Page 48 of Knocked-up Bratva Bride
“Mm.”
We sat in more silence, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t view Elena in the light of being just “my daughter’s best friend.” Dressed in her baggy pants, sweater, and beanie, I stillfound her attractive. With her tear-stained cheeks, puffy eyes, and chapped lips, I still wanted to kiss her. Heck, a part of me wanted to bury myself in her arms right here and sleep off the rest of this nightmare.
The feeling was crazy and alien, but it lingered, even in her obliviousness.
“Hospitals give me nightmares,” she blurted.
I faced her, but her eyes were still stuck on another planet. If this was meant to be a heart-to-heart thing, I didn’t know how to react. The only question that formed properly was a straight, “Why?”
Her fingers trembled against the cup, but her tone stayed flat.
“My mother’s sick,” she sighed. “Long story short? It’s liver failure. Been slowly going downhill for two years now. In fact, some doctors who have taken a good look at her are surprised she’s lasted more than a year….”
She continued, “We need a transplant soon, and so far, nothing. My grandmother’s been trying to fill in for me because…well, because I don’t think I’m strong enough to see her without breaking down. I’m really trying to stay afloat, but the burden only grows heavier. The bills are drowning us…
“And worse, my mother’s no longer as strong as she was when this nightmare started. I guess, seeing Katya so helpless stirred up that dread again. She’s one of the strongest people I’ve known, and this happens to her?
“And then there’s my job. I got an offer, a promotion that people can only wish for in years to come. It would help put a good percentage of those outstanding bills to rest. But then, I would have to work harder, and that would mean being scarcely available for my brother and grandmother. It’s like this saying about the reward for hard work being more hard work. The cycle of labor just keeps spinning and—what am I doing?”
I blinked, and she misinterpreted my silence as not being interested in her personal issues.
“I—I shouldn’t be telling you this.” Her voice cracked. “God, I’m sorry. You just…your daughter’s in a coma, and here I am, dumping my life on you like it matters.”
I searched quietly for the right words to say. Comforting others wasn’t my specialty, but Elena seemed like she needed it.
“Don’t apologize for being human.”
Elena’s eyes welled up, and she burst into tears, crumpling into my side to cry her eyes out. I hesitated, only for a second, before patting her on the shoulder in a staccato motion.
The kind of tension she dealt with didn’t come from just work. I was familiar with it. It came from life, when it ground you down until the only thing holding you together was the need to keep breathing.
I’d watched every small movement, how her thumb traced the rim of the cup absentmindedly, how her shoulders tensed when I shifted in my seat.
She was here for Katya, yes. But there was more.
Elena had been carrying a thousand devastations while moving around like her life was perfectly balanced—her mother, her job, her family, and now, us.
I had let myself believe I was the only one struggling to deal with hurt. That my pain made me unreachable. But she had been bleeding quietly beside me all along.
The attraction I thought I had for her only heightened. I was intrigued by her strength and vulnerability. She didn’t have to be a part of the mafia or endure rigorous training like I had to gain my respect.
Before my eyes, I’d watched her layers peel off, and she looked even more beautiful on the inside.
She pulled away from my hold but didn’t shift in fear like she did earlier.
We were so close that I spotted the dark flecks in her eyes and could smell the coffee on her. Her body warmth seeped in through my clothes, and the brush of our arms ignited more heat in my groin.
I couldn’t care less if anyone watched us, whether they were my men stationed in the hallway or anyone else; I adjusted the beanie over her head and brushed a thumb over her full lips. They called to me, wanted me as much as I wanted them.
And if she didn’t inch her head back just in time, I might have fucking kissed her right there.
“Damien….” Her whisper grabbed my attention. “We can’t do this.”
“Not right now, but maybe later. You could come home with—”
“No. I mean, we can’t keep doing this. It’s wrong. We should never have slept together. In the beginning, it was okay. We didn’t know we had mutual ties, but we found out yesterday and still went through with it.” Her hands trembled. “I feel dirty….”
“Elena….”
