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Mia pursed her lips, patted my arm, then waved at a waiter for another drink.
“We got your back,” Tommie added. “It’s not like you get married every day, and even less often that you get to have a honeymoon with a few dozen strangers.”
I groaned at that reminder. So far, married life sucked. Especially when you’d been forced into a marriage by a husband who had possibly used you for your inheritance and as a way to seek vengeance. The impromptu party served two goals. First, it would help me keep my distance from Kristoff, and second, to see how far I could taunt him before he would snap, instead of keeping his distance. The latter bothered me more than I expected.
So far, he hadn’t made a single move on me. It had been days since I’d tried to escape. He’d doubled my security detail, which I’d expected, but he hadn’t touched me since we got married. Not once had he tried to seduce me. The ever-present pit in my stomach grew larger by the day. Did it mean he wasn’t interested in me anymore? That he had truly only married me to get back at my father with some elaborate ploy to help his mentor Sokolov? That would have been a whole different story. Worse, I’d already accused him of it, so why would I be surprised if it were true? Had my heart learned nothing at all? How many times could it be turned into Swiss cheese?
“There’s Swiss cheese?” Tommie asked, perking up.
I blinked, realizing I was apparently talking out loud like a crazy person. “I’m sure there’s some in the kitchen.”
Mia perched her sunglasses on top of her head and gave me a scrutinizing look. “Can we stop talking about cheese and get to the real reason we’re here?” She glared at Tommie.
He put down his drink with a sigh. “Right. We’re here to help you make up with your guy. That is, if you want to give him a chance after all. In which case, first make him grovel, then make him squirm, then reel him in.”
“Unless you don’t love him anymore.” Mia shrugged. “And honestly, if that’s the case, how deep could your love have been anyway? Unlike popular belief, love isn’t everlasting, and it sure as hell doesn’t go as deep as song lyrics want you to believe. It’s elastic. When someone treats you like crap, or cheats on you, it can snap. Just like every other emotion, it is mercurial. So the question is, how deep is your love?”
Was she seriously suggesting I was being the unreasonable one here?
“That might be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” Tommie gushed.
I stiffened. “Romantic? Excuse me? Did you somehow forget about the part where Kristoff held a gun to his own head and threatened to kill himself if I didn’t marry him?”
“I didn’t forget, but you do love the guy, don’t you? So why not give it some time before you make a rash decision?” Tommie suggested.
“Because he didn’t really want me. He just wants revenge. Both him and his damn mentor, who is just as bad as he is.” After all, the man had crashed our house asking for my head.
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“I’m debating whether to be honest or…Oh, who the fuck am I kidding?” He leaned closer. “Did you or did you not know exactly who Kristoff was? You know, a kingpin, the leader of a Bratva.”
“Well…”
“Exactly. It’s not like he ever pretended to be a Boy Scout. The man oozes danger. Yet, somehow, you fell in love with him anyway. Was it because of his evilness? Nope. People don’t fall for the bad boy because he’s bad. They take a chance on him because he has redeeming qualities. So, the question is, do you still believe he has those qualities?”
“Please give it to me straight,” I said wryly.
“I’ve never been much for sugarcoating.” Tommie smiled. “It’s one of the reasons you love me.”
I huffed. “That’s debatable right now. Also, I’ve vowed to leave him.”
Mia gave me an unimpressed look. “Since when does pride trump love?”
“He lied to me.”
“He also saved you from this Sokolov guy, from what you’re telling me. So he did that, and then he said he’d never let you leave him. Which is the same as saying that he will never leave you. There’s something to be said about a man vowing to never leave you,” Mia said.
“Yeah, that he’s a stalker.”
“That he wants you. It’s better than being promised the moon and the stars and then getting discarded like a used tampon.”
Tommie pulled a face. “Oh god. That image. Yuk.”
“Unless there’s another reason you want to leave him?" Mia asked, looking all serious suddenly. “Did he abuse you?”
“Kristoff would never hurt me. Physically. He did trample all over my heart though.”
