Page 48 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

“Very well. Suit yourself.”

Julian’s guards stood on either side of the arched entrance, watching me like they hoped I would be the one to make a mistake. Wasn’t going to happen.

Across the narrow corridor, I kept my eyes on them and the curtain. Some rules you followed without question. You never allowed your opponent to crowd you, and you never gave them your back.

Julian noticed where I stood as he held Kaylani’s chair while she sat. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he pulled the cord on the curtain, and the heavy material fell into place between us.

The lights dimmed, and the music rose. I stood in the shadows, every nerve heightened, watching men who wanted me dead as much as I did them.

As the orchestra swelled, I settled into my position, hand poised to near my gun, because sooner or later Julian was going to learn that Kaylani Mikhailov refused to kneel.

I understood this man enough to know he would try to break her. And if he even thought about it, I would break him.

Consequences be damned.

Chapter

Fifteen

KAYLANI

The theater wasn’t neutral ground.

That was a lie people like Julian told themselves to feel like they were offering civility. The ugly truth was that neutral spaces didn’t exist in my world. Every room belonged to someone. Tonight, the question was who and why.

I felt eyes on me the moment we entered, and even more when we moved to the VIP level. They were all people whose opinions should have mattered to me, but didn’t.

Men who owned billions in corporations, antiquities, or wielded power in political circles. Women whose last names carried the lineage of old blood, money, and legacy. People who smiled for performance but clapped for victories. This wasn’t a ballet crowd. It was a congregation watching everything, including me.

Julian walked beside me as if he belonged there, and I hated it. I was quickly realizing that, as determined as I was to live this double life and coexist with my father, it could not last. That had been only a display of bravado.

But doing this felt wrong and disgusted me.

And I hated that Goran was forced to watch it all. I had done this to him. I had drugged him and married him, and now he was forced to stand by while other men courted me.

No, I needed to cut my father off.

God, that thought was terrifying. Not because I couldn’t live without the money. But because I knew he would never let me walk away. And what he would do to get his way…who he would kill…that was what scared me.

At least Julian wasn’t trying to push any boundaries. Not yet. No crowding. Just close enough to imply familiarity. The kind that invited assumptions.

I cataloged the room the way I had been taught. Exits. Sightlines. Who stared when we entered? Who looked away a little too quickly? Whose smile didn’t reach their eyes?

We stepped into the small box, and Julian turned to face Goran.

“I don’t believe your presence is necessary inside the box. As you can see, there are only two seats and no magical escape,” he said sarcastically. “Ms. Mikhailov will be quite safe.”

I looked at Goran and hoped he understood that it was okay. I would be fine in the confined space, despite the company.

Goran stepped closer to Julian and lowered his voice. I leaned in just enough to hear.

“I will remain right here,” Goran said.

Julian’s jaw tightened. “Very well. Suit yourself.”

I straightened and pretended I hadn’t been listening as Julian pulled the cord on the heavy curtain.

We were suddenly alone. Despite the hundreds of people in the theater, this box had become an island cut off from the rest of the world. There was not a single person here who would lift a finger to help me if I screamed.