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I set my jaw.
Natalya.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to purge her from my thoughts. She lingers at the edges, always present, a constant reminder. I’m still livid and reeling, but… Imissher, too. This whole thing is so needlessly complicated but forgiving her is the last thing on Earth I want to do. Not when she put me in danger. Not when she putSimonin danger.
She keeps to her room.
And I keep to mine, burying myself in work, hoping it will distract me from the memories of her crying face. Tracking down Levitsky is all I care about. Locating and eliminating him is my top and only priority. Everything else can wait. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
I’m in love with you, Dimitri. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it’s true.
I rub my temples and try to shake the sound of her voice from my head.
No. No, no,no.
I won’t be swayed. Natalya’s a pretty liar, and she’s good at it, too. She was probably just scared for her life, afraid I might kill her. Desperate people will say anything to change the tide.
There’s a soft knock on my door. Dahlia steps in, Simon in her arms. My son is crying bloody murder.
“What’s wrong with him?” I ask, irritation licking at the nape of my neck. I’m not irritated with him, just the situation. Nothing seems to be going my way.
“He has a fever, Mr. Antonov,” Dahlia says. “I’ve tried everything, but his temperature keeps rising. Maybe we should ask—”
“No,” I state simply, getting up from my seat to retrieve my boy. I know what Dahlia’s about to say, and I’ll have none of it.
“But she’s a doctor.”
“That could have been a lie, too. Her whole past was fabricated.”
Dahlia shifts her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. “Then we should call for the family doctor, then. Or at least take him into the city where we can go to a hospital.”
“No,” I say again. “It’s not safe to return to Moscow. I’ll have the doctor come here at once. In the meantime, go get me a cool damp cloth.”
She nods. “Yes, sir.”
I press my hand to Simon’s forehead. He’s burning up. My poor boy has been crying for an hour, inconsolable. Very carefully, I hold him against my chest and rub his back.
“I’ve got you, little one,” I murmur. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Ma…” he whines. “Mama.”
I set my jaw. “No, kiddo.”
“Mama!” Simon screams, so loud I swear my eardrums are about to rupture.
I know he’s not calling out to Titania, but Natalya, the woman who’s cared for him and spoiled him with love these past few weeks. He wants her, but I can’t cave. I’m not going to let Natalya anywhere near my son again.
I would never hurt him. I would never hurt Simon, you have to know that.
I don’t buy it. Not for one second. I was blind before, but now I see her for what she is. A fraud. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. One who had her claws at the ready, waiting for the chance to strike.
I can’t believe how stupid I was for letting her into my life. In hindsight, I really should have questioned everything more. Showing up at my doorstep only a few days after the car bomb? I should have known better. There are no such things as coincidences. Fuck, how could I have been so blind?
The more I dwell on it, the more lost I become. Iknowthe answer. Because Natalya is the most beautiful, amazing, enchanting woman I’ve ever met in my entire life. Now I can’t stop doubting myself. Was any of it real? Our attraction for one another, this inexplicable pull between us… Was it all a lie? A fabrication she created to ensure I let my guard down? Everything I know to be true has been turned onto its head.
Dahlia returns with a damp cloth and a sippy cup full of water. “Maybe this will help,” she mumbles as she fusses over him.
“Have the guys bring his crib into my room,” I tell her. “I’ll keep watch.”
