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I turn my head away.
Talia takes a shuddering breath as she clings to me. “I would’ve burned the world until it was nothing but ash for you! Even if you never loved me! You were more than a business deal. You were my everything. Youaremy everything. Tell me I’m still yours, Andrushka. Please!”
Firmly, I grab her wrists and push her off me. Her eyes shine as she gasps from my rejection. Her eyes search mine, trying to find something in them that I know is not there. Holding onto Talia’s wrists, I look behind me.
Paige stands pressed against the door. Her face is pale and distorted with shock. The fear is gone and has been replaced with something worse. Her hand grips the doorknob, but she doesn’t leave.
Instead, her mouth gapes open as she stares at us. Her expression shows what she feels for me now—revulsion. No matter how many times she said she hated me, there was always a need in her body that she couldn’t hide. That need is gone now. Her eyes sweep over us, and a flash of pity is hidden by a look of disgust.
After tonight, there will be no begging from her.
I turn and face Talia again. My hold tightens on her wrists as I lose control. She winces as the rage builds in me. She came in here to hurt Paige, and she’s done worse than hurt her. She has made her hate me.
Talia crumples against the table and takes one deep breath after another. Each breath is replaced with one slightly calmer. By the time Talia stands, her face masks all her feelings.
Has what she felt for me finally been extinguished? Is what she thought was love gone?
“Do you love her?” Talia asks.
Once again, I refuse to answer, but Talia sees it. We were taught to read body language, especially the most subtle. She sees my answer. The slight twitch of my cheek that shows my concern for Paige. The way I stand between the two of them, ready to act.
I’d rather spend my life fighting with Paige than spend a single minute loving Talia.
The marriage started as a sham, but something has changed, and it isn’t until now that I realize what it is.
Talia’s eyes flare with hatred as her heart closes again. Now, only hatred stares back at me.
“That moment told me everything I needed to know, Andrei Vasilyevich,” she says. “She means something to you, which means hurting her will hurt you even more.”
She smooths down her dress with terrifying calmness. “My father and Igor will hear about this.”
Anger rushes into me as I step toward her, but Talia stands her ground. She knows the truth that Paige can’t see. She knows that I have boundaries that I will never cross.
Not even against her.
“Go near my wife,” I snarl, “and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me from bringing hellfire down upon all of them. She is a Barinov.”
Talia smirks darkly. “Your father was a Barinov too.”
I head for the door, grabbing Paige by the arm. Paige stumbles out of the way, but my firm grasp keeps her from falling. She moves awkwardly, as if trying to get away from me instead of leaving with me.
Talia laughs as she sits down at the empty table. “There was a time when I wanted to hear you call me your wife, and you have no idea how it hurt me to hear you say that about another woman.”
“But that time has passed.” She crosses her legs as if she were on a throne, her voice silky and dangerous. “So enjoy your pretty little wife, Andrei Vasilyevich, and pray that I don’t see her again.”
Chapter 35
Paige
I stare at the blue lights flickering across the dashboard as the numbers on the speedometer rapidly increase.
From the corner of my eye, I see Andrei is watching me. He pushes the Lamborghini to its absolute limit, gunning the engine so that a hum turns into a roar.
Speeding won’t help. It won’t get us away from our troubles any faster. I glance at the rearview mirror, and his car has outdistanced the hulking jeeps holding his guards.
The engine shrieks, but I refuse to tell him to slow down. I don’t give a shit about his testosterone.
How can Andrei do this to me? Or to her? How can he use me like this? Just thinking about the rage in Talia’s eyes sends another tremor through me. I dig my nails into the seat.
