Chapter 0348

“My home,” I correct, walking to the fridge and pulling it open, grabbing a water bottle and then walking past Ivan, heading for the

back deck. “Come on,” I say, waving to him.

“Fay,” Daniel snaps, making me look over my shoulder at him, but I don’t stop. “Are you actually going to talk to him?”

“Don't be jealous,” Ivan says, walking backwards to grin at Daniel as he follows me towards the deck. “I’m only chatting with your

wife. Not your boyfriend.”

Daniel growls and lunges forward but Jerome easily catches his arm, holding him back and laughing a little. “Come on, Danny,”

Jerome murmurs. “Don't rise to the bait that easy.”

lvan’s still smiling as he turns to me where I stand at the back slider, my eyebrows raised. “Do you have to?” I ask, gesturing him

outside.

“I do not,” he replies with a sigh and a shrug. “Though I find it very hard to resist.”

I shake my head at Ivan as I slide the door shut behind him, making eye contact with Daniel and nodding so that he knows that

I've got this handled. Daniel just settles on the couch, his arms crossed, staring out at us — apparently content to watch

everything we do.

Jerome, to his credit, settles beside Daniel and picks up a magazine from the table, starting to flick through it. Janeen does the

same.

“So,” Ivan says, settling back in his chair and giving me his patented satisfied smile. “How are you enjoying married life?”

“It's great,” I snap, and then I nod my chin towards him. “What happened to your face?”

“Oh this?” Ivan asks, running a hand over the right side of his jaw, where a large bruise is fading from purple to green, just barely

visible on his pale skin. He grins. “What do you think happened?”

“No way,” I say, leaning forward, my eyes going wide. “Kent punched you?”

“Punched the shit out of me,” he confirms, sighing and smirking at me. “He’s fast, for an old guy.”

I laugh a little and shake my head, a little pleased that Ivan underestimated Kent’s physicality and paid the price for it.

But after a moment, I look up at Ivan and cock my head to the side. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” he asks, taking another sip of his lemonade.

“Disarm me like that?” I ask, genuinely curious. “I came into his house ready to hate you, and what, sixty seconds later? You

have me laughing.”

“It’s still me, Fay,” lvan says, leaning forward a little, holding my gaze. “I know that...that there’s been a lot of lies, and

misinformation. But...” he shakes his head, “you still know me. The connection we made over these past couple of months — it

was real.”

I sit back in my chair, looking away from him, still determined to hate him but...well, kind of believing what he says. That as much

as Ivan is a cop now, instead of a mafia boss, he’s still also the guy I formed such an intense connection with when I really

needed support.

It's complicated. It may always be complicated.

The fact that it's complicated doesn’t change anything at all but...well. It does make everything just a little bit more difficult, which

is not at all what I need.

“What are you even thinking about, Fay?” Ivan asks, interrupting my thoughts and making me blink and look at him.

“What?” I ask.

“You just spaced out for a solid minute and a half,” he says. “What are you thinking?”

“I was thinking about how you ruined

my life,” I say bluntly, ocelot

head to t e sida, ouniSab to see how

hekake my words. “And how to get

you out of here as fast as possible.”

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“Lie,” he says, giving me a little wink.

I sigh, looking down into my lap for a second. “You always could tell when I was lying, Ivan,” I murmur.

“Because I know you, Fay,” he says, leaning forward, eager.

I look up into his eyes again. “Why are you here, Ivan?”

“Because I want to help you,” Ivan

replies, honesty all ele. face) as if

it the simelestithing'n the world.

r I want you to forgive me. And

trust me.” Please read the original

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“Why on earth do you want that?” I ask, my voice soft because...I’m not sure I’m ready for his answer.

“Because,” he says, his voice equally

soft, as if he’s not sure he’s read

say it. “Even though youtte fetta ?

Anpikaddnéed up with my enemy's

kid?” he shakes his head. “l...can’t

stop thinking about you, Fay.” Please

read the original content at

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My lips curl up into a very small, very hesitant smile.

And I let him see it.