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“Yes. I mean no, it’s Sokolov.”
He holds out an envelope. “This is for you.”
I glance at our guard near the door. “It’s already been inspected?” He nods in my direction. “Thanks.”
I close the door as he walks away, and when I open the envelope and take out what’s inside, I lose my grip on the stack of papers and they fall to the ground. I force a deep breath out of my lungs.
Looks like Demetri really does have a death wish.
I may just finish the job his cousin couldn’t.
“Ma? I need to go out,” I holler, and she pokes her head out of the kitchen.
“I’ve got the girls,” she replies without hesitation.
I take one of the cars in the driveway, not caring who it belongs to. Demetri is about to get an earful. I park parallel in front of our house, seeing a sold sign sits in the middle of the yard, and a moving van is parked in the driveway.What the hell?
“Where is Demetri?” I ask one of the workers, but he shrugs, acting as if he’s never heard the name before.
Jumping back into my car, I go to The Horsemen. The same club he took me to the night we met. I walk in and yell his name. The people inside look up at me and give me this weird expression.
“Demetri! You’re a fucking coward!” I call again. This time, the man of the hour steps out and shows himself.
I hate that he still looks sexy as hell, even with the evidence of the fire on his face. He steps toward me, and those same butterflies he gives me flutter in my stomach. I hate him for making me have these reactions to him.
He grips me by the elbow, tight and controlling as he drags me into an office.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asks with a clenched jaw.
“I could ask you the same. Divorce papers?” As much as I try to keep my voice even, my words hitch at the end.
“I’m setting you free. I have signed a truce with your brother. It’s stronger than our marriage would ever be. The marriage you blackmailed me into is pointless now. You got what you wanted. I have also transferred half of my money into a bank account for you, and I have replaced your gallery with one that is move-in ready.” His words are so cold. His stance is aloof and uncaring.
“And what of the girls?” I spit out, hardly believing what I’m hearing.
“I’m their father. Obviously, I would love to see them and have a relationship with them, but I’ll let you control that.”
“Charlotte?”
“It would be unfair to separate the sisters.” He leans against the desk with his arms crossed.
“You’re just letting us go like that? As if none of us are worth it?” I can’t believe I’m hearing this.
“On the contrary, you three are worth the most. That’s why I’m doing this.”
“You sold the house from under me. Where are we to live?”
“Katrina, you’re too emotional. Staying in that house would be suicide. It’s too open to enemies. I should have never stayed in one place. I opened my family up to harm. I will never do that again. The girls are safest with you. Harm will only come if I stay in the picture.”
“You’re a scared man who has too much pride and ego to admit it,” I sneer, the first tear sliding down my cheek. I let it fall, wanting him to see the pain he is causing. “The only person causing us harm is you. You will realize we are the best things to ever happen to you. And when you do, it will be too late. Charlotte will hate you for abandoning her. I will hate you for not fighting for us. And Capree won’t even know who her daddy is.”
More tears fall. I accept each one.
Acting unaffected, he uncrosses his arms and stands up straight, placing his hands in his pockets. His eyes are like a deep, empty, dark ocean. They no longer hold life or that spark I used to love. He’s staring at me, but it’s like he’s looking through me. I could be beating on his chest, and I doubt he’d feel the pain and would just walk through me like I’m a ghost of his past.
I am nothing to him.
“Don’t ever come near me again.” I step back until my hand can reach the door handle. “I’ll have my brother bring you the divorce papers, and you two can talk more about your truce.”
