Page 28 of Scarlet Sins

When a peal of laughter rolls up the stairs, Magda’s mouth sets. “Maybe we should take him to the park.”

I smile at her.

The staff are nice, accommodating, and it’s clear they dote on Sasha. But I don’t want to go to the park with an entourage.

She takes my hand a moment. “Miss Banks, he won’t let you go alone.”

“I’m that see-through.”

“In this matter, yes.” She touches my cheek as she ties one of Sasha’s shoes, then the other. “You’re expressive, but it’s not hard to read you with… her in the house.”

“He made his choice.”

She sighs and ruffles Sasha’s hair as she rises from the bed. “Demyan cares, and this is… business.” Magda shakes her head. “Why don’t you put on something nice and see a friend? The one I met. If it’s indoors and at one of his establishments, you’ll have a little more freedom. The babysitters will not be so obvious.”

I’m about to argue that it’s still being trapped and watched, but her words start to take root. I haven’t seen Kara in a while. So maybe I can arrange something with her later today.

“First, though, I promised Sasha some playtime in the back.”

“Still,” she says, “put something nice on. I’ll take him down.”

“No, I wanna stay with Mama!”

“Ah, my little Sasha,” she says, tickling him. “Mama is here and will join us, okay. She’s going to get ready.”

He juts out a lip. “Why?”

“To look pretty,” I say.

Now he frowns. “But you are pretty now, Mama.”

And my heart melts.

“I’ll be down there in two shakes of a goat’s tail.”

That cheers him up, and he grabs his goat and shakes its stubby tail, making us laugh. But he lets Magda take him with her as she bribes him with a treat. Honestly, that boy’s going to be so spoiled.

But as I hurry into the bedroom, my heart sinks.

I wouldn’t have slept with Demyan, let him touch me, if I’d known he was going through with this horrible marriage.

I know he says he’ll get out of it, but what if he can’t?

“Don’t think about it,” I say, spending time putting on a nice dress and adding a little makeup, which I hate. I send a text to Kara, then head down.

The door’s open to the living room and I peek in, but it’s like a mini torture ride doing that.

Swatches litter the place, and Stefina has a book open. In it are samples of wedding invitations. The cards, thefinishes, the writing, the colors, and she’s talking about color coordinating everything, down to the flowers for the flower girls.

I hate her.

Irrational, maybe, as I don’t know her, but in that moment, I hate her.

She’s snapping damn selfies of herself as she talks.

The woman is fucking beautiful, but while her looks don’t help, that’s not why I don’t like her.

The little I’ve had to do with her—not that we’ve actually been introduced as I’m sure it’s hard to introduce your fiancée to your baby mama—she’s come across, like she is now, as vacuous, self-absorbed, and shallow. She’s interested in one person—herself.

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