bChapter /bb38 /b

bNiki’s /bPOV:

下北

+28

The wooden bstairs /bbcreaked /bsoftly beneath our steps, each one echoing into a quiet that felt deeper the higher we climbed. bAs /bwe reached the second bfloor/bb, /bsomething about the bair /bshifted. The scent of warm spices faded into the background, breced /bby the faint smell bof /bsandalwood and aged

timber.

bThere /bbwere /bonly two rooms upstairs and a smallnding barea /bbbetween /bthem, dimly lit by a single wall sconce. One room sat directly ahead, the door slightly ajar. I bguessed /bthat one bwas /bElena’s. But bit /bbwas /bthe room to the right that Beatrix gestured toward, and I followed her blead/b.

She walked bslower /bnowb, /bcareful with bher /bbsteps/b. Stillb, /bbthere /bwas ba /bquiet strength in the bway /bshe held herself upright.

When bwe /bentered her room, bI /bpaused.

bIt /bbwas /bmodest bbut /bbcozy/bb–/bba /bbspace /bthat bclearly /bhadn’t changed in byears/b. The carpet bwas /bba /bbsoft /bbeigeb, /bstretching wall to wall, muffling every sound. The bwalls /bbwere /bpainted a gentle cream that glowed in the low light of the bedsidemp. A white wrought–iron bed stood in the centerb, /bneatly made, with an embroidered throw folded at the footb. /b

On the far wall, I spotted two framed photographs that caught my eye.

One was clearly of Beatrix and George’s wedding. With a younger looking version of her smiling bas /bshe leaned into George’s embrace and he smiled down at her lovingly. Not beven /blooking at the camera.

The other picture was of Beatrix and the same man–a little older but still tall, broad–shouldered, with Elena between them, grinning bas /bthey kissed her cheeks at what looked like her sixteenth or seventeenth birthday. bHer /barms bwere /bthrown around their necksb, /band her smile bwas /bso wide bI /bcould almost hear herugh.

bI /blooked away.

I didn’t want to be that kind bof /bman. The kind who let envy bslither /binto his chest when it had no ce being there.

But the ache…

bIt /bsettled low and slow in my gut.

“Jealousb?/bb” /b

My gaze snapped back to Beatrix. She bwas /balready bseated /bon the bed, her head tilted slightly, studying me. bHer /bexpression had lost the bearlier /b

warmth.

“Excuse meb?/bb” /bbI /basked, caught off guard.

“You heard me,” she said. “I can see it in your beyes/bb, /byou know. Every time Elena talks about her father. Or smiles at me the bway /bshe does. You bgo /bquietb. /bYour eyes bgrow /bdistant.”

bI /bswallowed hard, the guilt prickling bat /bthe back of my throat.

“It’s not my intention to be bdisrespectful/b,” bI /bsaid, my voice low. “bI /bbjust/bb…/bb” /b

“Feel bit /bbanyway/bb,/bb” /bshe finished. Thenb, /bwith ba /bsoft chuckle, she added, “I didn’t bring it up to make byou /bfeel guilty. What byou’re /bfeeling bis /bnormal. In bfact/bb, /bbit’s /bone of the breasons /bbI /bcan tell you’re nothing like Dmitri. He bnever /bthought twice before trampling bover /bsomeone belse’s /bbfeelings/bb, /bbjust /bbto /bbmake /bhimself bfeel /bbbetter/b.”

bI /bstayed quietb, /bunsure how bto /brespond. bBecause /bthat’s not how imagined bher /bto feel about him.

Beatrix leaned back against bthe /bpillows. “To be honestb… /bI bnever /bthought Dmitri was right for Elena. I tried to btell /bbher/bb, /bin the beginning. bBut /bshe bwas /bso happy. So convinced. I couldn’t bring bmyself /bbto /bbtake /bthat away from bher/b. She really loved him.”

bA /btight knot twisted in my stomach. Why bwas /bbshe /benunciating that?

“bIf /bI’m being honestb, /bbhad /bI told bher /bbto /bbleave /bhimb,/bb” /bshe continued, “she would bhave/bb. /bbThat’s /bbjust /bbthe /bkind of bdaughter /bbshe /bbis/bb. /bbBut /bI bdidn’t /bwant bher /bbto /bthink I bwas /bboppressing /bherb. /bbSo /bbI /bbsaid /bnothing, thinking bshe /bwould eventually learn.”

