Mihai
MIHAI
I find Cat in her bedroom, the door left slightly ajar, as if she doesn’t have the energy to shut out the world completely.
Her suite is dimly lit, and she’s curled up on the couch, clutching a blanket to her chest like it’s the only thing holding her together. She doesn’t look up when I walk in, but I see the tension in her shoulders as she registers my presence.
“Cat,” I say softly, shutting the door behind me. “We need to talk.”
She flinches, burying her face deeper into the blanket. “I can’t, . I just… I can’t.”
I take a seat in the armchair across from her, leaning forward, my elbows resting on my knees. “You don’t have a choice. This mess won’t go away if you just ignore it.”
Her head snaps up, her tear-streaked face a mixture of defiance and vulnerability. “What do you want me to say? That I’m a complete idiot? That I screwed everything up?”
I hold her gaze, unflinching. “I want you to tell me the truth. How the hell did this happen?”
She lets out a bitter laugh, wiping at her cheeks. “We… we’ve been fooling around since…it started on the Day of Silence.”
My brow furrows, the pieces slowly clicking into place. Fuck, the year Chiara joined Willow Bridge. “During Legacy Week?”
She nods, her fingers twisting the edge of the blanket. “It wasn’t serious. We weren’t… we weren’t together. It was just… I don’t know. Messing around, I guess.”
I exhale sharply, leaning back in the chair. “Jesus Christ, Cat. You and Nikolai? Do you even realize how dangerous that was?”
Her bottom lip trembles, and I instantly feel like an asshole.
“I know!” she snaps, her voice breaking. “I know, okay? But it didn’t feel dangerous then. It was just us, no expectations, no pressure. And now…” Her voice falters, and she looks down, her shoulders trembling. “Now it’s all ruined.”
I sit there, my mind racing. Of all the people Nikolai could’ve gotten involved with, it had to be Cat. But not just that, but this is Declan’s only daughter. Fuck, the implications are staggering. Connor didn’t kill Nikolai, but Declan will.
Getting to my feet, I run a hand through my hair, trying to reign in my frustration as one question claws at me, refusing to let go.
“Did he know?”
Her head jerks up, her wide eyes meeting mine. “What?”
I lean forward again, my gaze locked on hers. “Did Nikolai know you were in love with him?” I press, watching her reaction closely.
She freezes, her lips parting slightly, but no words come out. The silence is deafening, and it tells me everything I need to know.
Her face crumples, fresh tears spilling over as she buries her face in her hands. “I didn’t mean to fall for him,” she sobs. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just… I thought he cared about me too.”
“Cat…” I sigh, running a hand through my hair, frustration and pity warring within me. “You have to understand you can’t fool around with someone like Nikolai and not expect things to get messy. He’s the Russian Crown, for fuck’s sake. And now, it’s not just about you two anymore. There’s a baby involved.”
She looks up, her tear-streaked face twisted with anguish. “He said he cared about me, . He said he didn’t want to hurt me.”
“And look where we are now,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended. I take a deep breath, softening my tone. “Cat, I’m not trying to hurt you, but you have to face reality. If he knew how you felt and still let things get to this point, then he’s as much to blame for this as you are.”
She flinches, her fingers tightening around the blanket. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. “Connor’s going to kill him. My Da’s going to kill me. And Nikolai… he doesn’t even care enough to want this baby.”
My jaw tightens at the mention of Declan. The man is fiercely protective of his family, and this? This is a betrayal he won’t take lightly. And then there’s Dmitri... Fuck me sideways.
“Your father and Dmitri are here,” I say, keeping my tone even. “They arrived earlier today for business. You need to deal with this, Cat. Get it out in the open before it explodes in your face.”
Her eyes widen, panic flickering across her features, her hands wringing together nervously. “What do I even say to them?”
“The truth,” I say simply. “Tell Nikolai what you’re doing first. Then your father. And if you want, I’ll be there when you tell him.”
She looks at me, her expression a mixture of fear and gratitude. “You would do that?”
“Of course,” I say, my tone softening. “You’re family, Cat. I’ll help you through this. But you’ve got to be honest with all of them.”
She nods slowly, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Okay,” she whispers. “Okay.”
I step back, giving her space to collect herself. “I’ll talk to Nikolai first, make sure he’s not about to do something stupid. You focus on figuring out what you want to say to your dad.”
She nods again, her voice steadier this time. “Thank you, .”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I mutter, turning toward the door. “This is just the beginning.”
As I step out into the hallway, my thoughts are already racing. Nikolai’s got a lot to answer for, and Declan… well, he’s not going to take this lightly. But for Cat’s sake, I’ll make damn sure this doesn’t spiral out of control any further.
The hallway feels longer than it should as I make my way to Connor’s suite. My chest tightens with every step, knowing the state he’s probably in. Connor hides his emotions well, usually behind a smirk and a laugh, but not today. Not after what just happened.
I knock once before pushing the door open without waiting for an answer. Connor’s standing near his bed, his suitcase open and half-packed. Clothes are strewn everywhere, and he looks like he’s been throwing things in with no rhyme or reason. His usually easygoing demeanor is gone, replaced by something raw and fractured.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
He doesn’t look at me, just grabs a handful of shirts from the dresser and tosses them into the suitcase. “Packing. What does it look like?”
“Packing for what?” I frown, watching his movements. They’re sharp and angry, the complete opposite of how Connor usually carries himself. “You going somewhere?”
He finally looks up, his green eyes blazing. “Yeah. I’m leaving.”
