Page 62 of Cruel Russian King
“Yes, sir.”
I had received betrayal from my father, my siblings…and now my fucking wife!
Did they take me for a fucking joke?
This was one betrayal too many. And Ninel will pay for it…for the rest of her goddamn life.
Chapter 18 - Ninel
After Artyom stormed out, I crawled into bed and broke. Sobs ripped through me until I had no strength left. A moment later, Kira slipped into the room and onto the mattress, pulling me into her arms. My head swam, my body drained, and somewhere in the safety of her embrace, exhaustion claimed me.
When I opened my eyes again, sunlight spilled across the room. Kira was curled up in the armchair, a novel resting in her lap. The moment she noticed I was awake, she set the book aside and moved to sit beside me.
“How are you feeling, Ninel?” she asked softly, her warm fingers closing around mine.
My eyes stung with fresh tears.
“Oh, Ninel…please don’t cry.”
But how could I not? Artyom had been furious about the pregnancy. I’d been right all along. He didn’t want this child. Our child.
“I’m pregnant. That’s why he’s angry,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “He doesn’t want the baby…”
Kira gasped. “Did he say that to you? Did he actually say he didn’t want it?”
“No. But why else would he react like that?”
Kira shook her head gently. “Katya told me when Lev found out she was pregnant, he left the room too. Maybe Artyom is just…overwhelmed.”
“Kira, you didn’t see the way he looked at me.” My voice cracked, a sob clawing up my throat. “There was hate in his eyes.Pure hate. Like I was an annoying insect he wanted to crush under his boot.”
“Ninel…he was angry. The way he stormed in here…” Kira paused. She looked at me. “Did he find out on his own? Or did you tell him?”
“He found out on his own. But, is that enough reason to act the way he did?”
Tears blurred everything again, and Kira pulled me against her.
“Maybe that’s why he’s upset, because you didn’t tell him.”
“I was trying to figure out how,” I said between sobs. “I was scared. I didn't know if he would accept the baby, but seeing him storm out…” I looked up at Kira, my chest tightening. “I don’t want to bring a child into the world if it’s hated.”
“Ninel, you will love your baby. And so will I, and our brothers and sisters. Please, don’t ever doubt that.”
Kira hesitated, as though deciding whether or not to share what was on her mind. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer, almost reluctant. “Artyom didn’t grow up like the rest of us.”
“What…what do you mean?” I sniffled.
“Our parents never treated him the way they treated us. If any of us, including our mother ever tried to hug him, or be kind to him Father would yank him away. He thought affection would make him weak. I’ve never seen them celebrate his birthday, and on Christmas morning, he was never there to open presents with the rest of us…”
I thought of my own childhood, of how my parents treated me and my siblings. Lev had always been protective, yes, but our parents never tried to harden him with cruelty.
“I hate that he had to go through that,” I whispered.
And I meant it. No child should be made to feel like an outcast in their own family, especially not in the Bratva where family was everything.
“We hated it too,” Kira said quietly. “I don’t remember much, I was only six when our parents died. But Yegor and Zahkar do. They had good memories of Artyom before everything changed. After our parents were gone, he was different. Yegor and Zahkar raised Vera and me, while Artyom…he had something to prove to the brotherhood and the world. He never laid a hand on Vera or me, but he did whip Zahkar and Yegor if they made mistakes.”
I gasped, eyes wide. “But those are his brothers! Why would he do that?”
