Page 35 of Sapphire Tears

She shrugs. “It was a long time ago. I was vulnerable. He tried to take advantage.”

My eyes narrow. “Did he—”

“Try to fuck me?” Milana finishes casually. “Don’t worry, he didn’t get anywhere close to it. I pushed him off me, slapped him across the face, and told him that if he ever tried to kiss me again, I’d cut his tongue right out.”

I stiffen instantly, my hands tight on the edge of my desk. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”

She shrugs nonchalantly, but that’s how she treats everything. I know better than to believe her by now. “At first, it was because he was your brother, and you cared about him. I didn’t want to drive a wedge between the two of you. Afterward, when you stopped getting along, it seemed like the statute of limitations had run out. And anyway…”

I frown. “What?”

She sighs and finally turns her gaze up to me. “I guess I was scared you’d take his side. He kissed me. It wasn’t a capital offense.”

“Then why did you get so upset about it?”

“Because he wasn’t kissing me just to kiss me. If it had been that… well, hell, maybe I would’ve even let him. But he tried to kiss me, and when he did, he looked at me the way… the way all those other men used to look at me. Like I wasn’t human. Just an object put on earth for their pleasure. A cheap whore, nothing more.”

My skin is hot with anger. As if I needed another reason to want to rip my brother’s throat out. “I wish you’d told me.”

“No need. I handled it.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “Anyway, my story isn’t the point. Adrian is.”

I grimace and fall back in my seat, suddenly exhausted beyond measure. “I really believed he was dead, Milana,” I whisper. “What kind of fool does that make me?”

“He fooled us all, Kolya. He should’ve stayed dead. This time around, dying will hurt a hell of a lot more.”

I nod. Her words should be lighting my blood on fire. I should want to wring his throat myself, to banish him back to hell for everything he’s done to me, to my family. But…

“He’s still my brother.”

“Your father was your father when you killed him.”

I shake my head. “There might still be hope for Adrian.”

She looks at me incredulously. “Kolya, you realize that the woman you intend to marry one day is carrying his baby, right?”

“June doesn’t want him anymore.”

“Maybe not, but he sure seems to want her.”

Before I can respond to that, the door opens and June herself walks in. Rushes in, more like. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks nauseous.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, jumping to my feet and hustling towards her.

Her eyes are huge and round, liquid with fear, as she looks up at me and whispers, “My parents are here.”

16

KOLYA

I frown. “Your parents? How did they—”

“My freaking sister!” June gasps, voice choked with anger and surprise. “She must have called and told them that I was here with you. They’re being shown into one of the downstairs sitting rooms as we speak.”

“And this is a problem because…?”

She shifts her weight self-consciously. “Because I don’t want to see them… alone,” she says, tacking on the last word in a barely audible whisper.

“You want me to go in there with you?”

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