“That may be, but I’ve known men like him. He will do whatever it takes to save his own skin. I just want to make sure you and Theo won’t be caught in the crosshairs.”
The image of Theo wrapped in the stranger’s arms fills my mind, and I blink it away, fighting back frustrated tears. “Viktor would never choose to put us in harm’s way. He loves us both, and he’d rather die than let something happen to either of us.”
She pats my hand and gives me a condescending smile. “Whatever you need to tell yourself to get to sleep.”
Fire fills my chest, and I stand up, yanking my hand away from her. “Don’t come into my house and tell me who my husband is.”
“Molly, I’m sorry—” she starts, but this time, I wave her words away, silencing her with a flick of my wrist.
“You don’t know me or my husband. You don’t know what he does for a living, so don’t come in here and tell me to be careful. You be careful, Hannah. I’m happy to help you the same way you helped me years ago, but I will turn you away if you speak ill of my family.”
Without another word, I grab Theo’s hand and lead him upstairs to my room, leaving Hannah alone on the couch.
My vision is blurry when I wake up. I try to lift my arm to wipe the sleep from my eyes, but it feels heavy and dead. I look over and realize Theo is lying on it, fast asleep.
He curled up next to me to watch a movie after we came upstairs, and we must have both fallen asleep. The television is still on, an old cartoon from when I was a kid, playing for all of the nostalgic adults up late after their kids have gone to sleep. I gently pull my arm out from under Theo’s head, shaking the pinpricks out, and turn the TV off.
I try to listen for signs of Hannah moving around the house, but it is silent. She is probably in bed. Or gone.
From the way she made it sound, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, but given what she seems to know about Viktor’s business and the way I spoke to her, she might be in fear for her life.
I sigh and press the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to rub the exhaustion from them.
I shouldn’t have gotten angry with Hannah. Her words came from concern, I know that, but she doesn’t have the first idea of what I’m going through. She imagines me as some wide-eyed woman in love. Or, if not love, then lust. I could see in the way she spoke to me that she thought I walked into this relationship blind, wooed by the wealth and finery to the point I would risk the life of my own son.
She doesn’t know the first thing about my relationship with Viktor.
She also doesn’t know anything about Viktor.
I’ve had more than a few complaints about his conduct over the last few weeks, but at the end of the day, everything he has done is to protect me and Theo. I can’t fault him for that.
My phone vibrates next to me in the bed, and I see Viktor’s name on the screen. It is late—far later than he has ever called me before—and my heart leaps into my throat as I answer, afraid of what news I’ll find out.
“Hello?” My voice is raspy, and I clear my throat.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“I was already awake. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” He sounds out of breath and exhausted.
“Did you call to talk to Theo?” Viktor rarely calls to speak with me. If he has something to say to me, he’ll come by the house. But he has called to talk to Theo a few times. Their connection is growing stronger every day, and while it is precious to see how much Theo likes Viktor, their bond concerns me as well. What if we leave and Viktor can’t be there anymore? How will Theo handle that?
“No, no,” he says quickly, almost emphatically.
“Are you okay?” If he doesn’t want to tell me what he has been doing, then fine. I trust him to tell me things when and if they concern me. But I still want to check on him. If he has been in a fight or some kind of conflict, I want to ensure he hasn’t been hurt.
He sighs. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Go to sleep,” I say. I’m tempted to tell him to come here. I’ll clean him up and put him in bed next to myself and Theo. A happy family.
But the image feels like a pipe dream.
“I will soon. I wanted to talk to you first.”
There is a long silence, neither of us saying anything. I keep waiting for him to deliver some piece of news or ask me a question. Finally, I realize he just wants to talk. To hear my voice. The realization makes my stomach flip.
“Theo is asleep next to me, so I’m probably talking quietly,” I say, unable to think of anything else. “Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you,” he breathes. “How are things going with Hannah?”
If I tell Viktor what Hannah said about him, what she may or may not know about his business, he might request that she leave. Honestly, that might be the safest thing for Hannah to do, anyway, but I’m not ready to get rid of my friend. The other Bratva wives don’t understand me at all. They know who I appear to be now, but they don’t know anything about my life growing up or what I’ve been through. It feels good to have someone around who I can relate to. I want Hannah to stay.
“Fine. She wants to go to lunch soon.”
Viktor hums, concern clear in his tone.
“We’ll take the guards with us,” I say, assuaging his worries before he can give them voice. “I’ll be careful.”
“Just tell me where you decide to go. I want to know where you are.”
I agree, and we slip into silence again. I don’t have anything else to say, but I don’t want to end the conversation until I know Viktor doesn’t need anything from me. Finally, Viktor speaks.
“I guess I also called to gauge your interest in coming to a dinner I’m hosting in a few days,” he says. “For the Irish.”
“Like, a party?”
He hums an assent. “Fedor has allied with the Italians and taken some of my men, so I need to do what I can to strengthen the alliances we already have. I’ve rented out a restaurant and have everything set up. You would just need to go and stand by my side … my beautiful wife.”
There is real tenderness in his voice, and it makes me feel lightheaded. I think that might have been the point.
“You called to gauge my interest or to tell me I need to be there? Because it sounds like this isn’t something I can skip.”
He hesitates and then sighs. “I need you there.”
“So, you’re telling me where I need to be.”
“I’m asking you to … to want to be there with me,” he says, sounding more exhausted than I’ve ever heard. “I know you don’t like these kinds of events. After the loyalty ceremony, I wanted to give you space from those people and that environment, but this is important. The Irish can offer support that will change the outcome of this fight. Plus, it will be delicious food, gowns and suits, and live music. I’ll try my best to make it bearable for you.”
The fact that he cared about my discomfort and sought to separate me from it is heartwarming, but that isn’t the only thing filling my chest. To my surprise, excitement is bubbling up. I want to go.
After our lunch at the diner, I realized I like pretending to be Viktor’s wife. Out in public, in front of other people, even though it is a lie, it is an easy lie. I can let myself lean into him and gaze at the handsome lines of his face and body. At home, I have to distance myself. I have to think constantly about what my next move will be after this war is over and how attached Theo is growing to Viktor. When we are out together, however, I can just be with him. I like that feeling.