Page 261 of Legacy
Was silence.
The room is so quiet I can hear my pulse throbbing behind my eyes.
Santo’s jaw is clenched so tight I’m surprised I don’t hear bone splinter.
But it’s not him who speaks.
It’s Vasilisa.
Soft.
Small.
“You lied to me.”
Scarlet shifts beside me, her fingers flexing slightly against mine.
I meet Vasilisa’s eyes; blue, sharp, swimming with betrayal. They glisten, but the tears don’t fall. They just build.
“Tiny—” I start, my voice low.
The screech of her chair cuts me off like a blade, loud and sudden as she shoves it back and stands.
“No.”
Santo moves for the first time, his hand reaching for her automatically, but she doesn’t look at him.
“You lied to me,” she says again, eyes locked on mine. “I asked point blank. And you still lied to me.”
I swallow hard. “Maksim was involved. I had to tell him first. I had to give him that respect—”
Santo scoffs. Vasilisa’s gaze narrows, and this time, the tears do fall.
“Respect?” she repeats, voice cracking.
Scarlet’s hand tightens in mine, grounding me. Just barely.
“What aboutmyrespect?” Vasilisa whispers, her voice trembling. “What about me? When I was getting attacked by two men in my own home?”
Scarlet goes still.
I feel it in her breath. The intake. Sharp. Controlled.
“You,”Vasilisa says, jabbing a finger at me, “you’re the one who taught me how to fight. You taught me how to shoot.”
“To protect you,” I say quickly.
“No.” Her voice is a whip crack. “To protect yourself. Because youknew.And you let it happen anyway.”
Santo hasn’t moved from beside her. But I can feel it—his rage, cold and heavy, seeping through the room like gas waiting for a spark.
I have to get her to breathe. Or he won’t.
“Vasilisa,” I start, voice low, “I did what I thought—”
“No.”
“Hey,” Scarlet says suddenly, her voice calm but steel-threaded. “Let him finish.”
