Page 50 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

“Tia,” I murmured, taking a small step towards her. Instinctively, I reached for her. “Please…just let me explain.”

But seeing that disbelief and distant sadness in her eyes nearly killed me. She pulled back in an attempt to put space between us again.

When she didn’t say anything, my words hung in the air, and I couldn’t stand the way they threatened to close around my throat.

“I know how this all sounds, but…I’m not what you think.”

“Dirty money?” she questioned, gaze and tone sharper than usual.

With a sigh, I scrubbed a hand down my face and tried to keep the pieces from falling apart as best as I could, despite how they were already crumbling.

“I didn’t want you to find out this way…I wanted to explain it eventually, but I wasn’t sure how much you could stomach,” I admitted, feeling the weight of dread and guilt to an extent I had never known before.

A pained look moved through her features, and the tension in her shoulders only became worse. “It doesn’t matter what you planned to do…you didn’t.”

She was right. One hundred percent right.

I didn’t explain, and I withheld even more from her.

Despite knowing that, those words hit me hard, and I could barely find it within myself to explain it as thoroughly as I should’ve.

“Tia, please…”

“No, Val,” she snapped, shaking her head while taking several steps away from me. “I don’t want to hear it.”

That was the last thing I needed. I needed her to listen, and I needed the chance to lay it all out for her.

But before I could say anything else, she slipped away, leaving me to deal with everything falling apart on my own.

Chapter 18 - Tia

I was furious.

Reeling, I fled that hallway and didn’t take in any of my surroundings while I went straight for the VIP section.

I needed to find the driver, and I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t stand it.

Tommaso’s words lingered in my mind, and try as I might to forget about them, I couldn’t. The implications sat heavily in my gut, and I wanted to be sick.

Reaching the driver, who looked vaguely alarmed as I approached, I went to open my mouth, but Val cut in, giving him a warning look that very much said ‘stay out of it’.

Obeying, he stepped to the side, allowing Val to usher me into the area tucked away from prying eyes.

Feeling his hands on the back of my arms would’ve sent a shiver down my spine any other time, but in that moment, it only made me want to pull away.

“Tia, please—”

“What was Tommaso talking about?” I demanded while turning on him, my gaze set on him. “And don’t lie to me.”

Val froze while he studied me, almost like he was running through every possible excuse in his mind.

I expected him to brush it off and find a way to flip it on me, but instead, his jaw flexed while he closed his eyes to brace himself, and his shoulders dropped.

When his eyes met mine again, they were swimming with hesitation. “Are you sure you want to know the details? I won’t be able to take it back.”

That only made my stomach sink more, and for a moment, I wondered if I really did want to know. If the truth would be worth whatever baggage that might come with it.

But the longer I thought about it, the more I knew I couldn’t let it slide.

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