Chapter 204 Epilogue Liam POV
Being Elena’s husband is not easy.
Not because she isn’t perfect in every possible way. She’s sweet, kind, gorgeous, and kinky as hell. Honestly, I enjoy that last part the most. The difficult part is the men in her life.
There’s too much history there. Too much longing.
If our relationship wasn’t as stable as it is, I would lose my fucking mind.
Every time Ivan sneaks a glance at her ass. Every time Mason’s hand lingers a second too long on her waist during a hug. Every time one of them looks at her like they remember exactly how she tastes, I go a little insane inside.
Tonight, I’m hosting poker night at the penthouse while Elena and the girls have their monthly girls’ night.
At my table tonight: Mason, Ivan, Alek, and Dimitri.
Marie and Dimitri are visiting for the week, which means Dimitri has somehow become even more insufferable than usual.
Meanwhile Elena, Sofiya, Marie, Gemma, and Hailee are out drinking somewhere. Hailee is Ivan’s newest flavor of the month, as Elena likes to call them. Pretty sure he’s juggling four women right now, and somehow none of them have murdered him yet.
I’m still intimidated by everyone sitting around this table, though I would rather die than admit it out loud.
Every man here has been with my wife.
I don’t hold it against Elena. God knows I had my own revolving door of models, strippers, and spoiled rich brats before her. Hell, I even dated Sofiya once. I’m keeping that information to myself, though. She hasn’t said anything, so neither will I.
All it would take is one Google search.
There are plenty of pictures.
And for some reason, I already know that information is eventually going to come back and hurt me.
“Head in the game, husband,” Ivan says while dealing the next hand.
I glance down at my cards.
“Terrible advice,” Dimitri mutters into his whiskey. “He married Elena. That man hasn’t known peace since.”
Ivan blows cigar smoke toward the ceiling lazily. “Please. She is an amazing wife. We never fought.”
“So,” Dimitri says, turning toward Mason, “what’s Sofiya actually like? I’ve heard rumors.”
Mason immediately looks irritated. Things are serious.
“I turned her down three times before Catori told me to give her a chance,” he admits reluctantly.
“Our daughters are trouble,” Ivan mutters while peeking at his cards.
“They are fourteen,” I point out immediately. “And apparently they know Sofiya has been staying over.”
“Betrayed by my own flesh and blood,” Mason says dramatically before taking another sip from his glass.
“Let’s face it,” Ivan says casually, “they’re Elena’s daughters.”
Silence immediately settles over the room. Dark German rap hums softly through the speakers while all of us arrive at the exact same horrifying realization simultaneously.
Elena’s daughters.
Mason and I slowly turn toward Ivan.
“Who’s watching them?” Mason asks instantly. “What men do you have guarding them? How old are they?”
Alek bursts into uncontrollable laughter. Dimitri grins way too wide.
Ivan looks deeply offended.
“They’re fine,” he says. “They’re not there yet. And I trust my men not to touch them.”
“I fold,” Dimitri announces dramatically, slamming his cards onto the table.
“Back to Sofiya,” Ivan says quickly, clearly done discussing daughters and future boyfriends. “What’s she actually like?”
Mason leans back in his chair, rubbing his jaw slowly.
“She’s a freak,” he admits blushing. “Obviously not Elena-level freaky,” he adds quickly while glancing toward me. “Sorry, Liam.”
“All good,” I reply.
Then I pause.
Fuck it.
“I used to date Sofiya.”
Every head at the table snaps toward me.
Ivan blinks once. “You were just going to sit on that information?”
I shrug and flash them a one-sided grin.
Mason narrows his eyes. “How long?”
“A few months.”
“And you survived?”
“Barely.”
Rain suddenly starts pounding against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse. Vegas blurs beneath the storm while thunder rolls faintly in the distance.
It’s nearly midnight.
Constantine is watching all the kids tonight from his apartment downstairs. Elena and I finally let him move out earlier this year since he’s taking a gap year before starting college overseas. At least she still has our boys, Archie and Amos, they are seven.
“Ivan jerks off to Elena’s painting,” Dimitri says quietly.
The room goes completely silent.
“You motherfucker,” I hiss, turning toward Ivan instantly. “I knew you stole it from my penthouse in Barcelona.”
Ivan looks entirely unbothered.
“How?” I demand. “There wasn’t a single trace of anyone breaking in.”
“Oh, you’ll get over it,” Ivan says with a lazy grin. “You have her. I have the painting.”
Mason nearly chokes on his drink laughing.
“I also set up a trust fund for your kids,” Ivan adds casually. “So technically I paid for it.”
“That is not how stealing works,” Alek mutters.
Ivan ignores him completely.
Then his expression suddenly turns ice cold as he points toward Dimitri.
“And you,” Ivan says flatly, “are my brother. What the fuck?”
Dimitri immediately starts laughing harder.
“You want to talk about weird?” he wheezes. “Tell them about Lena.”
“No,” Dimitri snaps instantly.
Another laugh rips from Ivan’s chest, deep and violent.
“You guys are all fucking insane,” Alek mutters.
All four of us slowly turn to stare at him.
The irony of him saying that is almost too much to process.
Before anyone can answer, we hear the penthouse door open.
Then heels.
Multiple pairs of heels clicking sharply against marble floors.
Every man at the table goes quiet instantly.
The girls’ laughter echoes through the penthouse as they get closer, loud and slightly drunk.
Mason takes a long pull from his cigar like he’s mentally preparing for impact.
Elena appears first wearing a tiny black dress, cheeks flushed from alcohol and laughter. Sofiya follows beside her looking devastating in all red while Gemma and Marie trail behind arguing loudly about tequila.
“Oh good,” Elena says brightly when she spots us. “They haven’t killed each other.”
“There’s still time, dushichka,” Ivan says with a grin before slapping his gold-plated gun onto the poker table.
Marie sighs dramatically. “Does Ivan always have to pull it out?”
“I missed you,” Sofiya says calmly before leaning down to kiss Mason.
“If I pulled it out, you’d be sucking on it,” Ivan corrects without missing a beat.
“Keep your dick away from my wife,” Dimitri mutters.
Hailee drops into Ivan’s lap like she belongs there, arms sliding around his neck while he kisses her automatically. But even from across the room, I can see it.
He looks disconnected.
Like part of him is somewhere else entirely.
Elena walks straight toward me while the others continue bickering in the background. She slides effortlessly into my lap, smelling like expensive perfume and champagne.
“You behaving?” she asks softly.
“Absolutely not,” Ivan answers for me.
Elena laughs against my mouth as I kiss her.
Across the room, Gemma steals Alek’s cigar straight from between his fingers before taking a slow drag while he watches her with exhausted amusement.
Sofiya settles against Mason’s side like she’s always belonged there.
And my hands slide down to my wife’s ass.
Right where they fucking belong.