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Kova's response was a subtle curve to one corner of his lips. I didn't bother pushing the question. He had known I was here, he just took his precious time.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, changing the subject. I gestured toward the chairs at the breakfast counter. He raised a brow. I had boxes sporadically placed around my condo. "I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about too."
Kova took a seat and angled his body toward me. I caught a drift of his cologne and faltered in my step. Desire prickled down my arms and I blinked. I exhaled a breath. My palms were clammy, I was restless for his touch. My chest rose and fell so quickly as a flood of emotions came roaring back into my heart. This was going to be much harder than I’d thought.
Just as I was about to sit next to him, Kova reached out and hooked a finger around my belt loop. With a tug, he spread his legs and pulled me to him. I inhaled a gasp. My hands came flying up and pushed against his chest when our eyes met. The connection was automatic for me. My fingers curled around his shirt and I felt the pull. I leaned into him, needing to close the distance.
Hugging me with his legs, I was just inches from Kova and eye level with him. My lips parted as I peered through my lashes at him. His stubble was much thicker than he usually wore it, and there were faint purple circles under his eyes that I hadn't noticed at first. The tips of my fingers brushed across his collarbone. I did it again, and Kova's palms warmed against my back, pulling me toward him. His touch scorched my skin, flames of desire coaxing me to let nature take its course. The back of my hand grazed his facial hair.
Our lips were seconds away from meeting. "Malysh," he whispered.
I pulled back and frowned at him. The curtain lifted, the smoke cleared, and I blinked. That was why I was in this predicament in the first place. He called my name and I came running. Over the past month, I was forced to reassess a lot of the choices I'd made. I felt different inside now. My views had shifted.
I took a small step back, but not so that we had to stop touching. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
His head dipped to the side and he peered up at me with alluring eyes. "I spoke with an attorney on what the best course of action was for my marriage. I filed for divorce."
I blinked. Wow. Not what I’d expected.
"I don't understand," I said, my throat a little dry.
"I told Katja I no longer cared what she had on me. I was running worried and she thrived off that. When I showed her I did not care about her threats and actually filed, it was not a thrill to her anymore. I have a long way to go, but the divorce process has been started."
His brows knitted toward each other when I didn't respond. Kova had already told me he was filing for divorce because Katja had gotten pregnant by another man. It was his way out for all the blackmail she had on him. It wasn't for us, though. "I told you before Frank found us that I was going to," Kova added when I'd remained silent.
Kova filing for divorce should've relieved me, even made me feel giddy, not this sense of indifference unfurling inside of me. I was supposed to leave, and he just threw a curveball at me.
I studied Kova. Was I supposed to say congratulations?
"When did you file?"
"Two weeks ago."
He’d filed two weeks ago and it took him that long to reach out to me. Something about that crushed me.
"Where is Katja? Where does she live now?"
He shook his head, confusion filling his eyes. "At my house," he said, then he sobered up. My hands fell from his chest and I tried to take another step back, but Kova caged me in. My pulse sped up.
"And that's where she's been with you since you got back, right?"
The happiness Kova had walked in with was slowly dissolving into thin air. His shoulders hardened and his brows creased together like he was offended I could insinuate anything more.
"You question my love for you," he stated, quiet and low.
I shook my head. "Never."
I knew Kova loved me, and that no one would ever love me the way he did.
"What do you want me to do, Adrianna? I am trying to make the necessary changes for our future. Is that not what matters?"
I wasn't expecting the knife to slice through my chest the way it did. I wanted to yell back and demand to know why he waited two weeks to see me. If he wanted time knowing that I didn't have much of it to give, why didn't he move quicker if he was sticking to his plan? I was trying not to be nitpicky but that was weeks wasted that we'd never get back
. Weeks we could have spent talking things out and figuring out life together. Hearing that he was still living with Katja hurt me. It didn't matter that he'd filed for divorce if he was still living with her.
If Kova was serious about us, he could've gone to a hotel or rented a condo. Anything to prove he was putting me and him first because it was something he wanted for us. But he hadn't.
Without an ounce of emotion, I said, "If the divorce is what you want, then I'm glad for you."
