Page 103 of Born into Blood

Chloe’s voice tears through the moment, making Lara’s body tense as her face flushes in embarrassment. “It can’t be true,” she says, jumping to her feet. She looks around, shaking her head frantically, trying to make sense of it all. She knows the truth, deep down she has to know, but she’s clung to her lies for far too long to just be able to drop them in the span of a couple of hours.

She’s not restrained, but my dad and Uncle Lev are next to her, making damn sure she doesn’t attempt anything stupid. I’m surprised they don’t round up the younger cousins, but I think they’re tired of keeping secrets, and this involves them just as much as the rest of us.

“It is true,” my Uncle Matvey tells her, and his gravelly voice is harsh enough to get her attention. “None of us blame you for what those bastards did, but your refusal to believe it doesn’t make it any less true. I saw it with my own fucking eyes.” He looks back at Alina, his eyes softening as soon as they meet hers. “I saw what they did to my wife.”

“She’s the only reason he was with me,” Chloe yells, pointing a finger at Alina. “He wanted her, but he couldn’t have her, so he settled for me. I tried to make him happy, but it was never enough.”

She starts to sob, and instead of checking on her, Matvey turns his back on her, walking to Alina and pulling her into his arms. He cups the back of her head, whispering into her ear while she nods her head and clings to him.

Lara watches everything, so many different emotions crossing her pretty face before settling on an angry sort of resolve. She walks over to her mom, and I follow close behind, unwilling to leave her unprotected. Her mom hadn’t meant to cut her, but she did, and I can’t allow anything like that to happen again.

“That’s enough, Mom,” Lara says, and the anger in her voice is enough to make her mom pause. “You were wrong. You were wrong about so many things, and I’ve been forced to believe nothing but lies my whole damn life, and I’m sick of it. We were kidnapped tonight by men who are exactly like my dad. They were going to kill you and sell me. That’s the kind of man you’ve been holding onto for all these years.”

Lara waves a hand, gesturing towards the rest of my family while keeping her eyes on her mom. “The Melnikovs are good people. It was my dad who was sick, and deep down you know it. I know you do. You just don’t want to believe it.”

Chloe shakes her head. “But they killed him,” she starts to say before Lara cuts her off with a scream.

“He deserved it!” she yells, and I’ve never been so damn proud of her. “He was a sex-trafficking, rapist bastard, and he deserved every goddamn thing they did to him. This family should hate me for what my dad did to them, but they don’t. They’ve been nothing but kind to me. Matvey even stitched me up from where you cut me.” She looks over her shoulder at my uncle. “My dad tortured his wife, and he still took care of me and was kind to me. That’s not a monster, Mom. Dad was the evil one, not them.”

Lara steps closer to me and grabs my hand. “I love you, Mom, and I want you to be in my life, but you need help. You need someone who can help you see things as they are. Osip abused you, he messed with your head, and you’ve never gotten help for that.”

Chloe looks at her daughter and then at me when Lara says, “I’m marrying Luka, Mom, and I want to get to know my family.” Lara smiles even as tears fall down her cheeks. “I have an aunt and uncle and cousins. I’ve never had a real family, and I want one.”

I can see the war going on inside Chloe. I may not know her, but I can see how much she loves her daughter. Osip left a trail of victims behind him, and Lara’s mom is one of them.

“I want you in our lives, Mom,” Lara continues, “but you have to stop with all this. I will not allow you to treat Luka and his family like shit, and I won’t have you whispering lies into our kids’ ears. This delusional shit stops here. We’re not passing it down to another generation.”

Chloe’s eyes widen. “You’re pregnant?”

“Not that I know of,” Lara says, but she gives me a quick look, because we both know there’s a very good chance she is. “What I’m saying is that Luka is my future, and we’re going to have kids, and I want you to be a part of it.”

Chloe nods her head, but I’m still not entirely sure what she’s thinking. It’s a lot to take in, and there’s no way her brain is going to just flip a switch so she’ll instantly view us all differently. This is going to take time, and we all know it.

“I’m just so confused,” she admits. “It still doesn’t make sense. How could he be a monster? He loved us.”

Her words don’t sound as sure as they did before. She’s no longer adamantly shouting Osip’s love for her. Now it’s more like a question, confusion and hurt lacing her words.

“No, he didn’t,” Lara says, reaching out and giving her mom a hug. “He didn’t love us at all, and when he found out you were pregnant, he hit you. He was a bastard, Mom, and you deserved better.”

Chloe cries and hugs her daughter. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Katya steps closer, looking just as worn out as the rest of us. This night has brought up a lot of shit that no one wanted to face, and it’s clearly taking its toll. “There’s nothing wrong with you,” she tells Chloe. “My brothers were manipulative assholes who only cared about themselves. I’ll spare Lara the details, but I can talk to you privately sometime if you’d like. I can answer any questions you have about Osip, and I can tell you stories that will guarantee you’ll never see him as anything other than the monster he was.”

Chloe looks at the woman in front of her, studying her face, like she’s searching for signs of the man she’d convinced herself she was in love with. “I’m so confused,” she says again, “and I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to believe.”

“We can get you help.” Alina takes a step closer, but Matvey stays right beside her with his arm securely around her shoulders. “I saw a therapist for years after they rescued me. It really helped, Chloe. Would you be willing to talk with someone?”

Chloe hesitates, and I immediately recognize the look. It’s the same one Lara gets whenever she’s worried about the cost of something, so I quickly say, “We’d be happy to cover the cost, of course. We just want you to get the help you need. I love your daughter, Chloe, and I know I didn’t get the chance to properly meet you, but I’m hoping we can change that.”

I hold out my hand to her, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she reaches out and shakes it. I smile at her and say, “I’m Luka.”

I don’t get a big smile in return, but I don’t get the angry scowl she’s been giving my family members, so I consider it progress. This woman is about to be my mother-in-law, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get her the help she needs, but I won’t sacrifice Lara’s well-being for hers. The scars on my girl’s arms are proof that things have not been easy for her, and I won’t ever let her get sucked into that mindset again.

“We’re about to be family,” I tell her, wrapping an arm around Lara, who quickly molds her body to mine, so we’re effortlessly showing a united front, “and I’d like us all to be able to get along, but Lara is mine to take care of now, and she’s my top priority.”

I keep my eyes on Chloe, letting her see how serious I am. I will keep the two of them apart if I feel like her mother is having a negative impact on Lara’s emotional health. Does that make me a bastard? Maybe, but I don’t give a fuck. The woman standing next to me means everything to me, and I won’t let anyone hurt her, not even her own mother.

Chloe understands, because she gives a soft nod and takes a shaky breath before making the right decision and saying, “I’d be willing to talk to the therapist. I don’t want to lose my daughter.” She looks around at my family, paying special attention to the women and how obviously well-loved and looked after they are. “You’re not at all how I thought you’d be,” she admits, “and I’m so tired of worrying and being confused and living my life in fear.”

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