Page 47 of Shadows of the Past
The thought is sharp and insistent, but my body doesn’t move. Today almost broke every promise I’ve made to myself. If things had gone any further, if I’d been forced to do more, I don’t know how I would’ve come back from it.
I need to figure out how to appease Ivan before he decides to take additional measures against her.
My phone buzzes with a message from Akim:
?
A few days. I need to speak with Ivan as soon as possible. I have to change the narrative somehow because if Aleksandr gets the chance to spew his venom, I don’t know what I’ll do if Ivan demands I punish Julia again.
She’s becoming a weakness.
No, scratch that. She is a weakness.
I feel it in every fiber of my being, invading every part of me. My hand still trembles from holding the whip that struck her. I’m a monster. I have to get her out of here before this place consumes her entirely.
And yet, even though she says my heart isn’t broken, I wish someone could explain why the thought of her leaving sends sharp pangs through this useless piece of flesh in my chest.
Without delaying the inevitable any longer, I step out of the room and call Ivan.
“Maksim,” he answers, his tone making it clear he already knows why I’m calling.
Damn it. They reported to him immediately.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t step out of line again,” I say through gritted teeth, cutting off any chance for him to argue.
“You’d better, son,” he replies coldly. “Otherwise, I swear, Maksim, you’ll be the one pulling the trigger, and we don’t want that happening again, do we?”
Breathe, Maksim. He’s looking for any sign that you still care.
“Of course not,” I reply evenly.
“There’s something that will require your attention tomorrow,” he adds. “I’ll send you the details via message.”
With that, he hangs up, and only then do I feel like I can breathe again. For now, I’ve bought us some time.
As I reach the end of the hallway, I nearly collide with Zoya. Her hair is braided into two neat pigtails, and her worried eyes are fixed on me.
“How’s Julia?” she asks softly.
“She’d be better off if she stayed out of trouble,” I mutter, though I know she can sense my frustration.
“I’m sorry she upset you, Max,” Zoya says quietly. “Maybe you should send her out with the next convoy.”
Her words make me freeze. The walls in this house have ears, and before she can say another word, I pull her into a corner and motion for her to keep quiet.
“Never talk about that in the house, Zoya!”
She swallows hard and nods quickly. For a moment, her gaze flickers to my lips before she turns away abruptly.
This day is driving me insane.
“Go back to the kitchen,” I order firmly. “And don’t leave until Akim comes for you.”
Her brown eyes soften slightly as she nods again and disappears down the hall.
Once she’s gone, it hits me: I didn’t respond to what she said about Julia leaving with the convoy. Maybe Zoya’s right; maybe it would be safer for Julia to go. But with everything happening with Aleksandr right now, it would be too obvious that I arranged for her removal on purpose.
We’ll have to wait a little longer. What’s a few more weeks when we’ve already waited this long?
