Page 8 of Jetmir

“Tell me,” I whispered, my voice barely holding together. “If I ever meant anything to you, please tell me.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then something in his expression changed. Whatever softness had been there disappeared, replaced by a coldness I didn’t recognize. His jaw tightened, and his eyes became unreadable.

“My full name,” he said, “is Jetmir Thorne Volkov-Tijuana.”

The words hit me harder than the explosion had. The world seemed to tilt beneath me. My heart cracked in my chest and I was convinced the entire city must have heard.

Jetmir is Thorne. Thorne is Jetmir. Jetmir is Thorne.

The name echoed inside my head.

Oh my God. How could this happen?

“You lied to me,” I whispered.

Jetmir was my brother’s enemy. Jetmir was a cruel villain.

No wonder Amara was there. She wanted to make sure Gabriel wouldn’t kill him. They weren’t blood siblings, but those two were protective of each other and their family.

“I didn’t lie to you. Thorne is my name.”

Was there a note of panic in his voice? Or was that panic ringing in my own ears?

My knees struck the pavement, and I barely registered the pain. I shoved both hands into my hair, gripping it as if I could somehow hold my mind together by force.

“No, no, no. You deceived me,” I rasped, my voice cracking.

My deceitful husband crouched in front of me.

“I didn’t lie to you,” he repeated, his voice hard. “Look at me.”

I lifted my head, watching his bruised face, blood running from his temple.

“You’re my wife, Anya Santos Volkov-Tijuana.” Fuck, up until now, I was still using my maiden name. I was so stupid. So fucking naive. “Don’t forget that.”

“How could I forget?” A hysterical laugh bubbled in my throat. Maybe my mind cracked just like my heart did. “You’ve been lying and deceiving me from the moment we met.”

“I. Didn’t. Fucking. Lie.”

“Omission is a lie too,” I mumbled.

“Anya… my angel… Don’t look at me that way.” His voice cracked. “Please tell me what to do to earn your forgiveness.”

I reached up and touched his injured cheek. “Take me back to Gabriel. I want to make sure he’s alright.”

His expressions hardened and his eyes froze over. “It’s not safe to go back. I’ll take you to my place here and then I’ll go back and check on Gabriel and Amara.”

I shook my head. “No, I want to go with you. Now.”

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to listen. He’d made up his mind, and there was nothing I could say that would change it.

Without another word, Jet pushed himself to his feet, bent down, and scooped me into his arms. I barely had time to protest before he shifted me over his shoulder, carrying me as though I weighed nothing.

“Thorne… Jetmir… Jet…”

No matter what name I used, he ignored me.