Page 72 of Twisted Empire: King's Gambit

MIKHAIL

After everything that’s happened this past week alone, I never thought Gabriette and I would be saying those three little words so soon.

It’s like a goddamn pressure valve has been released, letting out all the tension and worry that had been building up between us. I could have easily gone back to ignoring her, shutting her out, and making sure she killed her emotions for me.

But what’s the point? I’m already fighting battles outside; the last thing I need is to wage a war in my own home, against the one person who’s making it feel like a home in the first place.

I pull her into my arms, feeling her heartbeat against mine, steady and real. I kiss the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, a small comfort that I’d missed more than I cared to admit these past two nights.

“I’m sorry I made you worry,Malyshka, but I didn’t want to come back home while I was in that state of mind,” I say, feeling the words spill out easier than I anticipated. “Seeing that picture, with that fucker so close to you—it twisted something inside me. I had to get a handle on it before I faced you. Otherwise, I might have said or done something I’d regret.”

Her body tenses for a moment but then relaxes, as if she’s letting go of a breath she’s been holding.

“It’s done now,” I continue. “I trust you, and you trust me, and that’s what we need to hold on to. Screw the outside world. What matters is what’s happening between us, right here and right now.”

She looks up at me, her eyes soft but resolute. “I missed you, Mikhail and I was so scared that something had happened to you. I didn’t know what to think.”

Hearing her voice tremble, seeing the genuine fear in her eyes, is like a gut punch. Any lingering anger or mistrust is washed away by a wave of emotion so potent it chokes me up for a moment.

“I’m so sorry, Gabriette,” I manage to say, my voice thick with regret. “You didn’t deserve any of this shitstorm. I should’ve come home sooner, should’ve talked to you. I never meant to scare you.”

She buries her face in my chest, and I tighten my hold on her. We lay there quietly, each lost in our own thoughts, yet connected by the palpable emotional tether between us.

For a moment, we just lay there, our eyes meeting in a quiet acknowledgment of the vulnerability we’ve both shown tonight. It’s new territory for me, and maybe for her too, but it’s a ground I suddenly find I want to explore.

The quiet is soothing, but there’s something I have to tell her, something that could break the fragile peace we’ve just found.

Taking a deep breath, I finally speak up. “Gabriette, there’s something you should know about Damien.”

She lifts her head, a quizzical look in her eyes. “What about him?”

Right, time to rip the bandaid off.

“He’s not just some random guy from your past. Damien is the son of a Cosa Nostra underboss. Your father sent him to watch you in Seattle.”

The impact is immediate. Gabriette’s body tensed, her eyes widening in disbelief. “What? Are you serious? My father sent Damien…to spy on me?”

“Yeah,” I confirm, regretting that I have to shatter this temporary sanctuary we’ve found. “He wasn’t just your friend and boyfriend by happenstance. He was there to keep an eye on you, to report back to your family.”

She looks absolutely stunned, her eyes searching mine as if she hopes to find some hint that I’m joking. But I can only offer her the harsh truth.

“I don’t even know what to say,” she whispers, more to herself than to me. “Why did you have to tell me this now?”

“Because trust needs to be complete,Malyshka. No secrets. I won’t keep things from you, especially something like this. I know it’s a lot to take in,” I say softly, “especially considering everything that’s already happened. But it’s better if you know the truth.”

Gabriette falls silent, grappling with this new revelation. It's as if I can see her processing everything, reevaluating her past and recalibrating her understanding of her life in Seattle, Damien, and her father's manipulations.

Finally, she exhales, a heavy sigh that seems to carry the weight of her confusion and betrayal.

“I can’t believe it,” she murmurs, more to herself than to me. “All this time, I thought I was free of my family’s manipulations, but I was never really free, was I?”

She turns away, clearly struggling to process this, her body rigid with tension. I wish I didn’t have to tell her. I wish I could protect her from the uglier facets of our world, but she deserves to know. If we’re laying all our cards on the table tonight, then they should be truly all.

She sighs and then lays her head back down on my chest, resuming her earlier position but with a new tension in her frame.

“Thank you for telling me,” she says, her voice tinged with resignation. “It’s just another ugly truth to add to the list, I guess.”

I stroke her hair, hating how even this sanctuary we’ve built can’t keep the ugliness of the outside world completely at bay. But at least we’re facing it together and right now, that’s enough.

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