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Arsen knew. He knew, he knew, he knew!
I’m not going to allow it anymore. If he thought not sleeping in his bed was depressing, he’s about to discover what my bitter side is capable of. The silent treatment is just the tip of the iceberg.
Something shiny catches my eye, and I look down to glare at the ring on my finger, glinting in the morning light. Where once I saw beauty, all I see now are shackles.
He’s been using me since the start.
I’m not going to allow it anymore.
39
ARSEN
The instant Galina leaves, I fall limply into my chair.
Fuck ...
This news is a bombshell. The emotional part of me is concerned that she stormed off, calling me a liar, but the logical side of me is busy racing to think of ways this changes everything.
Because everything has changed in an instant.
Yevgeniy is her father, I think, drawing my hand down my face. That explains everything. Why Yevgeniy was hanging around her family studio after Stepan’s death. Why Yevgeniy called to threaten me when he knew I took Galina. Why Yevgeniy never showed up at the wedding.
He’d never dare risk Galina in any potential crossfire. He’d rather slink back into the shadows than risk his own daughter’s life.
How could I have been so stupid to not see this?
But that’s when another thought hits me, and I sit forward with a start. Galina’s relationship with Yevgeniy makes her powerful. She’s no longer “just a nobody,” as my brigadiers thought. Their opposition to my plan no longer holds weight.
My frown draws my whole face downward. She didn’t believe me when I said I hadn’t known about this.
Thinking about the revelation makes me ponder how Galina managed to pry the truth out of her mother. This had to have been something Katya planned to take to her grave. Galina did something to change the course of that solemn decision. How? And why now? Tiny hairs on the back of my neck stiffen. I cast my eyes toward the door where Galina stormed out as a dark thought takes shape in my own mind.
I’m aware that people’s hearts can blacken.
Galina’s heart, for example.
Is it possible ... that they’re plotting to betray me?
I crush the dangerous thought as quickly as it rears its head. Galina has no reason to switch her allegiance from me to Yevgeniy. But what about her mother? Katya may still flip. And Galina loves her mother dearly. Might that be enough to sway her to become my enemy?
Rising rapidly to my feet, I shake my head from side to side, trying to chase the thought away. But like an infection, it has already taken root. I refuse to think of Galina as a backstabber. She’s angry with me, I know, but that’s not the same as flipping sides.
We’re having a baby together.
What I have to do now is focus on our future.
It’s time to tell her about making the marriage real.
A cursory search of my house, and Galina is nowhere to be found. A twinge of panic crawls up my spine when I come upon her in the entryway by the front door. She’s peering through the blinds with her body turned away from me. I peer at the window, wondering what she’s looking at … what she’s thinking about.
Blessed with a moment to observe her in peace, I consider how to approach her with my news before settling on the most direct approach.
“Galina.”
She turns toward me with a slight tilt of her head. She doesn’t act surprised to see me, as if she’s been aware of my presence the whole time. “What is it?” she asks.
I walk until I’m beside her. She doesn’t shy away, which is a good sign. “Everything that’s happening … I know it’s overwhelming.”
