"Why?"
"Because you—" My voice began to shake. "You abandoned me. You betrayed me. I don't love you anymore."
"Don't love me? Then who do you love? That bastard Marco? You once told me you'd only have children with a man you deeply loved. So you were already in love with Marco back then, weren't you, Elena? You were fucking in love with him five years ago?" Igor roared, his voice filled with disbelieving pain.
"You dare bring up five years ago, Igor?" I laughed coldly. "Isn't all of this your doing? Who I love has nothing to do with you. Whose child I have has nothing to do with you."
My lungs felt ready to burst. How dare he question me from such a high horse?
Igor seemed struck by my words. He staggered back two steps.
"You can't do this to me, Elena."
"Why not? Only you get to trample on other people's feelings without consequence?" I laughed mockingly.
"I didn't." His expression was guilty. "I just... I didn't realize you were the most important thing to me. I've always loved you, Elena!"
"Loved me? Then where were you when I needed you most?" My voice rose.
"I was looking for you!" His voice went hoarse. "I checked every airport, every place you might have gone!"
"But you didn't find me!" My voice was trembling too. "Because you didn't try hard enough! Because in your heart, power was always more important than me!"
"No!" He grabbed my shoulders roughly. "It wasn't like that, Elena!"
"Let go of me!" I pushed him hard. "So what gives youthe right to question my relationship with Marco? What gives you the right to question whose child Stella is? What right do you have?"
"Because you said you loved me!" he roared.
"That was before you betrayed me!" I screamed. "Before you chose another woman! Before you destroyed everything we had!"
"I never chose her!" Igor's voice was full of despair. "The engagement banquet was a mistake—the biggest mistake of my life!"
"Stop talking. I don't hate you, Igor." I closed my eyes, not wanting to continue this pointless argument. "But please don't disturb my life anymore."
"No..." His voice suddenly became very soft. "No, Elena. I won't allow it. I won't agree to that."
His voice changed. Something shattered in his tone.
I opened my eyes only to find this cold, ruthless man was crying.
Tears slid silently down his sharp cheekbones, glistening in the light. His deep green eyes were full of pain—pain so raw, so naked, it made my breath catch.
He seemed unaware he was crying, still talking. "I won't agree to it, Elena. You can't do this to me. I've been looking for you for five years. I think about you every day. I—"
His voice broke, and only then did he raise his hand to touch his face. When his fingers met the wet tears, he froze.
I was stunned too, unable to believe what I was seeing. I wanted to leave. I didn't want to soften toward him. But my legs seemed to have a mind of their own, keeping me rooted in place, watching him cry like a broken man.
"Damn..." His voice trembled as he tried to wipe away the tears with the back of his hand, but they kept flowing. "Damn..."
My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a fist. This man never showed weakness, never exposed vulnerability, but now he was breaking down in front of me.
I couldn't help myself. I reached up and grabbed his tie, making him bend down. Then I stood on my tiptoes and found the tears on his face with my lips. I kissed away the tears on his cheeks, kissed away the thing that was breaking inside me.
I could feel his body stiffen under this kiss, then he kissed my lips with desperate hunger, taking control. Everything he'd suppressed for five years exploded in that moment. My tongue ached from his intensity.
"I don't care if you kissed me out of pity or whatever else," he said quietly when our lips parted. "I'm going to pretend you still love me."
