Page 38 of Bratva Brother’s Bride

He nods once and turns to leave. At the door, he pauses and looks back at me.

“For what it’s worth,” he says, “I wasn’t planning on proposing this soon. I was going to give you more time.”

He leaves without another word.

I stay against the wall for a long moment, my eyes closed. My skin is still damp with sweat and my heart is racing, but at least I’m no longer on the verge of doing something stupid.

I push off the wall and grab my towel, slinging it over my shoulder. The gym suddenly feels too small. I need air. I need space.

I’m heading for the door when it opens.

Oksana stands in the doorway, a basket of fresh towels in her arms. She takes one look at me and her expression shifts from professional to concerned.

“Mrs. Volkonsky.” She sets the basket on the bench by the wall. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

“I was just finishing.”

Her eyes move over my face, reading something in my expression. She’s always been good at that, seeing what I’m trying to hide.

“May I?” She gestures to the bench.

I hesitate, then nod as I sit down. I’m not sure I want company, but I’m not sure I want to be alone either.

Oksana sits beside me and folds her hands in her lap. She’s dressed in her usual uniform: a gray dress and sensible shoes. She looks exactly the same as she did three years ago when I first arrived at the mansion, terrified and alone.

“You’ve been crying,” she observes.

I touch my face and realize she’s right. I must have started at some point and not noticed.

“Oksana,” I say. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Who do you work for now?”

She doesn’t hesitate. “Mr. Volkonsky. Roman.”

“Not Konstantin?”

“No, I always worked for Dmitri. Now that he’s passed, the staff have been taken on by Mr. Volkonsky here. He said there was no need for a housekeeper with no one to keep house for.” Her mouth tightens.

“Has he always been like this?” I ask. “Roman, I mean. Has he always been this... intense?”

Oksana considers the question for a moment. When she speaks, her voice is careful. “The twins were different. Dmitri was charming. Everyone loved him. He could make you feel like the most important person in the room.” She pauses. “Roman was quieter, but he noticed things. Small things. He’d remember your birthday or ask after your family.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It wasn’t.” She looks at me directly. “What I’m trying to say is that Roman has always been the one who paid attention. It makes him dangerous to his enemies, but it made him loyal to those he cares about.”

“Loyal,” I repeat. “That’s one word for it.”

“What word would you use?”

I think about the way Roman looked at me in the gym. The way he said my name. The way he proposed marriage like it was a foregone conclusion.

“Complicated,” I say finally.

Oksana nods like she understands. “Complicated is not always bad. Dmitri was simple, and he hurt you every day.”