Page 43 of Bratva's Vow
I pulled the box from my pocket. “Since you’re so desperate for the truth, there! That’s what I went to pick up.” I threw the box at him. It hit him square in the chest and fell to the floor. “It’s your birthday gift. The one I poured my heart into because I love you and I wanted to give you something that mattered. But now you’ve ruined it! By the way, I didn’t go alone. I might not have told you where I was going, but I took Viktor with me because I knew that’s what you would have wanted. It’s one thing to treat me like I’m a child, but for you to insinuate something is going on between Bradley and me is unforgivable!”
Maxim slowly bent and picked up the box. Still crouched, he popped the lid open to reveal the discreet medical bracelet I’d bought him.
“I had it custom-made.” I choked back a sob. “But I guessnone of that means anything, since you’d rather believe I’m sneaking off to fuck a coworker than doing something nice for you.”
I yanked the door open, tears burning hot behind my eyes.
“Happy early fucking birthday, Maxim.”
I stormed out of his office, slamming the door shut. My vision blurred as I speed-walked down the hallway, but I kept my head down, ignoring the handful of staff who turned and stared. How much of my conversation with Maxim had they overheard? How could I continue working for him now after this disaster of a day?
I held it in. Barely. My throat tightened, my chest squeezed, but I kept going until I reached the end of the hall and shoved my way into the nearest restroom.
The second the door swung shut behind me, it all crashed down.
“Fuck,” I hissed, gripping the edges of the sink so hard my knuckles turned white.
The tears came fast, angry and hot. I leaned forward, breathing hard. My reflection stared back at me—flushed cheeks, red eyes, trembling mouth. Only Maxim could make me feel this way when he was the one in the wrong. All I’d wanted was to do something special for him.
“Fucking asshole,” I muttered, scrubbing at my face with my sleeve. “Fucking unbelievable. What the hell is wrong with him?”
I yanked a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and furiously wiped my face, trying and failing to calm down.
“He actually thinks I’m screwing around on him? Bradley, of all people? Like I’m just some opportunistic little slut he plucked out of a damn intern pool and now I’m gonna fuck the first guy who smiles at me?” I spat at my reflection, feeling myself spiral. “Controlling prick. Hewants to know where I am every second of the day like I’m a damn child.”
My insides hurt. How could he think I was cheating on him? I loved him, for fuck’s sake. I was happy with him. I spent all my time with him. When would I even have time to cheat with all the people he had watching me?
I threw the towels into the trash, breathing harder now, chest heaving as the frustration built.
“Like I don’t have a brain. Like I don’t deserve privacy or trust or anything that normal people in normal relationships get.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop. “I’m so fucking done. I should be done. I should leave him.”
But even the thought of leaving Maxim made the pain worse. Maxim would never change. He was controlling by nature. At times, I even liked it, but today he’d gone too far. Yet I couldn’t imagine a life without him. I would give him some space. Then we could talk about it when we got home. Didn’t he believe me that I loved him?
The door creaked open.
I froze, heart lurching painfully. For half a second, I thought—feared—it might be Maxim. Ready for round two.
But it wasn’t.
Bradley stepped in but stopped when he saw my red eyes and tear-streaked face.
“Whoa,” he said softly, shutting the door behind him. “You okay?”
I couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped me.
“Yeah,” I said sarcastically, throwing my hands up. “Peachy. Just got accused of cheating, screamed at, shoved against a door, and emotionally nuked on what was supposed to be a good day.”
Bradley drew his brows together in something suspiciously close to sympathy.
“He’s impossible,” I muttered. “Maxim—he’s just… impossible. He wants to control everything. Everywhere I go, everything I do. Like I can’t even breathe without him having eyes on me.”
Fuck.
I’d said too much. And to Bradley of all people. If Maxim saw us together in the bathroom, his overactive imagination would run wild again.
Bradley didn’t say anything. Just studied me, his jaw ticking slightly. “You should come with me,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear the words.
I frowned. “What?”
