Page 94 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)
That’s real fucking pain. That’s real fucking agony.
“You walk around as though you’re the only man in the world fighting against that motherfucking organization,” Matvei says, curling his words at the edges. “You act as though you’re the only one who cares.”
“It’s personal for me.”
“And you don’t think it’s personal for me?” Matvei demands. “I loved Aurora like a sister. And I loved that kid, too.”
I clench my fists. “I told Aurora once that I thought you were in love with her,” I murmur.
Matvei smiles slowly. “What did she say?”
“That you loved the idea of her more.”
Matvei’s smile grows fond with memory. “I think I could have fallen in love with her… if I’d met her first. Fuck, maybe I was half in love with her. But don’t get me wrong—she was yours, brother. From the very beginning. She looked at you like you were a fucking god.”
I still, his words piercing through the guilt that’s lived inside me for five fucking years. “I know.”
“That’s why this is so hard for you, isn’t it?” Matvei asks. “You think you didn’t deserve that love.”
I finally sit down on one of the chairs in a corner. “I didn’t. I don’t. She assumed she was safe with me. She was so sure nothing would ever happen to her. And I’ll admit it—I thought the same. I was so fucking cocksure that I was powerful enough to protect her.”
“Is that why you avoid Elyssa like the plague?” Matvei asks.
I tense instantly. I hate that I’ve given him any kind of reaction, but it’s too late. And Matvei is too sharp. He doesn’t miss anything.
“I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Just once in your fucking life, can you try not to be right all the time?” I growl.
He smiles sheepishly. “No can do, brother. I am who I am.”
I take a deep, staggering breath. “Elyssa… fuck, I don’t know. I don’t trust her.”
“Is that the reason, then?”
I look up at him, knowing he can see through me. “She reminds me of Aurora,” I admit. “Not in looks. Not even in character. It’s just…”
“The way she looks at you,” Matvei offers.
“You’ve noticed?”
Stupid question. Of course he’s noticed. I’m just surprised that he’s paid attention.
“It’s impossible not to. She tries to hide it,” Matvei says. “But the way she looks at you, it’s the same. The same as Aurora.”
“Well, I should disabuse her of that notion. She’s only going to be disappointed by it. She doesn’t know what that look will bring to her doorstep.”
“You’re a different man now, Phoenix,” Matvei points out. “Things will be different this time around.”
“‘This time around’?” I repeat. The words strike me as suspicious. “There is no ‘this time around,’ Matvei. Elyssa and that child, they’re not mine. I don’t want them to be.”
He doesn’t hesitate. “But what if they could be? What if they’re your second chance?”
A second chance?Is that even possible for me?
Out loud, I say, “I don’t trust her. I don’t know anything about her.”
“Then maybe it’s time you found out.”
