Page 2 of Unrequited
The one who’s done unspeakable things. The one even my brothers fear.
Untouchable.
Unquestioned.
The one they all obey.
And he’s not coming to rescue me.
I sigh and stifle the need to cry.
My life isn’t a fairy tale. It never was. It never will be.
I turn my face away when the music begins to play.
It’s time.
Chapter 1
One year prior
ZOYA
I stareat the narrow space in the hedges, hardly able to believe my luck.
Is this really happening?
I’ve been lonely. Restless. Half-wild from being overprotected by my family. I know I’m the baby, but how long does that title last? Will I still be the baby when I’m twenty-five? Thirty? Forty?
I’m tired of being told what to do. Tired of being the good girl.
I don’t want to be the good girl anymore.
I’ve watched my brothers get married, one after the other. All three of them. And my older sister has been married for years now.
It's like everyone’s next season of life has started… except mine.
So tonight, it’s time. Something has to change.
If nothing else, I need to prove to myself that I can carve out a private pocket of freedom, one that nobody else knows about.
I wait until everyone is distracted. I made a beautiful dinner tonight and served it with a smile, like I always do.
They call me Little Zoya. The caretaker. The one who likes to cook and clean, and take care of everyone.
And I do love taking care of all of them.
My oldest brother, Rafail, and his wife, Polina. My nieces and nephews. Rodion and his fierce, brilliant wife, Ember. And now Semyon, who’s clearly falling hard for Anya. They’re not married yet, but it won’t be long.
A sliver of moonlight catches the path ahead of me. It’s early summer just outside Moscow, and the crickets chirp a quiet chorus.
It’s beautiful. Desolate. And the rising heat adds to the thrill of doing something I shouldn’t.
No one will find me tonight.
I’ve planned this too well. In my bedroom, there’s a fluffy tan teddy bear, age-worn and well-loved, propped on my bed. And hidden inside is the small monitor my brothers use to track me. I’ve tested my little decoy three times now.
Once during a quick trip into the city.
