Page 17 of Luka

It strikes me, though, that he missed the mirror hanging on the wall for who knows what reason. Decoration, I suppose. A little shelf is built into it, and to Leo’s credit, all the figurines that were once there are now smashed and on the floor.

I catch my reflection and don’t immediately look away. I find myself studying my eyes, noting for the first time how unsymmetrical they appear. One ishooded, apparently.

When Leo sees me, probably noting how close the vase hit to where I’m standing, his bloodshot eyes widen. His pupils are so dilated, he looks demonic.

“Leo, it’s the paranoia talking,” Mila says, her voice calmer than she looks. “Piper will call soon and explain everything.”

His face reddens. “I’m not paranoid!” He bends over as he screams at her, as if that gives his lungs more force.

I meet my mother’s cold eyes again, never wavering. She wants me to fix this. As if I could.

I take in Leo’s shaking hands, his dilated eyes. He’s no doubt on something, but this is more than that. This is justhim. An illness perhaps, but Alekseevs don’t admit to that kind of thing.

“Piper’s cheating on me, Luka,” he says, his eyes watering. “With my baby inside of her. She’s…” He bites his fist and clenches his eyes shut, rage turning his face red. At least it appears he’s trying to hold it in this time.

“You don’t know that,” Mila says. “Leo, listen to me.” Mila gets to her feet and slowly walks toward him, her hands raised. “Youknowyou’re prone to paranoia.”

“She isn’t answering her phone!”

“Maybe it’s because she’s scared,” Mila carefully says. “Like you said, she’s carrying a baby now. Your anger can make some people uneasy.”

“Mybaby.”

Mila frowns. “Of course.”

“You said ‘a’baby. You don’t think it’s mine?!”

“I didn’t say that,” Mila is quick to reply, shaking her head.

“But how can you be sure?” I interject.

Mila’s eyes are bugged when she turns to me, her jaw dropped in disbelief. Even my mother’s cold eyes narrow.

I ignore both of them and focus on my brother. “If you’re so convinced your girlfriend is fucking some other guy, you have to consider the possibility that the kid might not be yours. Right?”

“Luka…” Mila says, the warning clear in her tone.

“But here’s another thing to consider. What if, hear me out, she isn’t even pregnant? What if she’s lying to you?”

“Luka!” Mila steps between Leo and I. As if she’s tall enough to block his view of me or a barrier for sound. “Don’tfeed this.”

I laugh and raise my arms at my sides. “Feed what? Every person in this room has considered the possibility that Leo’s whore might not be such a good girl. That’s not paranoia, sis. It’s reality. So why don’t you tell him what you’rereallythinking?”

Her face starts to sink with dread as she eyes me, silently begging me not to do this. But I have to. Because Piper isn’tcoming back, so all the sugar-coated bullshit Mila decides to spoon-feed Leo to keep him calm will spew all over us. Soon.

I raise my eyes to look at Leo’s pained expression over the top of Mila’s head. “Regardless of whether or not your girlfriend is a slut, pull your shit together. Take a shower, pour the booze down the sink, flush whatever shit you're on down the toilet, and go to work. Quit destroying shit. Quit throwing your tantrums. Be afuckingman.”

Tears gloss his eyes as he looks around, as if realizing for the first time how we all see him.

Volatile.

His hand dragging through his hair, he storms around Mila and I, nearly running for the exit.

“Leo!” Mila calls, her hand reaching for him.

Her lip curls as her eyes train on me. “What iswrongwith you?”

I roll my eyes at the condemnation in her tone, but when she slaps me, I shut them, my jaw clenching.

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