Page 118 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

Yulia sighs patiently. “Can I give you some advice, Olivia? Advice from a woman who’s been in your exact position once upon a time?”

I nod reluctantly. “I’m all ears.”

“Love has no place in the Bratva,” she says. “Falling in love with your husband is ideal in the outside world. But in here, it can hurt you. It’s much better not to give him your heart. That way, it won’t hurt so much when he casts you aside.”

My heart is already hurting, thudding painfully against my chest. My future here looks like a prison sentence, and I don’t get a trial. No chance to escape. Life without parole.

I feel worse than I did before this conversation began.

Yulia pats my back. “Don’t you worry, darling. I will always be here for you.”

I give her a smile, but I can’t make it sincere. “I think… I think I need to rest a little.”

“Of course,” she says, standing up. “Forgive me. I’m talking your ear off.”

“No, I appreciate all the advice.”

“You know, I always wanted a daughter,” she muses, smiling down at me. “For the first time, it feels like I have one.”

I’m already extremely emotional. Those words nearly push me over the edge. But I swallow my tears and give her a smile.

As soon as she leaves, I walk over to my bed and fall back onto the mattress.

I appreciate Yulia’s friendship and kindness. But at the end of the day, she’s still Aleks's mom. And she’s made it clear that she’s going to choose his corner no matter what.

It’s what parents do. Time and time again, they choose their families.

Well, good parents, at least. God only knows what kind of things are hiding behind Vlad’s rheumy eyes. What horrors Yulia turned her gaze to avoid seeing.

But my dad, my mom? They were pure love, love incarnate, love for all three of us like no one has ever been loved before or since.

I never had to earn their love. They gave it freely.

I’m only just starting to learn what a blessing that was.

It strikes me as I’m lying there that my baby will never know them. Not my mother, not my father. They’ll just be faces in a photograph, characters in a story. Might as well be fictional.

And the two other people who know them best—the only ones who will be able to help me keep their memories alive—are Mia and Rob.

Maybe that’s what prompts me to pick up the phone.

I know Rob won’t answer my call after what happened at the restaurant with Jen, so I scroll pastBIG HEAD BROTHERin my phone and call Mia instead.

A part of me is actually hoping she doesn’t answer. But then—

“Hello?” Her voice is tight and restrained.

“Hi, Mimi,” I say.

When she doesn’t say anything, I decide to power through. “I just called because… well, it’s been almost a week since we buried Mom. And I guess I wanted to talk to someone who knew her. Someone who knew them both.”

There’s silence on the phone for a long time, but I don’t hang up. As long as Mia is still there listening, there’s a chance.

Finally, she sighs. “I was thinking about that exact thing yesterday.”

It feels so good to hear her voice. “Do you remember that trip we took to the Grand Canyon?” I ask.

“Of course I do,” Mia says. I can hear her smile. “Mom and Dad were insistent that we do a family trip together. We planned that trip for months. Rob had just started working and he wasn’t really interested in taking time off.”

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