Page 71 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

Accepted.

Something inside me solidifies. I’m about to start finding a balance. With school comes a whole new Liya, the kind of Liya I’ve only ever dreamed of becoming. And she’ll be three times as badass, with some pieces of the old Liya beneath.

I hear Pavel’s voice as if he’s speaking to me right now:If you can find a balance, then so can I.

I bit my lower lip to stifle a sob.

Aside from a family, this is what I’ve been wanting my whole life. This is the moment that will change everything.

This is the moment I’ll be reborn.

My phone chimes on the table. Text after text rolls through. And all of them are from Willow.

“Oh fuck,” I groan while lifting my phone. “Shit.”

I click on her name.

The line barely rings before it clicks and she huffs, “Liya!”

“Sorry, I got mail.”

“What are you, AOL?”

I don’t even have the strength to roll my eyes. “Willow, I got mail fromWeill Cornell.”

“Wait, for med school?” She gasps. “Wait, you mean like they processed your application?”

I squeak, “Yes.”

“And?”

“And I got in.”

Her scream stabs my eardrum. I tear my head away from the phone, too ecstatic to care about the pain radiating through the right side of my body. I can practically feel the ground shaking with her excitement. I can imagine her bouncing around the office like a maniac.

“We have to celebrate!” she exclaims. “I’m coming over right now.”

I wave away her insistence. “No, it’s fine. I’m just going to—”

“Sit on the best news of your life? Girl, I don’t think so!”

“I want to wait for Pavel to get home.”

She sighs. “Ah, right. Lover boy. Well, I’m still coming over. You can keep from fucking until after I leave.”

“Willow!”

“Tell me I’m wrong.” She laughs. “Tell me you won’t bang your husband twelve ways to Sunday with this good news. I’ll wait.”

I flush with embarrassment. Even though we’ve been through rough times, Willow always manages to make me feel like her best friend.

I cough anxiously. “I wouldn’t word it like that, but—”

“Great. I’m on my way right now!”

The line clicks. I close my eyes with a resolute defeat, though it’s far from a horrible feeling. It’s actually quite nice. I have Willow back in my life, where she belongs, and she wants to celebrate my achievement.

Together.

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