Chapter 141 144
Chapter 141 144
She looks like she wants to argue, but she bites it back. She knows it’s useless—I’ve made up my mind.
“Why all the damn fuss?” she spits at me instead. “It’s not like you genuinely care about me. Why this big show of protection?”
That simple little question puts me at a crossroads.
I could tell her the truth.
I could tell her that her safety is the only thing that matters to me anymore.
I could tell her that if anything happens to her or that baby in her womb, it will shatter me in a way I didn’t think I could be shattered.
She’d want to hear that. As much as she rages and spits and claws back, she’d want it. She is still, deep in her heart, just a pure-hearted girl desperate for love.
But instead, I look her in the eye and keep up the charade I’ve maintained since the moment we met—that she means nothing to me.
“The protection is for my child, not you. Don’t confuse the two.”
I don’t stay long enough to see her reaction. I turn and leave her alone.
A sad princess trapped in a world that’s anything but a fairy tale.
29
OLIVIA
“Are we getting close?” I ask the driver for the fifth time.
The streets are clogged and we’ve been sitting in standstill traffic for fifteen minutes. I’m under no allusions as to why.
Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom leaving the hotel today after the ceremony. There’s a red carpet set up on the front steps and hordes of security bustling around everywhere.
“Almost, ma’am,” he responds. “Another ten minutes at most.”
I can see the hotel from here, but there’s just so much damn traffic. I would just get out and walk, but I don’t think that’s a smart move with the three-inch platforms I’ve got on.
Plus, with all these strangers and potential dangers, Aleks would have me snatched off the streets and dropped back in my ivory tower before I could even reach the sidewalk.
I’d expected to see him before I left, but he was nowhere in sight when I got into the car and drove off.
He must’ve known I was going, of course. Aleks always knows.
Which means that he chose to keep his distance.
As for my choices, I’m controlling what I can. I’m wearing my hair down and did my own makeup, even though Yulia offered to hire a makeup artist.
Under different circumstances, I’d feel like a million bucks. But as it stands, all I feel is nervous. Not just for myself and the ordeal ahead.
But for my sister.
Finally, the driver is able to pull up in front of the hotel and the red carpet. A Bratva soldier from the advance car opens my door and helps me out.
The moment I’m on my feet, my bodyguards surround me. Beyond the ring of their protection, flashing lights and overlapping voices from reporters compete for my attention. I ignore them all.
I start the trek up the stairs, hoping to God I don’t trip and make a fool of myself just to get the moment captured for posterity or the front page news.
“Looks like you could use a hand.”
I look up and see who spoke. “Rob!”
My brother gives me a tight smile and offers his arm. I take it gratefully and we continue up the stairs together. He’s dressed smartly in a black tux and white shirt. He’s even shaved for the occasion.
“You finally got rid of the fuzz.”
“Mia’s orders,” he laughs.
“I’m not surprised. Bridezilla, I bet.”
Once we get inside the hotel, the noise and lights die down considerably. I can finally hear myself think again.
“Wow,” I breathe. “That was a three-ring circus if I’ve ever seen one.”
I can tell Rob isn’t happy with all the fanfare either, but he keeps his thoughts to himself as he avoids my gaze.
“Rob,” I say gently, reaching out and putting my hand on his arm.
He raises his eyes to mine. “Liv.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Yes,” he says shortly. My heart sinks. “But… I’m trying not to be.”
“I hated ambushing you like that,” I admit.
“But he convinced you it was the right thing to do, I suppose?”
I purse my lips up, feeling caught out. “I… I thought it was the right thing, too. You just wouldn’t listen to me, Rob. I had to make you see.”
“Whether I liked it or not.”
I sigh. “Denial can be comforting. But it’s fleeting. The truth would have come out eventually.”
He stares at me curiously for a moment. Then he smiles.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “It’s just… for a moment there, I saw Dad. You reminded me of him.”
I smile. “Can you try to forgive me?”
“If you forgive me,” he exhales. “We’ve both made mistakes.”
I grab his hands in both of mine. “Of course I forgive you, Rob. You’re my big brother. The only one I have.”
I see the emotion bubbling up in his eyes for a second before he pushes it back down. “I want to go and check in with security before the ceremony begins.”
I have no doubt that’s true, but I also know that it’s a justified excuse for walking away from me. Avoiding having the conversation that sits silent between us, being willfully ignored.
The question of choosing sides that’s haunted our family since the moment Aleks entered our lives.
“Not that I have to worry about your safety,” he adds, glancing towards the bodyguards who have fanned out over the room.
“He’s… protective of the baby,” I explain in an embarrassed mumble.
“I suppose, in this case, I can’t blame him,” Rob says. “Anyway, I’ll see you during the ceremony.”
“Save me a seat?”
He nods. “I will.”
As he walks off, I wonder if confronting him with Jen was a mistake. I hoped it would help him see the truth, but I worry it’s done more damage than good.
The hotel staff are busy ushering wedding guests into the grand hall where the ceremony will take place. But I go in the opposite direction, towards the back rooms.