Page 28 of Forgotten Vows
She sneered, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. “Don’t you dare try to gaslight me. Don’t even think about tellingme what to think or feel, Ivan. I saw the tabloids. I heard your voicemail with her voice in the background. You cheated on me and discarded me. You chose her instead of me. Instead of our son.”
“I didn’t even know about him!” I flung my arms up, struggling through the urge to punch something. To exert physical energy in some fashion so I wouldn’t feel like I was electrified with a live wire from her sharing this revelation. I stepped away, almost wishing I could pace to burn off this anger and shock, but I didn’t want to look away from her. Not after I’d missed her all this time. Not when this surprise and anger were rolling through me like this, making my chest tight and my skin too confining.
“I didn’t—” I spun back to face her. Rubbing my hand over my face, I felt the lingering warmth from where she’d slapped me. I wasn’t going to hit her. I would never. But with all the eyes on us in this room, I had to have privacy. She owed me answers, big ones, and I didn’t want an audience. I couldn’t explain anything with everyone watching.
Until now, Luka hadn’t even known about her. He knewofher. He had been aware of my affair and how heartbroken I was back then. But I’d never told him that it was Raisa Petrov who’d messed me up.
“Come with me,” I ordered, grabbing her wrist to move her to another room.
She, of course, shot me a fiery scowl and wrenched her arm out of my reach. “I’m not going anywhere with—” Turning in a panic, she sought out our son.
Son. I have ason.It was too much to absorb. My pulse skyrocketed every time I tried it out in my mind.
I have a son!
Gabriella stood near the door, almost protective of both Misha and my son. Alexsei stood with them, ready to handle them and watch over them.
But it was Luka who spoke up. He approached, giving Raisa a stern look before making eye contact with me. “Correct. You aren’t going anywhere. You or the boy. Not until we have some answers.”
“You can’t tellmewhat to do,” she argued.
I grabbed her hand then, tugging her toward me. Ignoring the electric shock and tingle of awareness that came with touching her, I urged her out of the room.
“You will both be here until I say otherwise,” Luka declared. “I’ll let you have some privacy.” He directed that at me as I dragged Raisa out of the study with me. Even if he hadn’t said that, I would’ve done just this.
Luka probably didn’t trust having Raisa in his home, but he was generous enough to letmebe the one to question her.
“I’ll watch over the boys,” Gabriella said, her voice reaching me past the thunder of my pulse in my ears.
“No. You will not—” Raisa protested, fighting my grip on her until she yanked her arm free. Stopping short, she glared at me, then Gabriella. At last, she faced our son. “Lev?—”
“It’s okay, Mama.”
Another sucker punch.
He sounded so sure, so strong. Brave.
“I’ll stay with this boy and wait for you.”
Raisa hesitated, nodding once. But when she faced me again, she seemed ready to brush past me with a chilly anger.
“I’ll preoccupy the boys while the adults… talk,” Gabriella said, urging the boys out of the room. “How about a snack? Hmm?”
In the hallway, I grabbed Raisa’s hand again.
“Let go of me,” she growled, fighting my grip.
“There’s not a fucking chance in hell that’s happening,” I replied, hurrying her toward a guest room where she’d damn well tell me how she thought she could hide my son from me all this time.
I let her go once before.
And now that she’d stunned me by showing up out of the blue like this now, I wasn’t in the position to let her go ever again.
12
RAISA
Iwasn’t handling this well.
