Page 23 of Shattered Cradle (Makarova Bratva Duet)

Mia pauses, stops short. “What do you mean?”

“Jennifer,” I say, thinking that’s all the explanation I’ll need.

But her eyebrows furrow downward in confusion.

“Jennifer,” I say again. “We knew her as Isabella?”

Still nothing. Total blank face. That’s when I realize—she doesn’t know this bit.

And just like that, the acid of my anger burns worse.

“Apparently, Rob left that part out, huh?” I scoff. “Convenient.”

She takes a step toward me, but I back away in time. “Liv, what are you saying?”

“Isabella was a Bratva spy. Her real name is Jennifer, and she’s very much alive,” I explain. “I met her at Aleks’s mansion. She was a plant sent in by Aleks to find out what she could about Rob’s investigation into the Bratva. She didn’t disappear because Aleks took her; she disappeared in order to preserve her identity.”

Mia sinks back to a seat on the couch like she might fall over without something solid to rely on. Her gaze unfocuses, going hazy as she tries to puzzle through what is suddenly so clear and obvious to me.

Maybe she’ll see the light. She’ll understand what I understand. She’ll be on my team, the way sisters are supposed to be.

“You’re… serious?”

“Yes,” I say excitedly. “Do you get it now?”

Then I see it. The moment it happens. Mia is standing at a crossroads, and the sign pointing to the left saysBELIEVE OLIVIAin flashing neon lights.

And as I watch, she sets her shoulders and heads in the other direction. The one that saysNO.

That’s the choice that breaks my heart.

“No,” she says suddenly, causing me to jerk violently. “It has to be Aleks. Donald’s goddaughter was taken by Aleks Makarova just like Isabella was, and he used her until he’d had his fill, then discarded her like a piece of human waste on the side of the road. She mentioned Makarova’s name herself! It’s all she can say! He broke her. He is the bad one.”

“So a mute girl managed to name her rapist before she went silent? The conveniences are piling up, Mia! You have to open your eyes!”

“I’m not the blind one,” she hisses coldly.

“Are you kidding? A young kidnapping victim says only one word, and it happens to be the name of the man who took her? Doesn’t that story seem a little farfetched to you?”

“Honey, look around! That ship has already left the port. We’re living a real-life thriller right now. Nothing is farfetched anymore.”

She moves towards me, her eyes imploring. But she’s no longer trying to convince me, per se. Not in the same way she was a moment ago.

It’s more like she’s approaching me the same way you’d approach a wild, terrified animal. Calming it, not convincing it. Luring it forward—so you can lock it in a cage.

“We’ve been here under Donald’s protection,” Mia says softly. “I’ve gotten to know him, Liv. He’s a good man. A kind man. He loves his goddaughter and wants justice for her. Like I want it for you. Like Rob wants it for you.”

“For me?” I ask. “I don’t need justice.”

“He abducted you, Liv! He forced you to marry him and then he knocked you up with his child! If you don’t need justice, then who the hell does?”

I wince at the way she says it. As though the baby inside me is a curse, a burden that I’m being forced to bear.

I put my hand over my belly protectively.

“It wasn’t quite in that order,” I murmur.

“Liv,” Mia interrupts, “I get it, okay? He treated you well while you were there. He must have been nice sometimes. Maybe even charming. Am I right?”

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