An hour passed, and she still sat alone. Kira glanced about and waved to Lydia, who rushed over. “Is Mr. Morozov coming down?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, if he didn’t tell you. But Mr. Morozov left on a three-week business trip.”
“He what?”
She dug into her frock and pulled out a note. “He left this for you.”
Kira slowly took it, and Lydia went about shooing all the other workers away to give her privacy. When the balcony doors closed, Kira opened it.
You will remain in the house. No visitors. And if I get a call from your father, the consequences will not be pleasant.
He signed at the bottom with his original last name. He refused to take the Morozov name, despite having changed it for the wedding. She felt a sting of pity for him. He was being forced to do something he didn’t want to do. She doubted she would have handled it any differently if she didn’t want to get married. But now it was too late. There was no divorce in the mafia. They were in this together, and whether he liked it or not, he was her husband, and they needed to get along.
Kira dropped it on the table, and though tears wanted to come, she refused to let them. This was temporary. Pain was temporary. It wasn’t going to ruin her day. Kira reached across the table and snatched a muffin, taking a swift, spiteful, regrettable bite. One she promptly spat up in her napkin.
No. I’m fine. I just need something to occupy my thoughts.
She turned her attention to the dilapidated lands and the miserable gardener who was clipping away at an overgrown bush. Kira pushed herself out of her chair.
For hours, she worked in the yard. Every stab with the shovel, she imagined Maxim’s laugh as she stood in her lingerie in front of him. She was too focused to cry, but it brought a sharp pain to her heart, and also a determination. She was going to get through to him. Somehow.
Kira was elbow-deep in dirt when she received a phone call. Lydia rushed out to the garden, hopping over torn-out bushes and weeds. The gardener had tried to help, but after too much pushback, he stood twenty feet back in aggravation. Kira wiped sweat with the back of her hand and brushed the dirt off on her dress before propping the phone against her ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Luerna whispered. “Sorry to call you. I’m just checking up on you.”
“Oh yeah?” Kira bit back, digging into the dirt again. “Need some news for Papa?”
“What? What’s going on?”
“You lied to me.” Kira stabbed the dirt over and over again, resenting every moment she trusted her sister. She thought that out of everyone, Luerna would want the best for her. Luerna,who took on the role of her mother since her real mother never really stuck around.
“About what? I never hid the fact that it was gonna hurt sometimes.”
“No, not about that. You said Maxim came to you. You said he was interested in me.”
“I did! He was!”
Could Luerna be true? Did it even matter? “Papa set it up.” Kira rubbed a tear off on her nose only to smudge mud against her skin. “Maxim didn’t want to marry me.”
There was a moment of silence before Luerna whispered, “Oh, no, honey.”
Her sympathy eased the anger, and for a moment, she wanted to bury her face in Luerna’s lap and feel her sister’s fingers through her hair. Tears came harder, and Kira sat back on her legs, lifting her head to the sky.
“I’m sorry,” Luerna murmured. “I thought–I’m so stupid.”
“No, I am. But I’m not gonna stay that way. I’m gonna fix it. I’ll figure it out.”
“Kira,” Luerna said in warning. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but it’s the life you have now. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t,” Kira promised. No, everything she was gonna do was going to be well thought out and planned. She didn’t graduate from law school without knowing how to manipulate the system. But only if she did it correctly. Her father was not going to rule her world forever. She was going to break free. Here, in this house, on this property, far from Yakov’s control, Kira for once felt more capable than she’s ever been.
But as she looked around at the servants, a terrible feeling came over her. What if they were his? They went about their business, just like they did in the old house, but they were constantly keeping tabs. She wasn’t safe yet. Had anyone been able to hear her phone call? She looked over her shoulder at thegardener, still silently fuming. What would Maxim think if she were to fire the whole staff?
Kira waved Lydia over, and the woman bowed in greeting. “How long have you all worked here?”
“I’ve been with Mr. Ostr–Sorry, Mr. Morozov since I was a child. He brought me from his brother’s house.”
