Page 79 of Devious Secrets

“He left us. He dropped me off at school, hugged me, and then left. He was supposed to pick me up that afternoon, but he never came. I sat in the playground waiting for him until finally a teacher noticed me still sitting there and called my mom.”

His body tenses beneath me.

“The police weren’t able to find him?”

“Mom didn’t bother with the police. When we got home that night, his closet had been cleared out. After he dropped me off, he packed his stuff and left.”

I haven’t explained my father’s disappearance to anyone in so long, a fresh wave of pain rolls through.

“At least he had the decency to let my mother get a divorce quickly.”

“She saw him?”

“Just once. He said he couldn’t handle a family, signed the papers, and left.” I look up at him. “It’s fine. We were fine without him.”

His jaw tightens.

“I will never walk away from you, Megan,” he says with such conviction, I can’t help but want to believe him.

“Eventually, you’ll have to. Marco has to give up at some point, right? And then I can go home, and you can go about your business.”

He rolls over me, pressing my back to the mattress and framing my face with his hands.

“Marco won’t give up until he has what he wants.” He cocks a grin. “It’s the only way we are similar.”

“Alexander!” Insistent knocking breaks through the room. “The dresses are here!”

He sighs.

“Elana!” he barks, then rattles off something in Russian.

“Got it!” She knocks once more, then there’s silence.

“What did you just tell her?” I ask.

“If I wanted you to know, I would have said it in English.” He winks, then rolls off me.

“What did she mean, the dresses are here?” I push up to my elbows. “And what’s special about today?” I recall his words only a little earlier before he distracted me.

Standing beside the bed in his black boxers, he hooks his hands on his hips.

“Today is our wedding day,” he announces as though he knows a battle is about to erupt.

And he’s right.

Flinging off the covers, I jump out of bed.

“Absolutely not.” I slice my hand through the air. “I’m not marrying you. I told you that.”

He nods. “I know what you said.”

“Then why aren’t you listening to me?” I glare in his direction as he casually walks around the bed toward me.

“I hear you fine, Megan. You are the one not listening.” His eyes darken and I can tell this isn’t going to be an easy match. But I will win this round.

He can’t just expect me to marry him because he says so.

Although, he does that with pretty much everything else.

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