Page 8 of Forbidden Bratva Virgin

“Mr. Yezhov.”

Slightly caught off-guard by her forwardness of bypassing Viktor and addressing me directly, I rose to my feet. “Um, yes. Yes, Your Honor.”

“The court acknowledges the efforts you have made toward managing your temper. However, your history of violent altercations presented by the prosecution remains a matter of serious concern. While this court recognizes the psychological impact a loss like yours had on your emotional and social childhood development, it also recognizes a pattern—one that must be addressed through structured intervention. And that is why, as tough as this decision is, I am not putting you behind bars.”

Triumph.

I could feel the corner of my lips rising and a grin steadily spreading across my cheeks….

“However, you are hereby mandated to attend regular therapy sessions—”

The smirk melted off my face faster than a sheet of ice being thrown into a furnace.

“Did she say therapy?” I overheard Damir ask Viktor.

“—with a licensed mental health professional. These sessions shall occur no less than once per week for a minimum of one year. You are required to provide documented proof of attendance and progress reports from your assigned therapist or the licensed clinical center in which the therapist operates to this court on a bi-monthly basis.”

I shook my head, attempting to snap out of the trance I’d fallen into because her pronouncement couldn’t be real.Therapy? No. No way. This center of authority had to be out of her mind to think I was going to sit on some chair to spill my guts to a complete stranger. It had to be a joke. It had to be—

“—a goddamn fucking mistake!”

The judge’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Excuse me?” Then, with lightning speed, she faced Viktor. “Mr. Reznikov, I’m going to let that outburst slide given the circumstances, but get your client under control before I change my mind and charge him for contempt of court.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” He nodded, cursed under his breath, and whispered into my ear with rapid-fire, “Miron, please. You cannot interrupt her delivery, and you most certainly cannot oppose it that way. Besides, this is the best shot we’ve got to keep the cuffs off.”

I ignored him and stared straight into the judge’s eyes while she rattled off something about consequences.

“Failure to comply with this order—whether by missing scheduled sessions, refusing to engage in participation, or failing to submit required documentation—will result in legal consequences. Let this serve as your formal warning, Mr. Yezhov. The court expects full compliance and will not tolerate negligence or defiance in this matter. This order is issued in the interest of your rehabilitation and the safety of those around you.”

Silence reigned in the room while I was on the verge of losing my cool.

Damir saw my restraint—Viktor did, too—and the judge looked at me like she eagerly waited for the slightest reason to pronounce a prison sentence.

That spurred me to kill the temptation to smash something, and exhibiting any more lack of control over my emotions wasn’t going to help my case. There was nothing I could do at the moment but pretend to go along with it.

Talk about walking out of this place with a mere slap on the wrist. The word “therapy” was more than just a goddamn bruise on my ego.

Roughly, I sat back on my chair and finally exhaled the pent-up internal heat under my breath. “As the court fucking pleases then.”

Chapter 4 – Hazel

I switched off the lights, double-checked the locks on the windows and my desk, and was on my way out of the office when my phone buzzed in my bag. I didn’t immediately answer because a nagging voice at the back of my head said it could be my mother.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with my mother’s calls. In fact, she was the sweetest and most loving person I knew in the world. But, somehow, that call of affection always came at the wrong time and ended with the same question:So, when are you finally walking down the aisle?

God knew I loved her, but sometimes, she could be exhausting, and at the moment, I didn’t particularly have the mental strength to go through that line of questioning.

However, the buzzing didn’t stop, and I might have as well muttered some colorful words under my breath.

My goodness.

Placing the cold steel key between my lips and fisting the Chanel bag with one hand, I rummaged through its contents until my fingers tapped the soft boring green pouch protecting my phone. I pulled out the vibrating device, somewhat surprised to seeDr. Amelia Greystoneflashing on the screen.

I pressed the phone between my shoulder and cheek, focusing on locking the door. “Hello, ma’am—Amelia?”

“Are you out of the clinic yet?”

“Uh….” Looking around at nothing in particular, I dropped the key into my bag with creased brows. “No? Um, I mean, not yet. I was just locking up, but I’m still here. Is there a problem?”

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