AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A shiver moves down my spine. “God. What the hell was she doing running in his circle anyway? She had two kids at home. And a husband!”
Kirill pulls back and looks down at me. His green eyes are rife with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m in shock,” I admit. “From all of it. Everything. This day has been one big reveal after another.” I glance up at him sheepishly. “Not all bad reveals, though.”
Not by a long shot.
Mixed with the confusion about the necklace and Leonid and the horror from Sasha’s attack is the warmth low in my stomach that grows in intensity every second I spend in Kirill’s presence. Soon, that feeling will burn the others away, incinerating everything except for the fact that I’m the woman he loves.
Is it needy if I ask him to remind me of that every single day for the rest of our lives?
The rest of our livessets off some kind of existential panic in me, and I have to blow out a long breath to slow the racing of my heart. Kirill’s brow arches in curiosity, but I pray he doesn’t ask. I have no idea what kind of sappy, long-winded speech would come out of my mouth right now.
“Can you two stop gazing lovingly in each other’s eyes and focus?” Viktoria snaps.
Kirill’s expression tightens, but he doesn’t look in her direction. “Feel free to leave any time, Viktoria. No one is asking you to stay.”
“I’m not going until I figure out what the fuck is going on here. Suddenly, you have a daughter,” she says, jabbing a finger at Kirill. “Since when? And I have a sister? I think it’s time to share with the class what is happening.”
I blink dumbly at her. “My God. You’re right.”
“I know I’m right! No one is explaining anything and—”
“No.” I shake my head. “I mean, if Leonid is my dad, then that makes you my sister.”
That, more than almost anything else, is what turns my stomach. I’ve always had a tense relationship with my sisters, but it was because Lana and Alexis were so much older than me and because of my drama with our dad (really,theirdad, but it’s all too complicated to get into it). It wasn’t because they were cold-hearted, conniving rich girls with skewed morals and a superiority complex.
“I guess you have a thing for Kozlov women, Kirill.” Viktoria chuckles viciously. “How sweet of you to keep it in the family. I guess Daddy is getting that alliance after all.”
“Wait. Hold on.” I hold my hands out to try and slow Viktoria’s roll. “I’m still trying to understand the implications of all of this.”
Viktoria sighs in frustration. “What is there to understand? You are a Kozlov. Daddy has had so many mistresses, he was bound to fuck up with the condom a couple times, right? You’re a mafia leader’s bastard child. Congratulations. I’m sure there’s a dozen more where you come from.”
There was a time in my life where I would have given anything to have a different dad. Specifically, I wanted Chloe Yang’s dad. She was in my third grade class, and her dad brought her to school on his motorcycle and ate lunch with her in the cafeteria on “Bring Your Dad to Lunch” days. He wore jeans instead of khakis and always winked at Chloe during our school plays and performances.
Never in a million years would I have envisioned someone like Leonid sitting in the audience while I sang in choir about “The Fifty Nifty United States.” I’d rather the seat reserved for my father be empty than see him sitting there.
Which is what makes me do what I do next.
“No.” I scramble to unhook the necklace from around my neck. I can feel it burning where it once rested against my skin. “I am Miriam Garner’s daughter. I’m Kenneth Garner’s daughter. I am not, in any way, Leonid Kozlov’s daughter.”
Viktoria rolls her eyes. “Tell that to your DNA.”
“Screw my DNA!” I retort. “Family is a choice. I’d rather die right now than choose you and your dad as my family.” Before I can think about it, I thrust the necklace in Viktoria’s direction. “Take it.”
Viktoria reaches for it, but Kirill swats her hand away. He moves between us, gripping my chin to force my eyes to his. “Rayne. Think about this for a second.”
“I don’t need to.”
“This was your mother’s.” Kirill closes his hand around mine, sealing the locket against my palm. The edge of it bites into my skin. “You loved her. This is one of the few things of hers you have left.”
I gently peel his hand off of mine and let the necklace lie flat in my open palm. “You said Leonid told you he gave this necklace to his favorite mistress?”
Kirill nods. “He said his feelings for her became an inconvenience. He had to let her go before he lost everything he’d built.”
“So he supposedly loved her, but not enough to sacrifice anything for her,” I say. “Not enough to derail his life the way she derailed hers. My mom thought this necklace was a symbol of Leonid’s love for her, but really, it’s a symbol of how much more he loved himself.”
Now that I have all the facts, it’s clear my dad made the real sacrifice. He had the truth from the beginning. He could have told me that my mom cheated on him and who my real dad was. Instead, he did his best to be somewhat present for me even though I reminded him of my mom’s betrayal. More importantly, he kept the secret to make sure my mom didn’t lose me the same way she lost him and Lana and Alexis.
