I slowly shake my head. "No. He isn't."
"Then who…" Calvin lifts his head. "He kidnapped you?"
I nod. "Him and his brothers. My father owed them so much money, more than I've ever seen in my life."
"Brothers? Rose…" Calvin urgently shifts closer. "Who are they? How did you escape—no. You didn't escape, did you? That's why he's still around. Why he visits so much. This is why your mother and sister weren't at the wedding, isn't it?"
I'm thankful he's working it out because I can't find the words. All I can do is sit there and hastily wipe away my tears.
"But why?" Calvin's gaze locks onto mine once more. "What is he making you do? Who is he really?"
"His name really is Mathew but he's not my brother," I choke out softly. "He's a Vasiliev."
"Vasiliev?" Calvin suddenly straightens up and a shadow passes across his face. "Oh shit. Oh fuck. That cunt who tried to kill Kon and Ethan on the road, he was a Vasiliev."
"The y-youngest."
"We thought it was the Italians, that they had hired some poor schmuck to take Kon out but it wasn't them at all, was it?" Calvin's grip tightens on my hand. "Rose, what does he have on you? What is he making you do?"
"I can't," I whisper. "If I fail, my family dies. I'm the only chance they have!"
"No!" He moves closer to me. "I can help you. Kon will help you. But you have to tell me the truth, Rose. You have to tell me everything—otherwise, no one can help you. Just tell me, please. We can fix this, we can?—"
"Get your fucking hands off of her!" Kon's voice roars through the garden, and a second later, Calvin is ripped away from me by two guards who throw him to the ground.
"Calvin!"
He can't speak. Kon descends out of seemingly nowhere and tackles Calvin when he tries to get up. Then he's on top of him and slamming powerful, solid punches directly onto Calvin's face.
Horror grips me for a split second.
What the fuck is going on?!
I stand abruptly, sending the book cascading to the ground and I rush toward Kon. "Kon, stop! Stop!"
"Putting hands on my wife?!" he yells, punching Calvin again. "I trusted you!" Another punch. "You betrayed me!" Another punch that ends in a crack. "I will fucking kill you!"
"Kon!" I manage to grab his flailing arm and derail the next punch, but to my horror there's no warmth or love in Kon's eyes when he twists himself around to look at me.
"You," he snarls and he very slowly climbs to his feet.
Behind him, Calvin remains on the ground in a complete daze.
Blood coats his face, his nose angles in the wrong direction, and blood has sprayed the green grass around him like some kind of halo.
As Kon walks toward me, the two guards move past us and scoop Calvin up from the ground.
He doesn't make a sound.
His head remains hanging low and his arms are limp as he's dragged away across the lawn, leaving two faint gouges in the grass from his shoes.
"Kon! What the hell did you do that for?!" I yell, but the fury in Kon's eyes makes my breath catch in my chest and I stumble back toward the bench. "Kon?"
"I poured my heart out to you," he snarls at me and agony licks at the anger in his words. "Were you laughing at me? Did you find it amusing that I had my heart broken by a woman who could not remain faithful while you were doing the exact same thing?!"
"Wh—what?!"
"Do not play me for a fool any longer, Rose. I will not allow it."
