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Her eyes shoot up to meet mine. “I don’t want it to happen again.”
“Then it won’t. How did you sleep?”
She seems to relax a little at my reassurance. “I slept well. And you?”
“I have been a little worried about some things that I’ve been overthinking, but I also slept well.”
“What have you been overthinking about?”
“My brothers, some business things I need to attend to, the usual stuff.”
She is talking. This is good.
“Do you and your brothers get on well?”
“Yes, most of the time. Paval can be really hot-headed and quick to react to things that need to be handled with more diplomacy. Fyodor—well, he had a baby recently and I think he’s a little distracted, but I’m happy for him.”
“Do you do all of the work with you brothers or do you sort of own some of the business yourself?”
“No, we all own equal shares and work together. We work well together. It’s a good balance.”
“Don’t you ever fight? I, um, don’t know what it’s like to have siblings. I never had brothers and sisters, not real ones.”
I reach out and touch her hand and she hesitates before moving it to pick up her fork.
“We fight, yes, but never so badly that it can’t be reconciled. It’s natural, I guess, when you work together like that.”
We chat for ages and she continues to ask me questions about my life, how I grew up, and what I enjoy doing. I feel like I am connecting with her on a new level, and it brings a smile to my face.
After breakfast, we walk in the garden for a little while and I reach out and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her against me. I know I am pushing my luck. She pushes her hands into my chest. “Kiril.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why won’t you kiss me? What’s stopping you?”
She steps away from me, and I cannot read the expression in her eyes. Perhaps it’s sadness.
“Because, Kiril, I am not here of my own free will and you know it. You watch me every second of every day and it’s not right. You all but forced me to stay with you. I’m still a prisoner here, no matter how much you dress it up with gifts, attention, and wonderful treatment. I am a prisoner.”
I step away from her. She still feels this way? I thought we were way past this. I thought she was happy to be here with me. I had no idea she was still feeling like this.
I have been trying so hard to share myself with her, to gain her trust, to win her over—and it seems as though I am no closer to my goal than when I started.
I don’t know how to respond to her accusation. She is not a prisoner, not in the way she suggests. Can she not see that I have to do this to keep her safe? How can she not understand the dangers of letting her go home, back to her life?
I am keeping her safe. I am taking care of her.
I sigh, feeling heavy with disappointment and the frustration of realizing that I had misunderstood everything. I am nowhere near closer to her than the day we met. She is still pushing me away and accusing me of things that are simply not true.
I turn to walk inside, signaling to my guard to keep an eye on her.
She can enjoy the garden on her own. She can have the space that she clearly wants.
Chapter 11 - Jennifer
Kiril turns away from me without another word. I see him nodding towards the guard, obviously telling him to keep an eye on me because he is headed inside and I am about to be left wandering through the garden alone.
