Page 56 of Sinful Union

She frowns slightly, studying me. “You are sure?”

I nod firmly. “Yes. Please, stay.”

I glance at Vlad, who’s been uncharacteristically silent. He’s staring at me, worry etched into his features. We have a lot to discuss, but not in front of Ana.

“Just let me get her settled,” I say quietly to him, “then we’ll talk.”

He nods. “Sure.”

A million thoughts assault me at once. The biggest one being that Pavel is going to meet Ana—soon.

I set my daughter up at the kitchen island, rummaging for lunch supplies. Vlad hovers near the door, his arms folded. Camille leans against the counter, eyes flicking among me, Vlad, and Ana, obviously sensing the tension. Finally, Camille engages Ana in conversation, giving Vlad and I cover to talk.

“What’s going on?” he asks quietly, after coming over to where I’m standing.

I shake my head, not trusting that all of the emotions I’m feeling won’t spill over. “Later,” I whisper, hoping he’ll understand. “Where were they? How did you find them?”

“It wasn’t a hotel. They were at Piotr’s condo in Long Island City,” he says. “He’d lied, told Camille that they had to stay there for their own safety. Didn’t take much effort tracking them down.”

It’s no small relief. I’d imagined them kidnapped by strangers, locked away somewhere, scared out of their minds.

I begin to fix a quick sandwich for Ana while she chats with Camille about something funny. My heart clenches every time I hear her sweet voice and laughter, unable to bear what might’ve happened if Vlad hadn’t found her.The thought of Piotr using her like a bargaining chip makes me grip the knife a little too tight.

I finish making the sandwich, passing it to Ana and watching her take a big bite, jelly on her lip, chewing happily.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out, glancing at the screen. It’s a text from Pavel.

Wrapping up. I see we have company?

My pulse races. If I don’t tell him now, he’ll find out soon enough. He’ll walk in and see Ana, his own characteristics on her features, and put the pieces together. I stand beside Ana, brushing crumbs from her chin. Her big eyes gaze at me, trusting and adoring. My throat tightens.

For her sake, I want to trust Pavel. But trusting him means telling him about Ana in the midst of all this chaos, with the possibility that Piotr might have had a hand in killing our parents.

I meet Vlad’s gaze. He must see the conflict in my eyes because he takes a step forward, his voice low. “Tell him,” he says, “before he finds out in the worst way.”

“Stay with her,” I reply, tears pricking my eyes. “I’ll go find him.”

Vlad nods, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. Then he turns to Ana, distracting her with some silly story about her favorite cartoon character.

I take a deep breath, then walk out of the kitchen and up the stairs, straight toward Pavel’s office. Each step resonates with the finality of what I’m about to do. My thoughts are all over the place; Darya’s revelation about Piotr, the threat to my family, the knowledge that my husband is about to meet his daughter for the first time.

One crisis at a time, I tell myself.

Pavel finding out about Ana is going to change everything. A part of me wonders if it’ll be enough to shatter the fragile foundation we’ve built, if Kat Andreev—no, Kat Fetisova—can withstand another earthquake when she’s already been lying to her husband’s face for six years.

I don’t have the answer, but I have to do this for Ana, for us. I square my shoulders as I make my way to Pavel’s office, remembering the conversation I overheard just moments ago. That memory alone nearly stops me, the weight of all these secrets too overwhelming, too crushing. But I can’t turn back now. I must do this.

As I approach the door to Pavel’s office, it opens and Darya appears, her face pale, the sleeves of her sweater pulled down over her hands. She moves quickly past me without a word, her eyes briefly meeting mine as she hurries by.

Nikolai exits the office next, his long strides quickly catching up to Darya. He nods as he goes by.

I walk into Pavel’s office cautiously, unsure of what just happened.

“She said she doesn’t want to stay here,” Pavel says, a hint of irritation in his tone. “I offered to book her a hotel outside of town. She told me she has a life, that she doesn’t want to be in any part of our world. I told her I’d give her a short period of time to think about it before she makes her final decision. Nikolai is taking her home and will keep a close eye on her in the meantime.”

I’m dumbfounded. Part of me wants to go talk to her myself, remind her how dangerous this is, but another part can’t find the words. My entire world is spinning too fast right now. “So, we’re just going to let her leave?” I ask, exasperation in my voice.

“What else can we do? I’m not going to kidnap her. I can’t force her to stay here. I made it clear that if she doesn’t, the promise of protection is off the table. It’s her choice; she has all the information she needs to make the right one.”

---