Page 38 of The Pakhan's Sold Bride

“And you can’t—"

I stand up too, sensing how quickly this is going to get out of hand. “Nestor, I’m so sorry, are you able to take me home? I’m feeling a little lightheaded,“ I say, interrupting them, reaching out to touch Nestor’s arm.

He turns towards me, at first surprised, but then realizes that I’m perfectly fine.

“Of course, are you okay?” He presses the back of his hand against my forehead. “You are a little warm.”

“Is she okay?” Leticia asks, worried.

“She’ll be fine. I’ll get her home, and she can rest. Thank you so much for dinner, Mom.” He turns to his sister. “Go to uni. Stop messing about here,” he says sternly. She sticks her tongue out at him and winks at me.

In a flash, Nestor whisks me out of the house and back to the car.

Once we’re inside, he takes a deep breath.

“Are you alright?” I ask cautiously.

Chapter 11 - Nestor

In the car, I’m still fuming over Miron’s audacity. Every fucking time I see that little shithead, he causes trouble for me. He can’t even find it in himself to not make pathetic, childish comments or be rude to someone he’s just met. He had no right to make those comments about Lara. He knows nothing about her.

I want to rip his tongue out of his mouth and teach him some basic manners. I don’t know why my mother can’t see that he’s twisted and manipulative. That he and his father are up to no good.

She believes Sergei loves her, and for some unknown reason, she loves him. I can’t stand it. I want to shake her and scream at her to wake the hell up and see the truth.

She constantly defends Sergei, and Sergei constantly defends Miron.

My mother always lands up in the middle of our arguments; no matter how many times I’ve tried to warn her about those two and what they really want from our family, she insists on playing the mediator.

I huff loudly, my fingers tight around the steering wheel as we sit in the car, parked outside my mother’s home.

“Are you alright?” Lara asks, her voice quiet, almost careful. She reaches out and very cautiously touches my leg. Her fingers brush over my thigh, and a trail of electricity travels through my body, emanating from her touch. It’s soothing and distracts me from the wild torrent of anger flooding my thoughts.

I reach out and place my hand over hers, and for a moment, I don’t say anything, just savor her gentleness, her softness.

When I glance across the car at her, her bright blue eyes are locked onto me.

She looks worried about me as though she cares that I’m okay.

My heart stutters.

I’m so grateful that she saw what was going on and got me out of there.

“Thank you,” I sigh, starting the car engine with the push of a button on a hidden panel.

“What for?” she knits her brows together.

“For getting me out of there. It could have gotten ugly.” I turn to look behind us as I reverse.

She bites her lip and nods. “I could see that it wasn’t headed anywhere good. Why did it get so tense? Is it always like that?”

A bitter smile touches my lips and I shake my head. “That asshole has had it out for me since the moment my mother married his father.”

The car pulls out into the road, and I press my foot against the gas to build up some speed, heading in the direction of home, more relieved than Lara might understand that she gave me a good reason to leave with my poor mother stuck in the middle of it all but refusing to see the truth.

“Why, though?” she asks, encouraging me to carry on speaking.

I shrug and grip the steering wheel with one hand, watching my knuckles turn white.

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