the months since ending my father and fully embracing my new life as Mrs. Volkov.

My crowning achievement has been mastering a perfect cup of drip coffee. It took months to get it to taste half as good as Clara’s, but the skill was born from necessity after she left the estate to go work for Magnus instead. The twins still generously fund her husband’s medical care, and I can’t say I miss having her around. There was no love lost between the two of us.

Clara’s departure allowed for the procurement of new staff, and a few members of my father’s household staff happilyaccepted the opportunity to come work at the manor. Having them around has livened up the ghoulish ambiance around here, and I’ve found it comforting to regain some semblance of family; some connection to the good parts of my life before I came here. I’ve left all the bad in the past. I thought guilt and remorse would eventually creep in and I’d regret my role in my father’s execution, but even months later, they haven’t and I don’t.

Most days, I don’t think about him at all.

The gentle rustle of the boxwood leaves greets me as I breeze past the hedge maze, heat licking up my spine as I recall the night Knox offered to guide me through the labyrinth to the end. Instead, he chased me into Roman’s waiting arms, both of them taking me at the center of the maze until I came so hard that I blacked out. I think I already knew it’d end like that the moment he suggested we embark on a trek through the winding shrubbery. Knoxdoeslove his games, after all.

I pause in my steps as I reach the edge of the cemetery, dragging a deep breath into my lungs before continuing on and turning down the last row of graves. Coming to a stop at the freshest one on the end, I swallow past the lump in my throat, Nox growling protectively at my side as he picks up on my discomfort at being here.

A lot of that night is still a blur for me. My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I barely remember the act itself, returning to the party to drink and dance, followed by the twins fucking me into oblivion. I don’t know who had the unfortunate task of cleaning up my mess, but my father’s blood was scrubbed from the stones and his body buried deep by the time I went down there to check the following afternoon. I never asked; I was just relieved that it was finally over.

There’s no headstone marking my father’s final resting place, but Alina’s grave has one now. When the twins confirmed that it was her buried in that plot, I insisted on it, feeling like shedeserved at least that much. I never knew Alina, but I still feel connected to her in some way, like we’re kindred spirits. I hope she was able to find the same peace I have.

“Wife!” I hear Roman call out from somewhere in the distance.

A smile comes to my lips, heat tingling beneath the surface of my skin at the commanding rumble in his tone. Turning away from my father’s unmarked grave, I stride back down the row, making my way out of the cemetery and toward the manor.

When I don’t see my husband waiting out front, I decide to head around back, finding the french doors to the study pulled wide. Roman is standing at the threshold with his arms folded over his chest, looking as demanding and impatient as ever. He barks out a command to the dogs in Russian, prompting them to dart past me to greet their master, while I trail behind, taking my sweet time.

Vesper and Nox come to heel at his feet, but unlike his champion show dogs, I’m not so easily trained. I stroll up to him at a relaxed pace only to have him yank me in as soon as I’m within reach, pulling my body flush against his.

“I thought you’d run off,” he grumbles, fingers flexing as he tightens his grip around my hips possessively.

“Ithasbeen a while since either of you chased me,” I tease, popping my foot out behind me. “But I wouldn’t risk these boots out here for that.”

I don’t care how good the thrill of the chase is, these suede booties are way too cute to sacrifice.

A low chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Have we not proven that we’ll replace anything of yours that’s been ruined in the name of pleasure?”

Fair point.While our rough play has destroyed more designer clothes than I care to admit, replacements always appear the following day, both in black and red. It’s strange tohave the twins dote on me as they do, especially after how our marriage began, but I can’t find it in me to complain. Sometimes I still find it jarring how they can go from brutal to caring, slipping from one skin to another like Jekyll and Hyde, yet there’s a thrill in the way they always keep me on my toes, never allowing me to slip into the boredom of complacency.

Dare I say I’ve come to like it here?

I’m no longer banned from any rooms of the manor, but both of my men spend most nights in mine. Roman typically comes to bed with me, Knox slipping in later through the passage in the wall to join us. Sometimes he lurks in the shadows, and his voyeurism kink has definitely rubbed off on me, because I’ve learned that I love when one of them sits back and watches almost as much as when they both participate. Knowing Knox is hiding in the shadows while his brother fucks me adds another layer of exhilaration to the experience that always results in me coming even harder, succumbing to the darkness within myself.

Roman nips at my ear, pulling me back out of my quiet reflection. “Are you still planning on going into the city tomorrow to meet Cherie for lunch?” he asks.

“Yes, why?” I respond as I tilt my head, granting him access to trail his lips down my neck.

“I’ll ride with you, take care of some business while you’re there,” he mutters nonchalantly, his hand slipping beneath the hem of my sweater.

“Roman,” I sigh, wriggling out of his grasp and taking a step backwards to put some distance between us.

“What?” he asks, feigning innocence; as if heisn’tintent on wielding sex as a weapon to make me more pliable to his demands.

“I don’t need one of you to come with me every time I leave the estate,” I grumble, folding my arms over my chest. “I told you I’ll always come back.”

“I just don’t like the idea of you being away from me, unprotected,” he grits out.

“Uh huh,” I scoff, rolling my eyes.

Roman stares me down, the muscle in his tightly-clenched jaw ticking. “Fine, I’ll send Niko with you, then.”

I heave a sigh, dropping my arms to my sides and shaking my head. “If someonehasto come, I’d rather it be you or Knox,” I say, knowing that continuing to argue this point with him is an exercise in futility. Roman is a control freak.

“Then it’s settled,” he nods in satisfaction, a smirk coming to his lips. “We’ll leave here at ten.”

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