Page 48 of Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet 2)

Molly

Niamh’s library is as big as my living room and dining room put together.

“What do you think?” Niamh asks, carrying in two mugs of tea. “Is it worth your time?”

“Absolutely,” I say, unable to hide my enthusiasm. “This room is huge. It has so much potential.”

I’m slightly embarrassed by my outburst. Despite living in Viktor’s apartment and now in my own luxury space, I’m still not used to exactly how much more the other half have.

Niamh and Seamus have an actual house with three floors and huge windows and chandeliers so big I flinch a bit every time I walk underneath one, afraid it will come crashing down over my head.

She sets our drinks down on a large black rectangle that is serving as a coffee table and gestures for me to sit on the leather sofa next to her. “Good. I’m so excited to bring some life back into this room.”

“It’s a little dark in here,” I admit.

It’s an understatement. Heavy dark curtains hang over the windows, the walls are painted a dark gray, and the wood floors have been stained a brown so dark it is nearly black. Any light that manages to come through the open windows is immediately absorbed, leaving the entire room in gloom.

“A little?” Niamh laughs. “I feel like I’m being buried alive. I can’t wait for you to use your magic touch on the space. I loved the pictures of Theo’s nursery that Viktor sent. It looks lovely.”

“A lot of that was Viktor’s designer’s decision. Honestly, I’ll probably reach out to her for guidance through this process. I want to make sure you are happy and that I do a good job.”

“You’ll do great,” Niamh assures me, laying her hand over mine. “Viktor has faith in you, so I do, too.”

I smile in thanks and then shrug. “Viktor has more faith in me than I do.”

“Because he loves you.”

I know it is true, but it feels strange to hear it stated so boldly. Sometimes I forget so many people think we are truly married.

“Part of it is that you are still in the honeymoon period, too,” Niamh says. “Seamus is sweet on me, but never quite as sweet as right after we got married. Is Viktor the same way?”

A week ago, I would have had to lie. But not now.

Viktor has stayed with me the last two nights. Ever since he walked in on Hannah and me singing karaoke. He didn’t tell me he would be coming over, but I was happy to see him. So, I invited him to stay and then never asked him to leave. We’ve slept in the same bed and eaten breakfast together and done normal married couple things.

It has been nice.

“He’s the same way,” I nod.

“Is your boss a boss in the bedroom, too?” Niamh asks, eyebrows wagging.

My entire body goes warm, and Niamh must be able to see my blush because she giggles. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

The physical part of my relationship with Viktor has never been difficult. It is the emotional part that we have trouble with.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night to Viktor tossing and turning. He was whispering in his sleep. Just the word “no” over and over again. When I shook him awake, he sat straight up, his eyes wide, and then sighed in relief when he realized where he was.

“Bad dream?” I asked, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

“A memory,” he admitted. “The fire.”

The fire that killed his parents.

He told me about it only once and had never spoken of it again.

He saved his brother and couldn’t save his parents, no matter how badly Fedor wanted him to. Viktor wouldn’t admit it, but he felt guilty. I tried to soothe him with my touch, but I could see his eyes were distracted, and eventually, he kissed my cheek and rolled away from me.

I couldn’t blame him. I still haven’t decided whether I will leave him or not … when this is all over. It makes sense why he doesn’t want to be vulnerable with me.

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