Chapter 70

It all happens so fast. I don’t even remember how I got here; I just know that Conrad is on me, breathing, grunting, grinding.

Then the door swings open. A familiar smell. That undeniable tightening in my gut.

I look up and see him and scream, “Pasha! Thank God! Get him off me!”

Pasha’s face is a mask of things I don’t know how to read. But right now, all that matters is that he grabs Conrad by the nape of the neck and hurls him aside like a ragdoll.

A flurry of punches. Conrad collapses.

I try to breathe, try to speak, but none of it goes well. Crying is about all I’m good for right now. “He followed me here. He snuck in… I tried to stop him…”

“Where’s Hazel?” Pasha growls.

“Her family—someone got hurt. I don’t know where. I just…” I touch the apartment door for balance because the whole floor feels like a tossing ocean at the moment. “I just fed her cat. Tried to leave…”

“Did he hurt you?”

I hiccup and shake my head. “He was going t-to… but you… you…”

“Let’s go.”

His voice is so harsh. Cold and crackling. His hand on my elbow is, too.

It all just happened so fast.

Pasha doesn’t say a word the entire drive home.

For once, I’m okay with his silence. I’m just relieved he’s here. And that he showed up in time to stop Conrad from doing the unthinkable.

I told Pasha the truth. As much as I could tell it between my shaky breaths, anyway. Hazel’s family had a sudden emergency, so I promised to play with her cat and give him some food before I left for home.

I was on my way out, about to text Viktor to pick me up at the cafe on the corner so I could grab a pastry, when Conrad appeared out of nowhere. He slammed me against the wall, shoved his knee between my legs, and bit down hard on my neck so I’d stop fighting him as much.

He’s certifiably insane. I’m sure of it. I don’t know what happened to him, but something snapped.

So, yeah—I’d rather endure Pasha’s silence than Conrad’s psychotic behavior.

We park in the garage, but Pasha doesn’t move to get out right away. He also doesn’t look at me. “I know the answer,” he rumbles, “but I need to hear it from you. Have you ever cheated on me?”

“Never.”

Pasha nods. “Good.”

That’s all he says between the car and the penthouse. He doesn’t touch me, either. Not like he usually does, to help me up or guide me safely through the building.

Don’t cry. Do not cry. It’s not your fault. He’s not angry with you personally; it’s just the situation.

When we do get inside our home, I’m surprised to see Mak, Sofi, and Asya there.

All of them very, very serious.

My heart drops into my stomach. Something’s wrong.

“Daphne, dear, why don’t you come have a seat?” Asya pats the spot on the couch next to her.

I don’t ask what’s wrong. When I see the file folder on the coffee table, I already know.

Sofi flips it open, her face frigid, and reads. “Daphne Hamish. Firstborn daughter of Stewart and Ophelia Hamish, born May 14th. It’s all right here.”

I’m too scared to look up at any of them. Least of all Pasha. He stands the furthest away from me, his arms folded and a horrible glare etched on his face. The one glance I risk in his direction makes me feel sick to my stomach.

“I… I was going to tell you,” I whisper.

“When?”

I try not to shudder at the coldness in his voice. “So many times. From the beginning. I just…”

Asya rubs my back. “It’s okay, solnyshka. Take your time.”

I hug my belly and try to focus. “I hate them. I never wanted to say it out loud. It sounds so horrible. But I hate them. I hated being… I didn’t want to be one of them.” Tears choke my words. “I didn’t want you to hate me.”

Sofi sighs as she sits down next to me. To my surprise, she takes my hand in hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Other than your last name, is there anything else?”

“No! No,” I blurt, furiously shaking my head. “No, I never lied. I told you about my sister, and my job, and my ex, and⁠—”

“And your parents.” Asya holds my other hand. “She’s telling the truth, Pasha. The only thing she held back was her name. Her old name.”

“Which your parents—I mean, the Hamishes—didn’t hide as well as they thought.” Sofi picks up the file and hands it to me. “It took my best hacker less than five minutes to pull all this up. Honestly, that kind of pisses me off. They should have been protecting you.”

“Why?”

Everyone looks up at Pasha. He doesn’t seem as enraged as before, but he’s still glaring at me.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you hide all this?”

Sofi bristles. Asya draws in a sharp breath. Mak looks like he wants to swing at his brother. Even now, to feel this family wrap around me is… I don’t have the words.

I’m safe. I’m loved. I can tell him the truth, knowing that there’s someone here to support me through it.

