“Just the pressure of meeting twenty new people who are deciding whether or not to trust me.”
“They’ll trust you. Give them time.”
“You sound confident.”
“I am. You’re genuine. They’ll see that soon enough. And until they do, they’ll trust me. That’s enough.”
Someone calls his name from across the room. He glances over, then back at me.
“Will you be all right for a few minutes? I need to speak with my brother Alexei.”
“Go. I’ll survive.”
He squeezes my hand briefly before walking away. I watch him go, noting the way his brothers greet him. There’s respect there. Affection, too. These men would die for each other. I can see it in the way they stand together.
I’m alone in a sea of strangers.
A woman approaches. Wavy dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, a dimpled smile. She’s plus-sized with soft curves, dressed in a simple but elegant sweater dress. She carries two glasses of wine.
“You look like you could use this.” She offers one of the glasses. “I’m Sera. Konstantin’s wife.”
“Kirsten.” I accept the wine gratefully. “Thank you.”
“I remember my first family gathering.” Sera’s tone is sympathetic. “I spent most of it hiding in the bathroom.”
“That’s reassuring.”
She laughs. “It gets easier. I promise.” She gestures toward a group of women near the windows. “Come meet the others. We’re much less scary than we look.”
I let her lead me across the room. The women welcome me with smiles and introductions. Frances, Kolya’s wife, with her honey eyes and kind face. She has a plus-sized figure like Sera and dimples when she smiles. Her warmth is immediate and genuine.
Lucy, married to Maxim, asks about my work in data analytics with genuine interest. She’s dark-haired and put-together, with a sharpness to her questions that tells me she understands numbers the way I do.
Ariana, Roman’s wife, is elegant with silky dark hair and an eloquent way of speaking. She’s poised and charming, the kind of woman who could hold court anywhere. Despite her sophistication, her smile is welcoming.
And then there’s Jasmine, married to Menlow’s brother Alexei. She has an angelic face and dark brown eyes that hold old pain. When she squeezes my hand, she holds on a beat longer than necessary.
“It’s a lot to take in,” she tells me quietly. “But you’re not alone. Most of us who married into the family were not born into this world. We found our way. You will, too.”
I think about her words as the evening continues. About all these women who came from outside the Bratva, who married into power and danger, and somehow built lives here. They seem happy. Content. At home in a world that should feel foreign to them.
Maybe that’s possible for me too.
Or maybe I’m fooling myself.
From across the room, I catch Menlow watching me. He’s standing with his brothers, Alexei and Pavel, but his attention is on me, making sure I’m okay. Making sure I’m safe.
Something twists in my chest.
He’s the reason I’m in this situation. The man who trapped me in a marriage I didn’t want.
But he’s also the man who defended me to his family. Who made it clear I was under his protection. Who keeps watching me like he actually cares whether I’m comfortable or not.
I don’t know what to do with that.
I don’t know what to do with any of this.
Chapter 10 - Menlow
