Page 84 of Tied to Hope
“Rytsar…what are they doing here?”
“I’m positive you know,” Rytsar answered, his voice cold as ice.
She shook her head. “Rytsar, you don’t understand.”
“But I do. I know Vlad is the father of this boy.”
She shot a nervous glance at Vlad.
“Why did you keep him a secret, Sasha?” Vlad demanded.
“I…” She paused a moment, beads of perspiration forming on her forehead. “Vlad, Viktor is the best thing in my life. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to share him with anyone.”
“That wasn’t your right!” he roared.
The little boy whimpered, grabbing his mother’s legs. She winced when she picked him up but wrapped her arms around him protectively. Turning to Vlad, she warned, “Lower your voice. You’re scaring him.”
Vlad’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth to respond, but Rytsar interrupted. “You lied to us both. We have every right to be angry with you.”
“But Viktor isn’t to blame,” she answered, looking at her son. “He’s done nothing wrong.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about my son?” Vlad demanded.
The little boy started crying and Sasha pressed his head against her chest, murmuring. “Hush…hush…little one.”
Rytsar looked at the boy with compassion. “We are not here to scare the boy, but we expect answers.”
Sasha gazed up at him. “I never meant for this to happen.”
“Explain.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a long sigh. Glancing at Vlad, she told them, “When I had the affair, I was trying to recapture a part of my youth…to experience those feelings of young love again.”
Vlad’s eyes softened.
She looked at him sadly. “It was selfish, I know.” She kissed the top of her son’s head. “But I’m not sorry for it, because God gifted me with Viktor. How could I ever regret something so beautiful?”
Rytsar frowned, unmoved by her words. Pointing to Vlad, he said, “You denied your son his father for two years. Then you compounded it by lying to me about who the real father was.”
“I know…I never planned this. I was thoroughly happy living on my own with my son. But life isn’t always fair.”
“Explain.”
Sasha looked at Rytsar with sympathy. “It wasn’t right to involve you, but I would do anything for my son. Even if it meant deceiving you to get what I want.”
Rytsar’s eyes narrowed.
Sir addressed her. “What is it you aren’t telling them?”
Instead of answering him, Sasha looked to Brie. “You would understand. I know you have a daughter. If you knew you were dying, wouldn’t you do everything possible to ensure her future?”
Sasha said the word “dying” so casually that Brie felt time stop for a moment. She couldn’t imagine having to face such a thing. It would be too terrible to bear.
“…looking at my options, I knew what I had to do for my boy. Vlad already had a family.”
Sasha looked at Rytsar. “What I needed was someone fully devoted to my boy, and that man is you. You are what’s best for Viktor.”
Vlad pounded his chest, pain infusing his voice, “I love you, Sasha. I’ve always loved you. Does that mean nothing?”
