Page 50 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
I perk up slightly from being questioned, and I clear my throat. “No…none that I know of, anyway. I bounced from family to family.”
At once, the mood seems to drop into something a bit somber as my answer registers. Although I feel Mikhail’s eyes on me more intensely than the others, but I try to ignore it.
Elena’s expression softens. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to pry.”
Even if the reminder stings slightly, I don’t want her to feel bad about it—not when she means well.
I press a polite smile. “It’s alright. No harm done.”
She nods, seemingly letting the slight awkwardness slide right off her back. “Our group must be overwhelming to an only child.”
“Why do you think we’re always strategically seated in the farthest corners of every restaurant?” Roman proposes while reaching over to ruffle Sergey’s hair, contrasting the previous ribbing.
Sergey chuckles and swats his hand away. “Couldn’t possibly be to hide that ugly mug of yours…”
The table hums with their combined amusement, and it doesn’t take long for more conversation to break out among them.
In a way, seeing how Roman interacts with his siblings and knowing how he tries to apply similar care to me brings a new wave of guilt over me.
Regardless of how cold he can be, it’s obvious that vulnerability isn’t an easy thing for him to show, and I’m well aware I’ve been stomping all over it over the last few weeks.
Still, I can’t just forget about everything…how Roman’s intensity is the reason I’m even with him, and he never gave me a choice in the matter.
While I admire the way he treats his siblings and finds a sense of belonging and pride among them, I can’t overlook everything else. I can’t just ignore the way he has completely robbed me of everything I made for myself, even if he tries to repackage it as him helping me.
The way he smiles and banters with his family warms my heart to some degree, and despite my reluctance surrounding it all, there is something attractive about it.
But I’m not prepared to tell him that part.
Chapter 17 - Roman
The blackout curtains mostly do their job of blocking out all light from entering the bedroom, but based on the very subtle, mostly dim glow around the borders of it, I can already tell it’s too early.
I don’t know what pulled me from my sleep, but my suspicions are confirmed as I glance at the clock on my side table.
It’s not my usual wake-up time, but while I lay there in bed with the silk sheets splayed across me, I feel wide awake.
Glancing over, I find Victoria to my right as she sleeps soundly. But for once, she isn’t facing away from me.
Instead, I can see the peaceful veil over her features while her eyes are closed and her lips are just barely parted. Her hair fans out behind her, draping a front section over her cheek.
She looks as beautiful as always, yet there’s something more to it. In moments like these, when she’s not scowling or fighting me, it makes my heart feel lighter rather than being twisted into knots.
Unable to pull my eyes away yet, I watch silently while she sleeps, admiring her far longer than she allows me when she’s awake.
All the while, something stirs within me, but I’m not ready to place a name to that feeling yet.
Instead, I notice as she absently pulls the covers higher, seemingly shielding herself even in sleep.
That somewhat breaks my silent stupor, and I let go of a quiet breath.
Mustering the energy to get up, I pull myself out of bed and go through the motions, feeling the cold from the stone floor more than usual.
But before long, I’m in the shower, surrounded by heat and a heavy steam cloud, while I take in how the water pelts against my skin.
We’ve been married for over two months, and while she was only ever meant to be leveraged over who I thought was her brother, things are far from that simple.
She was meant to be something of a pawn in this game I’ve been playing with Maxim for far too long, but now, she’s something completely different. The longer she’s with me, the easier it is to forget where it all started, and just how far I’ve let myself take the situation.
