Page 52 of Ruling Scar
It’s the question on everyone’s mind. Adeline’s dramatic about it, but the truth remains that Nat always preferred women. She declared Lia the love of her life when they were teenagers.
Randomly falling into bed with a stranger—a guy no less—isn’t just a swerve for her. It’s a dive off a cliff.
“Have you told him about the baby?”
She sighs, exhaustion lining her face.
“Have you?” I push.
“It’s not what you think.”
I don’t know what to think. “Tell me what’s going on. Do you know the father?”
Her brow knits together. “Of course I know the father.”
“Okay,” I say slowly. “Is he a friend. Or a coworker?”
She’s in financial planning and works in a fancy corporate office.
“It’s Peter’s.”
“It’s who’s?”
“Peter’s,” she repeats with an imploring expression.
But Peter who?
“Peter.” She lifts her head up, frustrated that I don’t understand her.
“Peter. . . Sablin?” A gasp tears out of me as I pop up on the bed. “Peter Sablin!”
“Shut up!” she warns, sitting up as well.
It doesn’t matter. Adeline barrels through the door. “Peter Sablin!”
Nat throws a pillow at her. I’m not sure when she got home, but Ads is already in a pair of sweats and she jumps onto the bed.
“Peter Sablin!” She shakes Nat by the shoulders.
I tear her away. “Be careful.”
“You had sex with Peter Sablin!” Ads shouts.
He’s a year older than Nat and like our family belongs to the bratva. While he’s friendly, there’s a collected opinion that he’s boring. From a young age, and before it became cool, he wore socks with his sandals and read superhero comics.
Looking back, I can see because he didn’t fit into certain gender norms and never exuded killer instincts like the Zimin boys, we didn’t pay much attention to him.
It’s been ages since I’ve seen him last and who am I to judge his nerdy behaviors? Looking back, if I hadn’t been so shy, Peter probably would’ve been my only dating option. Talk about a missed connection.
The Sablin’s are well respected. It’s only because Dad is so close to Lev that we didn’t spend as much time with Peter despite his close proximity in age.
And his family holds power.
Another gasp rips from me. “He’s engaged to Lia!”
No fucking wonder all this weird shit is happening.
We used to take pity on Lia because her parents wanted to marry her off to him. Sure, it’d be a powerful alliance, uniting the Orlovs and Sablins, but that meant she’d get stuck with Peter.
