Page 175 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

With a smile, she turned toward the door.

“Helena…”

She stopped and glanced over her shoulder.

“Kaylani is pregnant. I thought you should be the first to know.”

The matriarch of the Mikhailov family squealed and practically jumped on me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

“This is the most incredible news. Goran…oh God, I’m going to start crying. Find our girl and bring her home.”

“I will. I promise.”

“And Nathaniel?”

He spun around, phone to his ear. “Yes, Mother?”

“Next time, do not treat me as your father does. I’m not fragile,” she ordered, marching out and closing the door behind her.

“Well…I didn’t know Mom had it in her.” Titus laughed.

Nathaniel ran a hand down his face.

“She is the scarier one. I’m telling you.”

He held up his finger.

“Yes, I’m still here,” he said to whoever was on the line.

I felt the subtle shift. We weren’t just three men reacting anymore. Helena had given us the key to finding my wife.

Nathaniel looked at me.

“Get the teams ready. I want them set to move.”

“How many?”

“Everyone that can be spared.”

I pulled out my phone. We were no longer chasing shadows. The hunt had finally begun.

Dimitri thought I would bow at his feet and back down. He was about to find out that for Kaylani, I would do anything.

Chapter

Forty-Five

KAYLANI

Aweek at the Harrington estate felt like a year. I had once believed my own family to be overbearing and insufferable. I was sadly mistaken. Every interaction here felt like a mini interrogation.

The ocean was beautiful, and the sun rose warm over the cliffs each morning. The villa itself glittered like something lifted from a travel magazine. Yet each day the walls seemed closer. The decorative vines felt like they were creeping up my body, trying to squeeze the life out of me.

Julian had settled into a rhythm he expected me to follow. I tried to ignore him at first, but he sent a six-man escort along with my father to retrieve me for breakfast on the terrace.

He didn’t speak to me other than a polite good morning. Instead, he discussed security briefings with his father or Luca, dropping places and names like little breadcrumbs for me to follow. After the meal, I was dismissed like a good girl and told to explore the property and the stables.

The Andalusians were something out of a fairytale. I had never seen the breed up close until now. They reminded me of the horse figurines I played with as a child. Long manes and tails. Glossy coats. Proud creatures that seemed to enjoy showing off for anyone watching.