Page 90 of Widowed

“Ms. Marco, before you go, how is Prince doing?” I ask.

“He’s a bright child. He’s acing all his work, but he’s a bit distracted these days.” She gives us a halfhearted smile as she leaves.

Kyro looks at me, and I sigh. “He’s at his limit.”

“He’s a kid, Reyna. He can’t be happy all the time.” Kyro comforts.

“Maybe we should have him talk to someone. I mean, Prince has been through a lot in the past year. His father was killed right in front of him. He had to move away and learn to accept his mother with another man.” I remove my hands from Kyro and put my head in my hands.

“Before you jump to conclusions, why don’t we just ask him?” He suggests.

I cross my arms. “Because he will lie and say he’s fine.” I scoff under my breath. “You would think he was your biological son.”

“I’ll go talk to him then.” Kyro gets up from his seat and kisses me before he walks up the staircase.

Kyro

Prince has been through a lot for a kid his age. If I saw Ivan die with my own eyes, I would have probably gone insane from seeing it. Yet, his son witnessed it, and can still laugh and smile. It worries me how much he has buried underneath that infectious smile.

I walk down the hall into Prince’s room. It’s much bigger than it was before. His collection of comic books has gone from fifty to five hundred.

“Prince,” I call out. “Can I come in?”

He takes his eyes off his comic and puts it down. “Yes?”

“How’s school going?” I walk in and lean against the wall.

He sighs, “Boring. It’s easy.”

Even high-school-level studies are too boring and easy for my 10-year-old.

“When I get older, will I be in the Bratva too?” His sudden question shocks me slightly.

“No, of course not,” I answer. “Become something better.”

“Then, do you think you’re a bad man?” Me? Good? I don’t think so.

“Good and bad are subjective. Most would say I’m a bad man, but you have to decide that for yourself. What are your morals? What do you stand for and against? What are you willing to do to protect what you hold sacred? Which societal rules are important to you?” The list of questions is endless.

Prince sits up and is seemly dwelling on what I just said.

“Your grandfather once told me. A devil can be found in all, but an angel can be found in none.”

Prince raises a brow. “What’s that mean?”

“That no matter how good of a person you try to be, people will always find something they despise about you. Live by your standards. Because people are fucking hypocrites.” I scoff. I walk over to his bed and sit on the end. “Why are you asking about our Bratva?”

“Mypapaand grandfather were in the Bratva. So, I wanted to know if it was something I had to be in.”

“You won’t be. I don’t think your mother would allow it.” I chuckled.

“Papasaid that if I decided to join, I needed to be smarter than most.”

I nod, “He’s not wrong. You can die, your family can be killed, and your friends. You have to continue to watch your back as well as others. Cleaning cash is a bitch sometimes.”

“So, why do it?” His arms cross as he leans back against the backboard.

My fingers run through my hair, “Because the Bratva changed my life. I no longer fear the world. My childhood was filled with uncertainty that I couldn’t control. Now, I can control whatever I please, but not everyone can survive this life. I don’t want you to think I’m romanticizing what I do, but this works for me. It might not work for you.”

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