Page 59 of Forbidden Vows

Eileen

The mountain wouldn’t come to Muhammad, so I gathered the nerve to go to the mountain, instead. After some intense conversations with Ian and the security crew, I managed to convince Anton to allow them to accompany me back to my father’s house.

I stand in the foyer, waiting to be received by my stepsister, while four large gentlemen from my security detail stand outside. There’s a panic button device in my jacket pocket, just in case. I told them I wouldn’t need it in my childhood home, but it was one of the conditions in order for this visit to happen while Anton was away on a business trip.

“Mrs. Karpova,” a middle-aged woman comes downstairs to greet me. I recognize the staff uniform but I don’t recognize her.

“You must be new,” I say, giving her a warm smile. “I’m sorry, we haven’t met.”

“I’m Shelly, ma’am. I look after your father these days.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that his health is declining, but no one is willing to give me any details,” I say. “It’s a miracle I was even allowedback inside my own home,” I bluntly reply.

Shelly gives me a tense smile. “My apologies. Given your delicate condition, your father insisted on the secrecy.”

“Where is he?”

“With his doctor, as we speak. He will join you in the tearoom soon enough. Allow me to escort you.”

I look around for a long moment. Everything looks so familiar and yet so foreign at the same time. This was once the safest place in the world for me. Now, it reeks of secrets and anger, hardened feelings left stewing on a low heat until eventually boiling over.

My stepsister has a way of infecting everything and everyone with her mood.

“Where is Ciara?” I ask as I follow Shelly across the hall and into the tearoom. I know this place by heart, but I abide by the house rules. Technically speaking, while I did retain my last name, I’m not considered a resident anymore.

“She’ll be here shortly,” Shelly replies.

I take a seat by the window, soaking in the sun with a soft smile, both hands cradling my growing bump.

Finally, just as my mind wanders away from the stress of reuniting with my family and back to Anton and my new family, the door opens.

“Ciara,” I murmur as I get up.

Ciara comes in, looking slim and pretty, as always. The ballerina dress she’s wearing is a lovely shade of pink, which brings out her eyes and plumped glossed lips.

“Honestly, I thought you’d be much bigger,” she says with a flat tone, barely looking at me as she joins me at the table.

I take my seat again and give her a long look. “And here I thought you’d set the weight-related jabs aside for once.”

“It’s actually a compliment,” she says with a forced smile. God, she’s hurting so much underneath this snarky façade of hers. “You look great, Eileen. Marriage and pregnancy both suit you.”

“Thank you. And thank you for taking the time to see me.”

“It’s time to bury the hatchet, I suppose. I’ve done my grieving, my angry shouting, my therapy hours. We’re good.”

“Are we?”

Ciara takes a deep breath and lowers her gaze. “I know you and I never really saw eye to eye on a lot of things. I should’ve respected your choices a lot more over the years. You know how stubborn and intense I can be.”

“Oh, yeah,” I chuckle softly.

“I get that you didn’t mean to take my fiancé away,” Ciara says. “It was a hard pill to swallow, but everything turned out okay in the end, didn’t it?”

“Sort of. I heard about your possible engagement.”

Ciara stills for a moment, a cold grin slitting her pretty face. “Sergei Kuznetsov is quite the catch, it turns out. The engagement ring he gave me was twice as snazzy as the one I got from Anton.”

“So it’s happening for sure then? Ciara, are you certain you want to do this?” I ask her with genuine concern. “That man tried to kill me.”

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