Page 63 of The Bratva's Auctioned Bride
“Please, Jaroslav, just let everyone go home,” I ask quietly.
Jaroslav sighs. He turns to look at Matvei.
Matvei reaches out and touches Jaroslav’s shoulder. “We’ll meet when you’re ready to talk. We’re still on your side, man. The alliance is still strong from our side.”
Jaroslav sighs again. “I’ll be in touch.”
Matvei nods, his face flooded with relief. “Come on, guys, that’s enough excitement for today,” he says, gesturing for everyone to gather their things.
Valery gently touches my arm. “Are you ok?” she whispers. “Are you staying here?”
My eyes drift to Jaroslav, but he turns away in anger. I steal a glance at Diomid. My heart sinks, tears sting my eyes again. A tight, sad smile curves my lips, then I turn my back on him and hurry up the stairs to my bedroom.
Stef runs after me and follows me into the room. She sits on the edge of my bed and tries to talk to me. She asks questions, trying to make light of things. Usually, she’s good at it. But today my heart is breaking. My body is heavier than usual, and my head is looping with all the mistakes I’ve made to earn the hurt I’m struggling with right now.
“Angel?” Stef murmurs, gently touching my hand.
“Sorry, sweetie, I just don’t feel like talking now,” I say, barely a whisper.
She nods. “I understand. But if you do… I’m here, okay?”
“Me too,” Valery says. I didn’t even realize she was in the room, standing close to the foot of the bed. “Remember, I also went against my family and got involved with someone I wasn’t supposed to. Not all stories have bad endings,” she smiles.
“This one probably does, though, because for a story to work, you need two people to want it,” I laugh bitterly.
Stef glances nervously at Valery. Neither of them has anything to say to that.
Both girls hover around me for a little while longer, but when it’s clear I’m too withdrawn to function right now, they say goodbye and leave me to my own misery.
I’m drowning in my own thoughts.
Thoughts that refuse to leave me alone as I lock myself away in my room to hide from everyone and everything.
Annoyingly, I keep checking my phone, hoping for a message from Diomid, but when I realize how pathetic I’m being, I switch it off, tossing it into the back of my draw where I can hopefully forget about it.
But I can’t.
The next morning, the first thing I do, after a sleepless, long night, is switch it on again and find no messages from him.
Fresh tears roll down my cheeks, and I lecture myself on being naive and young, trying to convince myself that this is my first lesson in love. My first heartbreak. Everyone has to go through a few of these in their life, right?
Shit. I don’t know if I’m going to survive this one. Never mindanotherone when I get older. If this is the pain that falling in love brings, then I don’t want it. I’d rather be single forever.
Chapter 19 - Diomid
Matvei grabs my car keys from my hands and tosses them to Nikita. “Follow us in Diomid’s car. We’re having a family meeting at my place,” he snaps, shoving me toward his car.
“Mat, I want to go home,” I groan.
“And we want a fucking life free from your bullshit, but clearly neither of those things is happening, are they?”
Giving in, I duck into the back seat of his car and sink into it, closing my eyes and taking slow, deep breaths.
That was a nightmare.
Matvei and Timofey are in the car with me, but neither of them speaks a word all the way home. It’s eerie and tense, but I’m fine with it. I know what’s coming, and this silence is welcomed.
Oleg is climbing out of the car outside Matvei’s place when we arrive. His face is stern, glaring at me, when I push the door open and step into the driveway.