“What?” I scoff. “Leaving?”
“That’s right,” he snaps, slamming the dresser drawer shut. “And probably not coming back.”
I step inside, closing the door behind me. “Connor, don’t be stupid. You can’t just?—”
“I can and I will,” he snaps, turning to glare at me. “What’s the point of staying? Everything’s fucked. You know it as well as I do.”
I cross my arms, forcing myself to stay calm. “Running doesn’t fix anything.”
He laughs bitterly, throwing another shirt into the bag. “This isn’t running, . This is me walkin’ away from the shit show that’s been my life for the past few hours.”
“You’re seriously going to leave? Just like that? Because Nikolai fucked up?”
Connor’s hand freezes mid-air, a pair of jeans gripped in his fist. His green eyes flash as he looks at me, his face twisted with raw anger.
“This isn’t just a fuck-up, . This is betrayal. The kind of betrayal that cuts so deep you can’t fuckin’ breathe.”
I flinch at the venom in his tone, but I don’t back down. “I get it. You’re pissed?—”
“Pissed?” he interrupts, his voice rising. “This isn’t about being pissed, mate. This is about trust. Trust that’s been shattered. We were brothers, all of us. Nikolai… he was supposed to have my back, and instead, he went behind it. He went after my little sister.”
“Nikolai made a mistake,” I say, though the words feel hollow. “A big one. But that doesn’t mean you throw everything away.”
Connor slams his hands onto the edge of the dresser, his head dropping down. “This isn’t just about Nikolai,” he says quietly, his voice trembling. “It’s about me. About how I failed her.”
I frown, stepping closer. “What are you talking about?”
He turns, his eyes red and glassy, and the sight makes my chest tighten. “Cat,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “She’s my little sister, my responsibility and I didn’t protect her. I didn’t even fucking see it.”
“Connor—”
“She’s pregnant, !” he shouts, his voice cracking. “She’s pregnant, and I didn’t even know she was sneakin’ around with him. I didn’t see the signs, didn’t question the little things that didn’t add up. I was too busy being the carefree asshole everyone expects me to be.”
“Connor, this isn’t your fault,” I say, my voice firm. “Cat’s an adult. She makes her own choices.”
“She’s still my baby sister,” he snaps. “Do you have any idea how scared I am for her? How much it kills me that I didn’t see this coming?”
He lets out a harsh, broken laugh, running his hands through his messy blond hair. “How did I not see it? How the fuck did I miss it?”
His shoulders sag, and he lowers himself to the floor, sitting with his back against the dresser. He buries his face in his hands, his whole body shaking.
“What kind of fuckin’ Crown will I make if I couldn’t even see what was happening right under my nose?” he says, his tone laced with guilt.
I crouch down in front of him, resting my arms on my knees. “You couldn’t have known,” I say gently. “Cat didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t want anyone to know.”
He looks up at me, his green eyes glassy. “That’s not the point,” he says, his voice breaking. “I should’ve known. I should’ve been there for her. But I was too busy with my own shit to see what was happenin’ right in front of me.”
His words hang heavy in the air, and I don’t know what to say to take the weight off his shoulders. He’s right, in a way—this is more than just a betrayal. It’s a fracture in the foundation we all thought was unshakable.
“You’re not leaving,” I say finally, my tone resolute. “You can’t just walk away from this when Cat needs you here.”
He lets out a bitter laugh, his head falling back against the dresser. “What good am I to her here? All I’m doing is gettin’ in the way, makin’ things worse.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I snap. “She needs her brother, not some ghost who disappeared because he couldn’t handle it. You think leaving is going to make her feel better? You think it’s going to fix anything?”
He doesn’t respond, his jaw tightening as he stares at the ceiling. The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating.
Finally, he speaks, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t look at him, . Not without wanting to kill him.”
“Then don’t look at him,” I say, my voice softer now. “Look at Cat. Focus on her. She needs you now more than ever.”
He looks at me, his expression torn. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“You can,” I say firmly. “You’re Connor fucking Cunningham. You don’t back down, not from anything.”
He snorts, a weak attempt at humor. “You’ve got a lot of faith in me, mate.”
“Damn right, I do,” I say, standing and holding out a hand to him. “Now, get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. We’ve got shit to deal with.”
He hesitates for a moment before taking my hand and letting me pull him to his feet. He doesn’t look entirely convinced, but at least he’s standing. Finally, he wipes his face with the back of his hand, his movements slow and deliberate.
Then he shakes his head, and grabs his bag. “I need to clear my head. I’ll come back when I’m ready, but for now… I’m done.”
I stand, blocking his path to the door. “Connor, think about this. Think about Cat. She needs you.”
He hesitates, his hand tightening on the strap of his bag. “Cat’s got you. And she’s got the girls. She doesn’t need me hangin’ around, makin’ things worse.”
I sigh, stepping aside reluctantly. “At least tell me where you’re going.”
Connor gives me a sad smile, his voice soft. “With my Da back to Ireland, regroup before I do something I regret later.”
I nod, knowing I can’t stop him, even if I want to. “Just promise me you’ll stay in touch.”
“I will,” he says, slinging the bag over his shoulder. “And ?”
“Yeah?”
“Keep an eye on her for me,” he says, his voice cracking. “Make sure she’s okay.”
“I will,” I promise, watching as he walks out the door. The sound of it clicking shut feels like the final blow, and I sit back down on the bed, my head in my hands.
Connor’s leaving, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. All I can do now is pick up the pieces he’s left behind.