“No.”
“Threaten you?”
“No.”
“He didn’t force you to do anything?” He asks more pointedly.
I hesitate as the reminder of that first night hits me again, and I feel myself turning more sheepish. “Aside from the marriage license…no. Not in the way you’re thinking.”
At that, all four of them freeze as if I’ve just set off an explosive in the room. That silence is immediate and deafening, and none of them are willing to break it yet.
“Marriage?” Roman manages to grit out after a while. “He forced you to marry him?”
“Yes, but—”
“He’s dead,” Mikhail utters, already prepared to move.
“Wait, hold on,” I say urgently, reaching for his arm before he can go. I look between them, brows pinched. “Don’t get hasty on me. He only did it to deter the other families from selling me. Nothing more.”
“That’s not comforting, Elena,” Roman says, tone vaguely scolding as he crosses his arms.
“I know, but just listen to me,” I return with a measured kind of conviction, making sure they all know I’m still not one to let them walk over me. “Just hear me out.”
Roman glances at Mikhail, then he sighs, and they all keep quiet, allowing me to continue. That cooperation says everything about how much this matters, and not just to me.
“Wyatt isn’t the typicalgoodman, at least, not how most people would define one. He can be reckless and secretive, and yes, he forced me to marry him…”
Ivan scoffs to himself. “That’s a glowing endorsement.”
“But,” I add, far from finished. “He’s not cruel, and he’s not using me the way everyone assumes. He’s certainly not using me as the Grimaldis or Balakins would if they had the chance. He’s not that different from you guys either.”
They all look reluctant to believe it, and Roman’s expression shifts. “Elena.”
“He didn’t know Lily wanted to be here. He thought she was captured and being held here,” I tell them before they can cling to their preconceived notions. “He genuinely believed she needed saving.”
They both don’t say anything, yet the subtle changes in their features give away how it obviously hits hard enough to be taken into consideration.
“Wyatt was blackmailed by the man who abducted me, and he faked his death to protect Lily. He took me to protect me,” I continue, not stopping to consider my words or how all of this might come across. “It was wrong and selfish of him to keep hidden all this time, but it wasn’t malicious. And he didn’t step forward with me any sooner because he was trying to avoid being killed for real by you guys.”
After a beat, Roman forces a breath through his nose and scrubs a hand down his face. “You’re defending him.”
“I am,” I admit, well aware that his very life is still on the line, depending on what they decide to do about him. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try to make the outcome a little less bloody. “Not because I owe him anything, and not because I’m blind to what he’s done. I’m defending him because he’s Lily’s brother, and because I think he’s capable of growth. At least, there’s more to him than the secrecy and business deals.”
Once again, they all settle into a contemplative silence, not giving away their thoughts outright.
“And,” I add, hoping they’re taking me seriously. “Because this could be good for everyone, especially him and Lily.”
Roman’s gaze sharpens fractionally, almost disbelieving. “You want us to trust the Vegas Ghost. He’s been so elusive, we almost didn’t even know of him. Ivan and Nikolai didn’t even know who they were checking CCTV footage for. He somehow kept himself under the radar long enough to stop us from finding either one of you, and I’m supposed to believe he can be trusted?”
“Look, I know I’m asking a lot, but he kept his word to me. He kept me safe, he never asked anything of me, and he even let me boss him around occasionally. And he cares enough about his sister to devote all his time and effort to getting her back. He won’t put her at risk.”
Ivan snorts. “You're bossing him around? I believe that.”
Despite the brief levity, I don’t miss how Roman zeroes in on me. “Are you sure there isn’t more to this than you’re letting on?”
I know exactly what he’s referring to.
Feelings. My feelings and personal hangups, more specifically.
