Page 176 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

Fuck me.

Of all the questions she could have asked, did she have to ask that one.

I could lie. Smooth all this over. If she just knew the story…

But I won’t.

I can’t.

“No,” I admit. “I wouldn’t.”

Her face caves in. I take a step towards her, my hand outstretched, but she flinches away from me like I’m the devil.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” she snarls through her tears. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

“There’s a lot you don’t understand, Esme,” I tell her, hoping her anger and pain won’t drown out my words. “You don’t know the reasons why I did what I did back then.”

“I don’t care,” she cries. “I don’t care about yourreasons!”

“You might one day.”

That makes her stop in her tracks, her expression teetering between bewilderment and fear. It takes a lot to keep my eyes from dropping down towards her stomach.

For some reason, I’m reluctant to bring it up. Reluctant to pull the veil back and hear why she concealed the pregnancy from me.

What if I’m not the father?

“You’re just trying to confuse me,” Esme accuses, cutting through my thoughts. “You’re just trying to justify what you did.”

“I’m not,” I say. “I’m not justifying anything. I killed your brother and I’ll freely admit that. I’m not the hero in this story, nor will I ever be. But that doesn’t make me the villain, either.”

“Doesn’t it?” she asks. “Isn’t murdering another human being without reason or compunction the very definition of being a villain.”

“Life is not a fucking fairytale, Esme,” I growl. “Everything isn’t always black or white. In fact, nothing is. Your brother wasn’t a fucking saint—”

“Don’t youevertalk about my brother!”

Her body seems to fold in on itself, as though she’s trying to protect herself from my words. As though each word I say is a new and deadly weapon hurtling towards her.

“I will explain it all to you one day,” I promise her. “I’ll tell you the truth.”

“I don’t think you know the meaning of the word,” she bites.

“Truth is a matter of perspective, too,” I concede, with a shrug. “So I can only offer you my truth. That’s all I have.”

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

“I’ll you when the time is right.”

Her eyes flash at my words and dart around the room as though she’s looking for a way to escape.

“Fuck you,” she hurls at me.

I shake my head. “Stop acting like a little girl.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Then stop acting like one.”

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