AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think, Kat? Even for you.”
“No, Dmitri. I don’t think I’m being too dramatic. Before you get to decide what’s an appropriate response to being stripped of your freedom, why don’t we lock you away against your will first? Just to give you a little taste of what Nik put me through that day.”
“Look, I’m not saying you should pretend nothing happened. I happen to agree with you—Nik fucked up big time. Hell, I bet you wouldn’t get an argument from him on that one. Trust me when I tell you he’s painfully aware of how badly he fucked up. If you don’t believe me, check it out yourself.”
I scoff. “Nice try. But I think I’ll pass.”
“My point is that no one expects you to forget what he did. I promise you he hasn’t forgotten it and probably never will. But you can’t just give up on people when they disappoint you or when they fuck up. Not if you know that there’s something special there. Something unique, wonderful, and rare.”
I sigh as my eyes tear up. I am so not strong enough to deal with this right now. “Dmitri, it’s not as simple as you make it sound.”
“But it is. You love him, and he loves you. That’s all that matters. Everything else is just details. You can’t lose sight of what’s truly important. So let me take you home, Kat. Put Nik through the wringer. Make him work for it. But give him a chance to grovel. Allow him to make things right again, to make it up to you.”
“Did he say that?” I ask breathlessly.
Dmitri looks at me, puzzled. “Did he say what?”
“That he loves me. Did Nik actually tell you that?”
Dmitri’s expression softens. “He didn’t have to, Kat. I know him. I know his heart. And deep down, you know it as well.”
So Nik didn’t say it.
“Well, I thought I did. I really did. But I was wrong, Dmitri.”
“No, you weren’t. You just think you were because you’re afraid and confused, and I don’t blame you. But I think I know you well enough by now to be sure that you are not someone who shies away from what scares you—not when it’s something that you truly want.”
I shrug, not meeting his too-perceptive eyes. “Well, maybe I don’t want it, then.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. I don’t think you do, either.”
“You don’t understand, Dmitri. Nik will never be able to trust me. You and I can argue until the heat death of the universe about who is to blame for that, but it will still be true. And if he can’t trust me, then he will cling to me as hard as he can, always fearing and expecting the worst from me. He’ll oppress me and crush me, and I’ll die of misery, desperately trying to make him give me enough room to breathe. That’s no way to live, Dmitri. No relationship can work under these circumstances.”
“So you guys have problems. So what? Who doesn’t? It doesn’t mean that you get to give up on each other. You two are human, and you’ve made mistakes. Again, so fucking what? Get back on the horse and try again. The way I see it, the only thing that separates successful relationships from unsuccessful ones is whether people have given up on it or not.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And possibly the most naïve one, too.”
“I don’t know about that,” he says. “Maybe I’m speaking from personal experience.”
“Dmitri…” I say, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“Listen, Kat,” he interrupts me, uninterested in allowing the conversation shift to his own unfortunate love life, “Nik made a mistake. But you haven’t been perfect, either. No offense. You guys have something special going on. Sure, in a moment of intense frustration, Nik decided it was a good idea to place you in captivity instead of talking it out with you. But he’s the fucking boss of the bratva, Kat. One with control and trust issues, too. What did you expect? What did you think would happen once he finally lost his temper with you? It’s bound to happen in any relationship. It’s just a matter of time. If you ask me, what he did wasn’t that bad, all things considered. It could’ve certainly been much worse—just think about all the other things he could’ve done instead.”
I scoff, glaring at Dmitri. “I can’t believe you just said that to me. Is any of this crap supposed to make me change my mind?”
“Come on, Kat, you know I’m making a good point here.”
Mercifully, my phone rings, rattling on the coffee table. A welcome interruption to whatever nonsense Dmitri is about to say next.
“Hang on,” I say. “It’s my friend. I have to get this.”
Dmitri nods, running his hands through his dark blond hair, and I get up, bringing the now-melted ice cream back to the freezer as I answer the call.
“Hey, A.J.,” I say in greeting. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” she says, her gleeful voice brimming with excitement. “I’ll tell you what’s up. I fucking did it, Kat.”
I almost drop the ice cream container on the kitchen floor. Somehow, I manage to avoid disaster, setting it down on the counter instead.
