We spend a few moments in silence, only the soft nickering of the horses stretching between us. I pick up another piece of chicken and put it in my mouth, my appetite returning a little.
“Can I ask you a question, Victoria?”
I swallow, looking back up at her. “Yeah. Of course.”
“How did you find it in yourself to forgive him?”
I place the fork in the salad bowl, thinking about the answer. Because honestly? I don’t know. I thought he ruined my life when he forced me to marry him, but the truth is… he made it better. Despite everything.
“He made it easy,” I tell her. “And I think… I might have fallen for him.”
She blinks. “You have? That’s… unexpected.”
“I know you have your differences, but he’s not a bad man, you know?”
“Isn’t he?”
I scowl, taken aback by her reaction.
“I mean… after what he did to your mother and sister…” She inhales. “I would’ve thought you hated his guts. But if you forgave him after that, I mean, you really are better than us, Victoria.”
“My mother and sister? What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know?”
My heartbeat picks up. Wolf said to trust him, and I did.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Victoria,” she says, her lips tightening into that sympathizing smile again. Sympathizing or… pitiful. I can’t tell the difference right now. “They were sold to the highest bidder on the black market. They’re gone.”
A rush of nerves explodes in my stomach, making my breathing pattern a mess. I step back, dizziness clouding my thoughts.
“What?” I hush out, shaking my head. “No. That can’t be true. Wolf and I have been…”
“Oh, darling, please don’t tell me you fell for his antics. You must have known him marrying you wouldn’t be the end of his revenge plan, right? Oh, my God…” She frowns, concern emanating from her voice as something dawns on her. “Listen to me, Victoria. You did nothing wrong. This is what he does. You can’t blame yourself for this. Look at me.”
She tries to touch me, but I pull back.
Why should I believe her? She has to be wrong. Wolf and I haven’t just been fooling around. He saved me. Bought me Alaska. Brought Sasha to me.
He told me I was safe to trust him. Why would he lie?
Sure, he never gave me any details after that quick conversation we had, but…
My pulse hammers stronger.
What if… what if he only said that just so I didn’t ask questions down the line?
No. Ekaterina is wrong. She’s wrong, and I can’t let myself think otherwise.
“I know what this is. Wolf told me all about Mikhail and his ambitions.” I shake my head. “You’re just trying to help your son wear my husband’s crown. And you may have been nice to me, but I won’t let you ruin his life.”
“How on earth would I be doing that by telling you the truth? If that were the case, I would be overjoyed with the thought of the two of you being in love. Because that would mean Wolfgang is…”
My mind conjures up the answer against my will. “Distracted. Off his game.”
She nods. “You don’t have to believe me. But if you simply go and ask him, he’ll just deny it.”
