Page 50 of Fake Fae-Ancée

It felt like being slapped in the face. My mind spinning, I could only stare, unable to say anything back.

"Since you obviously don't believe us, let me help you find enlightenment." A third soldier pulled out his phone, swiped a few times, typed, then held the thing out to me.

There was a video. A party, somewhere in a fancy night-club. A few days ago, according to the date. Seventeen million views. A sea of comments. A man was sitting on a sofa. He was wearing a suit. He looked like Yuri. A pretty drunk Yuri. And draped on him like a boa constrictor was a woman. A beautiful, utterly gorgeous woman. With golden hair and killer curves and a lethal kind of sensuality. She was smiling at him. Fiddled with his tie.

She threw a wicked glance at the camera, then bent over him like she wanted to devour him and pressed her terribly beautiful mouth on his.

I crushed the phone in my hands. Threw the broken parts on the floor, crunching them under my boots as I marched off, to the booming laughter of the soldiers (one complaining about his totaled phone) who shouted after me that I could come back any time, in case I was interested in a similar arrangement with one of them...

"Ohmygod," Charly breathed.

I blinked away the telltale wetness in my eyes. Kalinin looked down at me, his hand still radiating heat on my hip. His expression changed into a concerned frown. Hastily, I took half a step away from him, wiping my eye with the back of my hand.

"Stop it already," I muttered, wondering if I could manage to rip his lava-hand off, powers gone or not.

He had never apologized.

And he wasn’t sorry now, that much was certain. Not for leading me on into believing that he loved me. Not for using me and abandoning me when he got bored. Not for that kiss I had seen on the video.

And now he had the nerve to say he was sorry? Even if it was just part of the ruse…

"That’s so sweet," Charly piped up.

"And so unexpected," Gabriel added, measuring Kalinin with an arched brow.

"Yeah," Kalinin said. He had the audacity to sound chipper. "I am a very lucky man."

Lucky my ass! He would be lucky if he was still able to breathe once I had my powers back and was done with him.

Gabriel shot me another inquisitive look. "But do you really need to rush things like this?"

I sighed inwardly, squaring my shoulders. I hated to lie to Gabe. But this needed to be done. If I wanted to protect my friends, I had to make this believable. So I would bloody well make this believable.

"I really want to do this," I said with the sweetest smile I could muster, turning for my fake-fiancé. That bastard. I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to feel like he had made me feel right now. Awkward. Out of his depth. Like a fish on land.

I slid my hand into his large one, intertwining our fingers. It wasn’t exactly easy, because my hand was tiny compared to his, his fingers almost double the size of mine. Unease flashed in his eyes. He hadn’t anticipated a counter-attack, that much was certain.

Eat this, sucker!

"I want to do this right," I said, beaming at him. "You know, when I decide to be with someone, I stay with them. No matter what."

Kalinin swallowed, his throat working. I had hit close to home. The bastard even blushed under his beard stubble. Well, good! A hot rush of victory washed through me.

"Congratulations, then," Gabriel said, still sounding reluctant, looking at me. "But you can always come back home, though. No offense, Yuri."

"None taken," Kalinin muttered, stepping away from me.

I was relieved when our hands detangled. And I was still grinning as Charly took over the conversation, showering Kalinin and me with questions about wedding plans and everything. However, I had trouble staying focused. The left side of my body felt cold all of a sudden, now that I was standing there alone. I crossed my arms and tucked my hands under my armpits.

They, too, felt colder.

Yuri

The movingTrolls had just finished their work and headed off when Auntie Yli-Pekkala reappeared.

"Let’s deal with the legal stuff first, shall we?" she said as she took a seat on the sofa. Smiling, she gestured behind her to the suit she'd brought with her, a short, nondescript guy — but apparently he was the most successful and most notorious divorce lawyer this side of the Atlantic. The guy flipped open a briefcase, pulled out some papers and placed them on the table. He nodded once to Baba, closed his briefcase and then was escorted outside by Bates.

"Tadaaa, the divorce papers." Baba beamed at me and Kai. "The centerpiece of your deal. What do you say?"

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