Vivian exhales dramatically. “Exactly. And I still feel cheated. We should go for dinner soon. Properly this time.”
“That sounds nice,” I say, meaning it more than I expect. “Just…maybe not today.”
“That’s fine,” she says easily. Then, after a beat, her voice turns playful. “Did Sebastian love the dress?”
The memory hits me instantly—him in the doorway of the studio, gaze slow and intent, that quiet desire touching his eyes.
It’s exquisite on you.
Before I can answer, Vivian gasps. “He loved it, didn’t he?”
I laugh again, more freely this time. “Yes. He really did.”
It’s strange—almost surreal—having such a normal conversation while standing on the edge of something so dangerous. Like the world hasn’t noticed the fault line opening beneath my feet.
I clear my throat. “Did Dimitri like yours?”
She laughs, unfiltered. “We didn’t get much sleep, if that answers your question.”
I groan despite myself. “Vivian. Since when are you this crude?”
She laughs harder. “Since I married a Rusnak. It brings it out of you.”
I shake my head, smiling now, tension easing just a fraction. “I hate how true that is.”
A voice murmurs on Vivian’s end of the line, too muffled to make out. Vivian sighs softly. “I have to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay,” I say.
The call ends.
Almost immediately, my phone beeps.
A text from Viktor.
My smile disappears as I open it.
Meet me. Now.
A location pin follows, cold and precise.
Anger flares in my chest, sharp and immediate. The audacity of him to summon me like this. As if I’m still under his control. As if fear is what keeps me tethered to him.
It isn’t.
I’m not scared of Viktor Mikhailov.
I’m scared of what he can do to Sebastian with what he knows.
That’s the difference. And it’s why I can’t ignore this.
I try Sebastian first. The phone rings until it cuts off unanswered. I try again—nothing. Then Marko. Straight to silence.
My pulse kicks harder.
I consider waiting. Consider sitting still and trusting that Sebastian will come back soon, that he’ll handle this the way he promised.
But we can’t afford soon.