“You did everything you could to ruin my sister.” There’s no vitriol in my voice. Only pain. “I don’t know what my parents did to you, and I’m sure it was something awful. But you didn’t go after them; you went after my sister. You didn’t even know her, and yet you used her to hurt them.”

Pasha shifts where he stands.

I finally feel some sort of courage, enough to look him in the eyes. “What would you have done to me? To my baby?”

I feel Asya wrap her arms around me. Sofi, too.

Finally, Pasha clears his throat. “I need some air.”

I manage to hold my shit together until the sound of the door closing behind him reaches my ears. That’s when the floodgates let loose.

Mak sighs and lowers himself to sit on the coffee table. With his mother and sister wrapped around me, he’s only got my head to pat. “We believe you, Daphne. I think that’s pretty much unanimous here, right?”

Sofi and Asya murmur their agreements.

“Pasha just… needs some time. He’s got a temper a mile long, but a drive to control it even longer. He’s not leaving you; he’s protecting you from himself.”

“I know you don’t like the silence,” Sofi adds, “and now, we definitely understand why. I just don’t think there’s much we can do to prevent it this time.”

I nod and sniffle. “I know. I’ll manage.”

I need to stretch my legs. The closer I get to my due date, the heavier I feel and it causes cramps in my calves.

I just feel too drained to do anything other than check the mail.

Mak and Sofi insist on joining me, while Asya starts making dinner.

“By the way,” Sofi says once we’re in the elevator, “I saw the security footage from the restaurant. I am so fucking proud of you.”

“And a tiny bit scared,” adds Mak. He winks at me. “Just you wait. We’ll have you running interrogations in no time.”

I muster up a feeble smile.

Then the elevator opens and that smile dies a nasty death.

“Well, well. What perfect timing.”

My blood ices over. Just when I thought things couldn’t get possibly worse, she has to show up.

“I was just on my way up to offer my condolences.” Brittany flashes me her wicked smirk. “Thanks for saving me the trip.”

“You can’t be here,” Sofi snaps at her.

“I can, and I am.” Brittany scoffs and gives her a onceover. “This isn’t your corporate tower. You have no say here.”

“The hell do you want?” I croak. “Obviously, you want something. You’re here, I’m here, so spit it out.”

She smirks. “Oh, ‘NeNe, you’re so touchy lately. Calm down. I’m just here because I want to make sure you know it was me.” She takes a step closer, her voice lowering into a dangerous rasp. “I want to see your face as you realize I’m the one who ruined your perfect little happy-ever-after. Just like you always ruined mine. Bitch.”

I look at her.

I set the mail down.

Then I crack my fist into her nose.

Brittany Cleary screams bloody murder and crumples against the wall. Blood gushes through her clutching fingers, pours down over her shirt, and drips onto the floor.

Well… shit.

I think I actually broke her nose.

“Someone help me!” she shrieks at the top of her lungs. “I’m being attacked!”

“Shut the fuck up.” Mak signals something to the doorman, who rushes off to call the authorities. “You’ve been harassing her and just admitted to stalking her. You’re lucky I don’t hand her some cutlery.”

Even in the midst of all this horrible chaos, that makes a tiny bubble of laughter form in my chest. When I look up at him, he smiles, winks at me, and mouths something that looks like, Everything’s gonna be okay.

“I’m gonna sue!” Brittany swipes a bloody hand at me. “I’m gonna fucking sue you, you bitch!”

“The only thing you’re going to do is stay the hell away from me.” I kneel down close, just so she can see my face clearly. “Stay the hell away from me and my family. The next time I see you, I’ll break more than your nose. I’ve got people who will happily help me bury what’s left of you. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Us.”

Brittany seethes through the blood. In her eyes, she’s always the victim. In her eyes, she can never do wrong.

I don’t actually care what she thinks—as long as she keeps her hands off me and mine.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, she nods. I wait until her body slumps in surrender before I back off.

But I don’t turn my back to her. I don’t trust her not to suddenly change her mind and go apeshit on me.

Mak grabs the mail and drapes his arm around my shoulder as we walk out of the room. Sofi keeps her eyes glued to Brittany until we round the corner.

“The police are on their way.” The security guy behind the front desk covers the mouthpiece to let me know. “We may need you to come back down and give a statement.”

Sofi turns to the guard with a fierce scowl. “That woman has been stalking and harassing her for months. We’ll provide all the evidence they need if they arrest her.”

I am so grateful for them. For my family. My new family.

“Pasha would be so fucking proud of you,” Mak remarks under his breath when the elevator closes.

I believe him. I really do.

Maybe that’s why I crumple into tears.