Page 52 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

I didn’t know much about running businesses or anything having to do with the ones he owned specifically. In my mind, it checked out.

Averting my gaze, I felt as bile crept up my throat.

My dad…my own father was no better than Val or his family.

He had dirty dealings of his own. As much as I suspected something was up, I didn’t know the extent of it.

“Your father sticks to the business side of things, keeping what he can above board. But he works with families like mine, and it’s made him incredibly wealthy,” Val went on, allowing his guilt to show. “I had the feeling he never told you, which is why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to bring your world crashing down like I am now. You never should’ve found out like this.”

Tears stung my eyes, and while I knew he was trying to mend the damage done, it was too late.

I scoffed and shook my head. “You could’ve told me at any point on your terms, but instead, you withheld all of this from me. About you, your family, and now my dad…”

Like the knife had been twisted, it felt like utter betrayal. A piece of me I’d never get back again.

Not only did my dad lie to me about his less-than-honest work, but my own husband knew and participated himself. Neither of them let me in on it for even a moment.

It suddenly felt like I didn’t know anything, and I certainly didn’t know who to trust.

I felt more alone than I ever had before.

“There was no easy way to say it…”

“Easy? Of course not,” I muttered, struggling to fight against the numbness moving through my body. “But it was still necessary!”

“Do you think this is what I wanted? For you to find out the truth?” Val returned as his irritation bubbled up, mingling with a sense of helplessness I had never seen from him before. “I wanted to protect you, Tia. I wanted to shield you from all of the dark shit because I know how dangerous it is. I want to give you everything, but to do that, you have to accept how I make my money.”

More of that anger flared within me. “I never wanted your dirty money, Val. I just wanted honesty. This arrangement has been hard enough, but now I know the truth of it. You lied to me…my dad lied to me. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

Val had nothing to say at first, while he seemed to struggle between wanting to argue and wanting to patch things over. Then he sighed and shook his head. “Look, I’m sorry, Tia. I never wanted you to get involved.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

“I know that—”

With my patience thinning, I stood with my arms crossed. “I don’t want to hear it, Val…”

The weight of everything felt suffocating, and a sense of exhaustion filtered into my body. Between the heavy truth, the loud music around us, and how sick I felt, it was all too much.

“I want to go home,” I uttered, looking at him directly to let him know I meant it. I wanted to be anywhere but there.

Val’s face looked riddled with apprehension at first, but with a resigned sigh, he relented. “Okay, we’ll go.”

Not saying another word, I left the VIP section and didn’t stop for anything until the valet pulled the vehicle up.

Sitting in the back of the SUV didn’t feel any better than being in the club while an awkward, almost crushing tension lingered between the two of us.

I could feel his eyes on me occasionally, but I never looked back at him.

I couldn’t…not with how angry and heartbroken I felt.

Stuck within those painful thoughts, I had no idea who I could trust anymore. It seemed like those I expected to be honest with me were anything but.

And to my complete horror, my husband was a criminal.

Regardless of his attempts to hide it, I was in on it now, once and for all, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

I was thrown into an impossible position, and no part of me wanted to stay for the fallout.

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