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THE NAME crashes into my mind, a vicious reminder of the web I’m tangled in.
Aleks.
The man who has my brother.
The man who has my best friend.
The man who sent me into the lion’s den to spy.
The man who murdered his own brother-in-law, Luka’s father.
My stomach churns at the revelation, and for a moment, I fear I might lose my lunch right here, on top of this serene hill, in front of these majestic tombstones.
The same fear snakes up my spine, coiling tightly around my heart.
What am I to do now?
The air feels heavy around me, pressing down on my chest.
I need to breathe. I need to think.
I need to run!
But right now, all I can do is freeze, my hand still resting on Luka’s shoulder. His hand comes up, gently clasping mine. The warmth, the spark that leaps at the contact…it’s undeniable.
He slowly stands up and turns to face me.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get more complicated, the universe proves me wrong. And for the first time since stepping into this life, I am truly terrified. Not just for me, but for Luka too. Because besides the chaos, as clear as the sky is, the truth is…
I’m falling for the man I am destined to betray.
“But- but why would…Aleks, your uncle, kill your father?” I blurt out. My eyes lock with his, desperate for answers.
Luka’s face darkens, and I feel a pang of regret for pressing for details. But the question is already out there, hovering between us.
“My family’s history is stained with blood and betrayal, Sophia,” he says, his voice hoarse, filled with an unfathomable pain. “Aleks, he’s not just my uncle. He’s… He’s the epitome of greed and ambition.”
He breaks off, looking away. I see his jaw clench and his fists tighten at his sides. I squeeze his hand gently, offering silent support. He takes a deep breath and continues.
“Our mothers were from the Sokolov family, a rival Bratva. For years, Ivankov and Sokolov were at war. But eventually, my family’s power grew. It became too much for the Sokolovs…and Aleks.” His voice is low now, the words forced. “In a desperate act, Aleks sold his own sister, my mother, to my father as a truce. She was sixteen,” he says, his voice strangled. “My father was thirty. They…they had me when she was twenty.”
My heart pounds as the reality sinks in. It’s too much, too terrible to comprehend. His mother was just a child herself, traded like a piece of property. And Aleks…Aleks is a monster. I feel sick, the revelation too heavy to digest.
I can’t help but picture myself in his mother’s place. A sixteen-year-old girl, given away to end a feud, her life decided by the whims of powerful men. The thought leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Luka’s gaze finds mine again. “That’s why,” he says simply, answering my original question yet leaving so much unsaid.
“Sixteen…” I echo, my voice strangled. My stomach churns at the very thought.
“It was a different time. Different rules,” he says, his voice heavy with memories of a past I could only imagine in my worst nightmares.
“Did they…did they love each other?” I ask hesitantly.
A strange emotion crosses Luka’s face, something resembling a mix of sadness and nostalgia. “They did,” he admits. “They fell in love, eventually. And after my mother passed away, my father…he never looked at another woman again.”
There’s a silence that follows, a poignant reminder of a love born from a transaction. A love story that seems as if it was as beautiful as it was tragic.
“But Aleks…he had another motive from the beginning, didn’t he?” I finally manage to say, my words laced with a bitterness that surprises even me.
