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The ceremony is over before I know it, and we are heading home in a limo with her in my arms.
I sleep better that night than I have in months because I have everything I need right here. My hand on Lyric’s stomach, where either my child is already growing or will be soon. I have my family, and this time I won’t let anyone, or anything, take it from me.
Ten
LYRIC
The sun glints off my ring, and I can’t stop staring at it. My hands fidget with the necklace he also gave me. He married me to save me. He told me I was his. But he never told me he loved me. He says he’ll take care of me forever.
He never told me he loved me.
How can I be okay with this? I shouldn’t be, but I want him no matter what. I want to be with him, but I want his love too. I want him to care for me the way I care for him.
I love him. I’ve been in love with Aleksei for months now. He tells me he cares. He calls me beautiful, but he doesn’t say he loves me.
The computer next to me pings, and I look at the screen. There it is. I wanted to give him this to show him how much I love him. I see her picture on the screen. I know it’s her. She’s aged, but she still looks similar to what she did years ago. My eyes move to the woman next to her, and I can’t stop looking at her. I need to go see them. I want to confirm she is who I suspect before I tell Aleksei. But I can’t get out of here.
The ringing of the doorbell breaks me from my thoughts. I head downstairs. I don’t look at the security panel because I know it has to be one of my sisters or Sparrow. No one else can get to the house but them. I open the door, and I’m shocked.
“You married him.” Ainsley raises her voice and pushes past me.
Ainsley had not yet come to visit me since Mikhail took her under protection. Alek assured me she was fine. Pissed but fine.
“I had to in order to protect myself,” I answer.
“You got married to protect yourself.” She laughs. “You, the hopeless romantic. You love him, don’t you?” She advances on me and shakes my shoulders.
“I had to.” I can’t stop the tears.
She pulls me into her arms, and I start crying. I almost cried last night when he told me he’d take care of me always and forever. It took everything in me not to tell him I couldn’t do it.
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” she says, and for the first time in a long time, I hear sincerity in her voice. I pull away and look at her. “I know he’s dead,” she informs me.
“Jimmy was bad. He killed people.”
“But did he deserve to die?” Her question gives me pause, and when I pull back, I look her in the eye.
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?” she asks as she releases me to walk further into the living room.
“Mikhail told you he killed him?” I realize the truth.
She pauses and turns back to me. “He did. He said Dmitri didn’t do it, but he did.”
“And that’s all?” I tip my head to the side, gaging her response. Should I tell her? Should I give her the truth finally?
“What else is there?”
“Come with me.”
I direct her to the stairs, and we head up to the office. I look at the monitors and see my husband walking around his office.
“Maybe he loves you too,” Ainsley says, and I turn toward her.
“Does Mikhail love you?”
“I don’t know. We just started. He’s taking one for the team.”
