Page 86 of Bratva's Vow
He took a deep breath. I felt the hesitation in the way his fingers stilled against my skin.
“When I woke up in the middle of the night, I panicked.” He kissed my temple. “I thought—I thought I’d betrayed my dad. That I must be a horrible person to want you like that. To touch you like that. After everything.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, breath trapped in my chest.
“I didn’t leave to hurt you, Maxim. I was… drowning. And afraid. But I would never use my body against you. Not ever. You’ve got to believe me, please.”
A full beat passed.
And another.
Then I let out a breath I’d been holding—ragged, sharp-edged. My chest ached like I’d been gut-punched.
“You hate me for what happened to your father,” I said, the words like glass in my mouth. If we were going to fix this bridge between us, we had to talk about everything, even the painful parts. “And I can’t trust you now not to leave me again. So, where does that leave us, Wren? Are you always going to try to run from me? Because I won’t let you go.” I lifted my head just enough to look at him. “You’re mine. And even if I have to chain you to the bed when I’m not around,I’ll do it. You’re not allowed to leave me. Do you understand?”
Wren’s lips curled into the faintest smile. He gathered his shirt in his hand and wiped my face. “No need to be so drastic. I swear I won’t run again. If I need space, I’ll let you know. You can assign me a dozen bodyguards, and I’ll use your credit card to book the most expensive hotel in the city. One that’s secure. And I’ll pester you with video calls every half an hour so you know I’ve not been kidnapped, and I will send you my location so you’ll be aware of where I am every minute of the day. How does that sound?”
I let out a dry sound—half laugh, half sigh—and cupped the back of his head. “You’re being funny, but… please do. That would make me feel so much better.”
His fingers resumed their slow stroking. “Maxim… what about the rest?”
I went still. “Your father?”
“Yes.”
The truth weighed heavily in my chest.
“He worked for me,” I said at last.
Wren nodded slowly. “And you didn’t force him? He did it on his own, right?”
“I gave him the same choice I give every man who’s ever stood in front of me—a one-off assignment. Then we renegotiate if they want to continue. He knew what kind of life he was signing up for.”
Silence.
Wren sighed. The sound was heavy as if he’d been holding his breath for a long time.
“Then Jess was right. He made a choice. And although I’m sad about it… it’s not fair to blame you for his decisions. A part of me might resent you for a while, but not because of anything you did.” His voice softened, thick with feeling. “I think what hurt most is the idea that he chose you over me. That I wasn’t enough to keep him from that world. And maybe that’s not true, but it felt like it. After he disappeared, my mom was never the same again. She was always so depressed that she started drinking. During my first year of college, I came home to find her dead next to a bottle of vodka and pills. There was no note. I still have no idea if she did it intentionally or if it was an accident.”
God. That hit something deep inside me. He’d lost everything.
I touched his face gently, brushing his hair back behind his ear. “I’m sorry, Wren.”
“It’s like both my parents disappeared, leaving me with questions. That’s why it stung so much to find out you had the answers all along and hid them from me.”
“I thought I was doing you a favor by not bringing up the past.”
“To be fair, I don’t think I would have reacted well if you’d told me the truth. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to process what you are.”
I stroked his arm slowly. “Are you worried I won’t give this life up for you?”
“I hadn’t really considered it. I try not to think about it.”
I took a long breath. “I won’t lie to you, kroshka. I’m not walking away from this world. You can’t just retire from the Bratva. It doesn’t work like that. Even the ones who leave… they still have targets on their backs. The only way to survive is to become the shark that devours everyone else. And that’s what I am.”
I cupped his face between my hands.
“The worst monster of them all.”
