Page 53 of Beautiful Agony

"Twelve," he compromises, kissing me one more time before releasing me.

I squeeze his hand, then turn toward the east wing. As I climb the stairs, I can feel his gaze following me, protective and intense. Part of me wants to turn back, to let him handle this conversation with Freddy. But this is something I need to do myself.

I knockon Freddy's door, waiting for a response. When none comes, I push it open and freeze at the familiar sight—Freddy with his hands in the dresser drawers, rifling through them like he's done countless times at Dad's house.

"Really? This is the first thing you do?" I shake my head in disgust. "Look for something to steal?"

He whirls around, eyes narrowing. "What do you care? Yourhusbandprobably wouldn't even notice anything missing." He gestures at the opulent room. "Speaking of which, where'd you get Mom's necklace back from? Did he buy it for you?"

"I'm not doing this with you," I say firmly. "You're here as a guest under Vadim's protection. But that protection can be taken away if you don't behave."

Freddy barks out a harsh laugh. "Protection? Is that what you think this is?" He stalks toward me, jabbing a finger in my direction. "You stupid little girl. Do you have any idea who these Russians really are?"

"How do you know they're Russian?"

"Oh, this is rich." He sneers, spreading his arms wide. "Your criminal husband hasn't told you everything, has he? Makes sense. The bratva probably don't share secrets with their whores."

I ignore Freddy's attempt to hurt me with his words, but the way he spits them out cuts at me hard.

After all these years, I should be immune to them.

But he always has a way to make them hurt.

"I'm trying to protect you," I say instead.

He throws his head back and laughs, the sound harsh and mocking. "Protect me? If you really think that's what this is, you're dumber than you look."

His gaze fixes on Mom’s necklace. "Take that off."

"No."

"That necklace belonged tomyMom," he snarls, stepping closer. "It doesn't belong on a worthless orphan pretending to be her daughter."

Something inside me snaps. All the years of his cruelty, of making me feel like I don't belong, of stealing from our father—it all comes pouring out.

"How dare you?" I advance on him, and for the first time, I see him take a step back. "You want to talk about belonging? Where were you when Dad needed his medication? When he needed clean clothes? When he needed someone to make sure he ate?" My voice rises with each question. "I was there. Every single day. While you were gambling away everything the two of them worked so hard to build for our family."

My hands are shaking but I don't care. "You want to know why I have this necklace? Because my husband actually cared enough to track it down afteryoupawned it. The same necklace that Mom wanted to pass down to her daughters. The same Mom who made sure I knew I belonged, even when you tried your hardest to convince me I didn't."

"You have no right to talk about belonging when you've done nothing but steal from this family," I continue, advancing onFreddy as he retreats. "Where's Dad's watch? His cufflinks? The silver tea set that's been in the family for generations? Did you pawn those too, or are they sitting in some loan shark's office as collateral?"

My voice rises with each step. "And you know what the worst part is? You didn't even have the decency to admit it. You just let Dad think he was losing his mind when things kept disappearing. Do you have any idea what that did to him? To watch him doubt himself, wondering if the dementia was getting worse?"

Freddy's back hits the wall, but I'm not done. The words pour out of me like a bursting dam.

"You're pathetic. You stand there and judge me, call me names, try to make me feel like I don't belong. But what have you done to earn your place? What gives you the right to?—"

I stop mid-sentence when I notice Freddy's eyes aren't on me anymore. They're fixed on something behind me, and his face has gone pale. The sneer on his face is gone, and in its place is naked fear.

I turn around to see Vadim leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and that dangerous half-smile playing on his lips. His eyes are fixed on Freddy with predatory intensity.

"Well?" I ask, drawing strength from Vadim's presence. "What else don't I know, Freddy? Since you seem to knowso muchabout the bratva."

Freddy's mouth opens and closes like a fish gasping for air.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "You were so eager to put me in my place about what I am just a minute ago." I take a deliberate step backtoward Vadim. "What was the phrase you used? The bratva's whore?"

The words hang in the air like smoke. Behind me, I hear Vadim's sharp intake of breath, and the room suddenly grows cold.

---