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“Lose him or I will make a scene,” says Ivan firmly.
My eyes widen as I try to look around the bar without making it too obvious. “We’re just talking.”
“I mean it, Grace, don’t test me.”
“You’re not my husband. You’re not anything to me,” I remind him, still trying to pinpoint his location.
“I’m currently sitting with twelve very dangerous men. Icanmake your friend disappear.”
“Do you see why this would never work?” I hiss. “You’re not the boss of me, and you don’t get to decide who I talk to.” I disconnect the call and stuff it back into my bag. “Sorry about that. If you haven’t eaten, you’re more than welcome to join me,” I offer, not because I want him to join me but because I want to prove a point.
He grins. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
A waiter comes over to tell me my table is ready. We stand to follow him, and two men in suits move quickly, hooking arms with Timothy and leading him towards the exit. He tries to shrug them off, clearly confused as to why he’d be removed from the bar. I groan, spinning in a circle until my eyes land on Ivan. Everything stops, I inhale sharply, and the people around me blur away into distant noise. For a second, I feel like it’s just the two of us. My heart pounds wildly. I want to run, but I also want to throw my arms around him and inhale the scent of his spicy aftershave. I subconsciously run my hand through my hair and release the breath I’m holding.
The room slowly comes back into view, but Ivan makes no move towards me. I force myself to take a few steps closer. He watches, arching a brow. “Call them off,” I whisper. “I mean it, Ivan. Call them off now.”
He runs a hand over his stubbled jaw before taking his mobile from his pocket and pressing a button. He casually places it to his ear and says something in Russian. “Done,” he tells me, tucking it back into his pocket. “Enjoy your dinner,” he adds, turning his back to me as he adds, “Alone.”
I command my shaky legs to move, but instead of going for dinner, I head for the elevator. I suddenly feel sick and have the urge to lie down. As the elevator doors are closing, I see Timothy entering the hotel again, straightening his jacket and looking pissed. At least he wasn’t injured.
It’s a few hours later when the mobile phone rings. I mute the television and answer his call. “You didn’t eat,” he states.
“Stop checking up on me.”
“You need to eat, for the child.”
“If you cared about this child at all, you’d leave me alone.”
He chuckles. “That’s not going to happen, Grace. Let me bring you some food.”
“No.”
“I saw it in your eyes.”
“What did you see, Ivan?”
“Love.”
I laugh this time. “Unbelievable. You really are deluded.”
“Read me something from the diary,” he mutters. “Not something bad. Read me something good.”
“Good?” I repeat.
“There were good times, before it all turned bad. She must have written about those?”
I sigh, reaching for the diary and opening to the first page. “Dear Diary, I don’t remember ever feeling like this before. I’m starting the new year with a new diary and a new story. Hopefully, it’ll have a happy ending.” I scoff. She had no idea what she was walking into.
“I’ve moved in with Ivan. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. His house is huge, and he has staff. I’ve never met anyone who has staff. Maria cooks and cleans, and she is lovely. The rest are men, and they don’t really speak to me. There’s a floor for the staff, so Maxim also lives here. He’s been kind, showing me around and offering to drive me anywhere I want to go.
“And then there’s Ivan. My one true love. Every time I think of him, my heart beats faster. I’m his whole world and it shows because he can’t do enough for me.” I slam it closed, refusing to believe this man ever existed. “This is bullshit,” I say. “She can’t have known you at all.”
“She knew me, Grace. Better than anyone. We were in love.”
“So, what changed? Did she know what you did for a living?”
“She didn’t ask questions.”
