Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94678 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94678 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
As much as that money could help my family, I can’t accept it. It doesn’t feel right because nothing I’ve done since gorging on a peanut butter sandwich has been done for a payout.
I kissed Mikhail because I couldn’t take the tension a second longer, and I begged him to fuck me because there’s no such thing as heartache when his hands and lips are on mine. There is no one in the world but us.
After announcing to Loretta that I won’t be a minute, I head to Mikhail’s office. My steps are nowhere near as flighty as they were yesterday afternoon when I breezed into his office as if I were weightless. Our afternoon had been magical. I thought nothing could bring it down. Then I saw the contract his grandfather had drafted in full.
I don’t know why I was angry. I didn’t earn a penny of the Dokovics’ fortune, so I had no claim to it. I was simply hurt believing that my interactions with Mikhail were solely about money and that he had prioritized it over genuine feelings.
My refusal to accept payment for the consummation of our vows stems from the possibility of someone accusing me of doing the same.
When I push open Mikhail’s office door, my breath hitches in my throat. A dark figure sits behind his bulky desk. Regretfully, when the figure turns to face me, I see the blue eyes I’m seeking, but they belong to the wrong man.
Andrik, Mikhail’s older brother, lifts his eyes to mine. When they meet, for a moment, the world stands still.
Although he doesn’t share the same blood as Mikhail, the impact of my loss smacks into me. I struggle not to fold in two, feeling more lost than ever, and the hollow emptiness overwhelming me almost takes me under when Andrik says, “Mikhail was inside the church, waiting for you. He only left hours after I told him you weren’t coming.”
Chapter 28
Emerson
My hand shakes when I’m handed a glass of water. At some point during Andrik’s long confession about his contribution to his brother’s heartbreak, I sat down—whether by choice or force, I’m not sure. My mind is spiraling so much that I’m struggling to remember which way is up.
For years, I believed Mikhail had left me at the altar. I had no clue he was standing next to the priest, awaiting my arrival, because his grandfather bombarded me before I could walk through the church doors.
Now the way he looks at me makes sense.
He truly believes I broke his heart.
My mind races back to that moment, the confrontation with Mikhail’s grandfather, before I stammer out again in disbelief, “Mikhail was inside the church?”
Andrik nods, his unvoiced reply hitting me like a punch to the stomach.
Even hearing it multiple times hasn’t lessened its impact.
Mikhail didn’t leave me at the altar.
He was there, waiting for me.
Zoya moves closer when I involuntarily sway before she encourages me to take a sip of water. When I do, she smiles softly before squatting down in front of me, her swollen belly resting between her slim thighs.
The slightest groan sees Andrik at her side in an instant. “милая, you’re meant to be resting.”
“Shh.” Zoya waves off her husband’s worry as if it is unfounded before returning her focus to me. “What Andrik orchestrated was wrong. Your shock is valid. But at the time, he believed he was saving your life and the life of your unborn child.”
A wave of confusion washes over me. “What are you talking about?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. “What child?”
Andrik rejoins the conversation, willing to face the brunt of my anger if it will shield his wife from it. “I saw the pregnancy test, Emerson, and the ultrasound results. I thought they were yours.” He looks down, his expression pained. “My advisor did, too. We remained unaware until our grandfather passed, and the lineage he had amassed over the years was sought for his estate.” I’m sucker punched for the umpteenth time when he murmurs, “When you never came forward as claimant, I prompted his attorney to what I believed was another subsequent recipient of his fortune.” He coughs, seemingly embarrassed. “It was then that we learned the pregnancy test and ultrasound images I had seen were not yours. They were—”
“My mother’s,” I interrupt, flabbergasted.
For the first time, his stern expression softens before he nods. “I was wrong, but I thought I was protecting you.”
The room spins around me, and I feel like I can’t breathe. “How? It doesn’t make any sense. Even if I was pregnant, how could breaking us up protect me?”
Mikhail’s confession about his mother being alive and how she was used as an incubator by a government institution meant to keep her safe answers my questions on his behalf.
“They took his mother because she had conceived a daughter.” I lock my eyes with Zoya. “Because she had conceived you.”