Page 272 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

Seri groaned. “I knew it, I told you we’d be late.”

“I hope Fredericka recorded her proposal,” Vassi muttered and looked at Sergei. “Did she?”

Sergei didn’t answer, only opening the box with shaking fingers.

It was still the same ring he had purchased, but when he pulled it out of the box, that was when he caught a glimpse of the engraved words on its inner side.

Lyubov maya.

My love.

Misha was the first one to notice Sergei’s whitened expression. “What happened? Is it Fredericka?”

“She lied to me,” the billionaire said hoarsely. “Why would she do this then lie to me about meeting Julian Alexeyev?”

“Oh, Sergei.” Seri’s heart ached hard for her oldest brother. “Fredericka called us half an hour ago, telling us to come back because she was going to propose to you. D-did she—-”

“No,” Sergei said tonelessly. “I didn’t give her a chance to. I told her to leave.”

Seri shook her head in confusion. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I thought—-” He swallowed hard. “I thought she wanted Julian Alexeyev, and she was...she was only with me because of the baby.”

“That’s not possible,” Vassi said quietly. “She loves you, Sergei. I don’t know why she lied, but I know what I saw and I know that she loves you.”

Ah.

“I love her, too,” he heard himself say. “I love her.” But right now, he was beginning to fear he had no right to do so.

It took a mere six minutes to call Alexeyev and get the truth out of their meeting, fifteen minutes of beating the red light and getting a speeding ticket to make it to the hotel where he had forced Fredericka to check in.

But when he made it there, she was gone, leaving only a note.

I don’t blame you for this. I should have seen it coming, and so if anyone’s at fault, it’s me, thinking that we could be different.

I know you met with Elsa secretly, and I want you to know that if she’s the one who can make you happy – then I’m happy, too. You don’t have to marry me for our baby’s sake, Sergei.

I promise to keep our baby safe, and I promise – I promise I won’t keep our child away.

I just need time and space. Just please give me this, and I promise when I come back, it will be okay.

And we can be friends again.

The billionaire’s eyes closed.

In his mind, he saw her, pale and broken, her words barely audible.

I get it. I do get it, and I d-don’t blame you.

He saw her lips move, and this time – it was so goddamn clear, what she was saying, he felt like a fucking fool for not realizing what those words were.

You’re too young.

Because he had let his past and fears get the better of him, he had unknowingly destroyed her by making her worst nightmare come true. He had unwittingly become what her father was to her mother.

Someone too young to realize what he had – until it was too late, and he had thrown away what he should have held on to with all his might.

Chapter Nineteen

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