Page 31 of Sapphire Tears

Geneva’s eyes land on me and go wide with shock. “June…!”

The officer in charge looks between the two of us. “Is this the sister you claim was abducted by Mr. Uvarov?”

Geneva nods. “Y-yes. Yes, she was—I mean, she is…”

I glance towards Kolya and then back to the silver-haired officer. And just like that, I make my choice.

“I have no idea what my sister is talking about.”

Geneva’s mouth falls open. “June! Don’t try to protect him!”

“I’m not protecting anyone,” I reply. “I’m telling the truth. Kolya didn’t abduct me. I’m here because I want to be.”

I’m not even trying to be convincing; it just comes out sounding that way. I watch as the officers exchange concerned glances. The silver-haired policeman steps forward.

“Ma’am, your sister came to us a few days ago and filed a missing persons report.”

I spread my arms wide. “Well, as you can see, I’m not missing.”

“But you were!” Geneva snaps. “S-she’s been brainwashed by him. Or he’s threatened her or something! He’s a dangerous man, Officer Yelsing.”

Officer Yelsing’s expression has turned from determined to apologetic. Behind me, I can feel Kolya’s surprise radiating.

I hate that I’m thrilled to have impressed him. I shouldn’t care. I don’t want to care.

Yelsing clears his throat awkwardly. “Well, I suppose this has all been one big misunderstanding…”

“No!” Geneva shrieks. “No, it hasn’t been!”

“I apologize for all the trouble, officers,” Kolya intervenes, stepping forward with the self-assured grace of a politician. “But as you can probably tell, my future sister-in-law isn’t my biggest fan.”

A few of the officers actually laugh.

Smirking, he continues. “I can’t blame her for thinking that I’m not good enough for her sister, and I won’t blame you all for coming here tonight and doing your jobs. But I do need to get my fiancée inside now. She needs a warm shower and some dry clothes.”

Yelsing nods. “Of course, Mr. Uvarov. I’m very sorry for all the trouble.”

“Not at all,” Kolya says, flashing the small group of cops a charming smile. “Just doing your duty. I understand. Have a nice evening.”

Then the cops pile into two cars and head back off down the winding drive that leads to the main road. The whole time, Geneva stares off after them, as though she’s trying to pull them back with just the pure force of her will.

I take a deep breath. “Genny…”

She twists around, her eyes wide with fury. “I cannot believe you just did that.”

“Me?” I balk. “What about whatyoujust did?”

“I was trying to protect you!”

“Well, stop!”

The words wrench out of me, a ticking time bomb that I didn’t know I was carrying around inside my chest this whole time. She’s stunned, but I still have more to say.

“I wish everyone would just stop trying to fucking protect me. At this point, it’s starting to feel like code. Because what you’re really saying is that you want to use me.”

“June, I—”

“I confided in you,” I interrupt. “I told you the truth because I thought I could trust you. And what did you do? You went running to Ravil. The one person I told you not to go to.”

---