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I sigh. “I know she was awful, but… by killing her, am I any better than she was?”
All at once, Ivan’s shoulder is gone from under my head. But before I can tip sideways, he grabs my face. His thumbs are gentle as they brush along my cheekbones. “There is no comparison between you and her. You are worth a hundred of her. A million.Solnishka, you are not a bad person for protecting yourself against a crazy woman. You’re a Bratva queen. You did what had to be done.”
I shake my head. “Maybe one day, I’ll be able to hear those words and believe them. Until then, I might just need you to repeat them to me a lot.”
He smiles sadly. “I’ll say them as often as you need, Cora. If it helps, I love knowing you can be a little ruthless. It’s sexy.”
I arch a brow. For the first time in hours, a reluctant smile pulls at the corner of my mouth. “Really? I’ll have to remember that.”
I’m still looking up at him, letting his smile thaw the ice in my veins, when I hear the door open.
News. It’s a nurse coming to tell us how the surgery is going. Maybe a doctor.Finally.
It feels like I move quickly, but the concussion slows things down. All I know is by the time I look towards the door and stand up…
My mother is standing in front of me.
I can’t make sense of what she’s doing here or how she found me. I just stare at her. Ivan is the first to say something. “Evaline, what are you—”
Before he can ask the question, my mother hauls back and slaps me.
My cheek stings, but the real pain is in my skull. It feels like my eyes are going to bulge out of my head. My teeth rattle together and I have to grab the arm of the chair next to me to keep from dropping to my knees.
Ivan grabs her and pushes her back, barking something at her about not laying a hand on me. But I don’t hear any of it.
Her eyes are red and puffy like she’s been crying. Mascara runs down her cheeks and her nose is running. She looks like she got thrown in a dryer on high speed.
What is she doing here?
I can’t make sense of it until my mom’s screams cut through the roar of blood in my ears.
“—have no idea what you’ve done, Cordelia! You killed him, but you ruined me, too! Where am I supposed to go?What am I supposed to do?”
I feel like I’m on stage for a play I haven’t rehearsed. And the play is in another language.
“I didn’t—” I shake my head, which is a mistake. My vision pixelates and I have to close my eyes until it settles. “I killed Francia. But she was attacking me. She was going to kill me. I didn’t have a choice.”
Ivan is still pushing my mother back, but she’s stretching onto her toes, talking over his shoulder and around his arm. “I don’t care about that little bitch; I’m talking about Alexander. You killed my husband and I’ll never forgive you.”
Oh.I’m not sure how I forgot. In all the chaos, Alexander’s death slipped through the cracks.
Probably because I have no regrets about it at all. I didn’t pull the trigger, but I know the world is a better place with him gone. Ivan did us all a favor. If he hadn’t shot him in the head, I would have. Gladly.
“He broke into my house. He knew Francia was going to try to kill me and he didn’t try to stop her.” I stare at my mom, but nothing I’m saying is wiping away the anger on her face. “He was going to killyou. He said he would kill you and start over somewhere else with—”
“Don’t lie to me,” she snaps. “Everything Alexander ever did was for our family. He was trying to take care of us.”
I snort. “He was taking care ofhimself. He never cared about you. He said every man needed someone to take care of his house and keep his—”
I stop myself. I’ve crossed a lot of lines tonight, but telling my own mother her dead husband only kept her around as a sex toy is too far.
“He was a bad person and he was going to kill us all.”
Suddenly, she takes a step back. Ivan doesn’t budge. I know he’s going to stay planted between her and me until she leaves. But she calms down.
For a second, I think she’s going to listen to me. My mother will recognize thatIam her family. I’m the person she was supposed to take care of and sacrifice for, not him. Maybe tonight will bring both of my parents back to me.
Then her top lip curls in disgust. “Alexander was right about you, Cordelia. You’re selfish. You don’t care about me.”