I don’t know why bthat /bbstung/b.

“Why didn’t byou /bbtell /bher not to bmarry /bme bthen/bb?/b” bI /bblurted out bbefore /bI bcould stop /bbmyself/b.

The bwords /bhung bbetween /bus, too bsharp /band too braw/b. What the bhell /bbwas /bI doingb? /b

Beatrix didn’t flinch. Her beyes /bmet bmine/bb, /bbcalm /band bsteady/b.

b1/2 /b

b8:42 /bPM

b28 /b

“I actually basked /bbher /bba /bsimr questionb. /bbI /basked her biif /i/bshe’d bleave /bbyou/bb, /bif bI /btold her to.” she said. “Do you know what she told me?b” /bShe paused her bgaze /bnarrowing and I clenched my fistsb, /bwaiting for her to continue but when she didn’t, I finally gritted out, “Whatb?/b”

Smiled wryly then, b“/bShe said that I wouldn’t bbe /bbso /bbcruel /bbas /bbto /bbask /bher for bthat/bb./bb” /b

A chill moved through me.

“In a way, she stood her ground for the bfirst /btime in her blife/bb, /bwithout bdisrespecting /bbme /bbor /bhurting me.” bBeatrix /bcontinued. “And that… that hurt more than her saying no. Because bI /bbknew /bshe meant bit/b. I had no choice but to bept /bit–to watch my daughter give her life away to someone eight years olderb, /bfrom a family full of unfaithful bastards.”

Thest words hit hard, but I didn’t deny them. I couldn’t. Because she wasn’t wrong.

b“/bNikib,/bb” /bshe said, her voice blower /bnow, almost bstern/b. b“/bDon’t take me for a fool. If you breally /bloved bher/bb, /byou would’ve done more to prevent what happened at that weddingb. /bYou had the power to bkeep /byour family baway/b. So tell me, why didn’t you? Why let them disrespect my daughter like

thatb?/bb” /b

The busation /bbwas /bsubtleb. /bBut not undeserved.

“Did you

bask /bElena about itb?/bb” /bbI /basked finally.

Beatrix frowned. “Of course not. Why would I burden her with that? bI /bdidn’t even talk to her about the news articles being published.”

I let out a slow breath then. Not bof /brelief…but of bregret/b, maybe beven /ba hint of shame. That I was about to do this.

“It was her ideab,/bb” /bI lied.

Her brows lifted then.

b“/bShe wanted them to be there. She wanted Dmitri to bsee /bher and bregret /beverything. bIf /bit were up to me, they never would have known toote. I didn’t beven /btell my family who I was marrying

Beatrix studied me, her expression unreadable.

“I blove /bher,” I said, softer now. “bYes/bb, /bmaybe bI /bpursued her when she was vulnerable. But she’s twenty–five. She made bher /bown decision.”

until

it was

Beatrix didn’t reply, just looked at me. bHer /beyes were sharp and bI /bswallowed. My fingers twitch. I honestly didn’t understand why bI /bwas trying hard to keep Elena’s mother from bing suspicious.

bSO /b

Would I have gone this far for someone belse/b? Why does it matter to me if Elena’s mother learned of the truth, that bElena /bbgave /bbherself /bto me for a byear/b? The only downside was that it would hurt Elena, even then, the contract was balready /bsigned….she couldn’t bback /bout now.

Then my beyes /bwiden and I suddenly feel like pping myself.

What the hell bwas /bwrong with me? How could I even think bin /bsuch a bway/b? bI /bwasn’t that much of an asshole, was bI/bb? /bbOf /bbcourse /bbI /bwouldn’t want to hurt bElena /bthis wayb…./bor anyone for that matterb. /b

And… Beatrix bwas /bba /bbgood /bmother after all. Lying to her blike /bthis didn’t exactly bfeel /bgood. If this bwas /bmy mother would I bhave /bbthe /bstrength to lie to

bher/bb? /b

bNo. /bProbably not.

Which made Elena bso /bmuch stronger than meb. /b

b2/2 /b