“I’ll come with you…”
“No, don’t be silly. I also need to pee. I won’t be long at all. I just want to take a break from the noise.”
“You sure? I don’t mind coming with you,” he scowls, unhappy to have me moving away from him. I wonder if he’s worried I’ll try and escape? That doesn’t make sense, though, because if I wanted to escape, I could have done it a thousand times already.
Why haven’t I?
The realization that I’ve honored my agreement not to attempt any more escapes makes my stomach knot a little tighter. I nervously search for my brother again, trying to act calm.
“I’ll be right back,” I smile, then stand on my tiptoes and kiss Yulian on the cheek. It’s such a simple gesture, butit spreads a wide smile across his face that makes my stomach flutter.
I hurry away from him, keeping my head low to try and avoid being seen by Abram.
But as I round the corner near the bar, he’s right there.
Abram’s eyes go wide when he sees me, anger flashing across his face, his jaw clenched tight. “So, the rumors were true?” he hisses quietly.
Abram grabs my arm and tugs me towards a corner of the room where he can speak to me more privately. “What are you doing here?” he snarls.
“I’m…I’m getting a drink.” My heart is racing so fast I feel dizzy.
“You know that’s not what I meant, Katerina. Why are you here, hanging out with the Andreevs? We’ve been searching for you everywhere. We heard a rumor that you were seen with one of the brothers, but we thought it could never be true. Yet here you are…”
He spits his words like an accusation. Like I’ve committed a crime. I understand that in his eyes, thisisa crime. A crime against the family.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I stammer, unsure how to explain.
“So, you’ve been kidnapped? You’re being held against your will? Are you in danger?” he asks, glancing around, his hand sliding to the concealed Glock at his hip.
“No, it’s…no, they aren’t bad people, Abram. Yulian is kind and…”
“Kind? Are you fucking kidding me? Have they brainwashed you?” he snarls, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a little shake.
“Stop that,” I snap, pushing his hands away. The last thing I want to do is cause a scene.
Abram is scouting the venue again. I can see him plotting, looking for a way to get me out. But there are guards everywhere, literally at every corner and every exit.
“Fuck,” he huffs, shaking his head.
He turns to me with a warning in his eyes. “Get yourself home, Katerina, before Artur finds out about this. Get home, if you want to show where your loyalty truly lies, and not betray your entire family….”
He glares at me, his eyes cold and full of accusation. Then he spins away and storms out of the party, leaving me with a heavy sinking pit of regret flooding my body.
That didn’t go well at all.
I should have planned better for it. I should have thought of something to say.
I fumbled and made things worse, and now my brother thinks I’m betraying my own family.
How can I get them to understand that it was Boris who betrayed us all?
With a heavy heart, I make my way back to Yulian, not mentioning that I saw my brother or what he said. I smile and try to enjoy the rest of the party, but it’s impossible. My thoughts are clouded with worry.
Chapter 13 - Yulian
Standing on the upstairs balcony staring at the garden, I’m thinking about her again. It’s always her. Always that beautiful, complicated, frustrating girl on my mind.
These past three days since the gala have been difficult. I don’t understand what is going on with Katerina. She’s distant and quiet, and her usual glowing smile has disappeared completely. When I walk into a room, she finds some excuse to hurry out of it, as though she’s trying to avoid me.
