24. Konstantin
KONSTANTIN
Ice clinks in the glass as the cubes knock against one another, forced to shift as I pour the vodka over the top.
My hand trembles slightly when I set the bottle down but I ignore it, grab the glass and lift it to my lips.
Three gulps and the drink is gone.
I set the glass down and pour another, then lift it to my lips and drink it again in three gulps.
By the third drink, I can't hold in my cough as the straight alcohol burns all the way down my throat and cuts through the tight fog of white-hot fury knotted just underneath my ribs.
Rose and Calvin.
How did I not see it?
A woman who is far too good for me and a man who wasn't part of the mafia in the first place.
I should have seen it coming and yet I was blind to it.
Blind because Rose seemed unable to keep her hands off me, because she slotted into this life with me without complaint and I thought I was lucky.
I thought this deal had brought me someone who actually cared for me, who loved me in some capacity.
I thought I had made everything perfect for her, spent enough time with her to make her feel cared for, and protected her to the best of my ability.
Somehow, through it all, I sent her into Calvin's arms.
Calvin.
A bastard I thought I could trust and all this time he was getting closer and closer to my wife.
History repeats itself to those foolish enough not to learn.
I thought I had learned.
I pour myself a fourth drink with a trembling hand. Vodka floods the glass and spills over the edge onto the silver tray underneath, but I don't care.
I pour until the bottle runs empty, then I pick up the glass and trudge toward my desk.
The anger keeps the pain and the heartbreak at bay, but the anger won't last forever.
Soon I'll have to face the truth.
Sinking down into my leather desk chair, I bring the glass to my lips and drink slowly.
Ice bumps against my upper lip as my throat burns and I let my eyes close.
Calvin.
What does she see in him?
Was it an age thing?
He is younger than me.
Maybe it was because she wasn't forced to marry him, but she always seemed excited to be with me.
All the games in the pool and around the house never made me think something was wrong.
It had to be a cover.
I open my eyes, gaze blearily out the window to the gardens illuminated by the setting sun, and sigh deeply.
This is my own fault.
I never should have let myself get swept up in the romance of it all. Of her.
Rose.
Fuck.
I'm so focused on draining my glass that I don't register the knock at the door or the footsteps striding toward my desk.
I don't even notice the shadow that falls over me until a hand suddenly slaps the glass right out of my grip.
It topples to the floor, thankfully not shattering, but the alcohol and ice clatter across the wood and stain immediately.
"The fuck?!" I rise out of my chair, chest heaving in anger, but none of it makes it past my lips because I come face to face with the culprit. "Ethan?!"
“Hey, boss." He gives me a slightly strained smile as he stands there with one arm in a sling and his skin still paler than I'm used to.
But he's here, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans with his black beanie once again failing to contain the wild strands of his hair.
"What… what are you doing here? There is no way you should be out of the hospital."
"I heard this place was going to shit without me so I discharged myself."
"Ethan—"
"Don't." He holds up one hand. "It's done. I'll deal with the consequences. But first, you have to tell me what the fuck is going on?" He glances past me to the spilled drink and grimaces. "This isn't like you."
"Is it not?" I sink back into my seat with a heavy sigh. "There is nothing to tell."
"Bullshit. You locked Calvin up and you're sending Rose back to her father? Why?"
"She is cheating on me with him."
Ethan stares at me and then he laughs loudly, wincing with every breath before he quickly sobers up. "You're serious?"
Rather than explain the pain, I gather my phone from the desk and swipe to the painful photo, then I hand it to him.
Ethan's face falls immediately. "Shit. Okay. This… there has to be some kind of explanation."
"I am all ears?" I gaze up at him and sigh as the alcohol finally starts working its magic. Numbness sweeps through my chest while heat gathers in my gut.
"I… can't think of one," Ethan admits while resting back against my desk. "But there has to be one. For one, Calvin would never betray you. That kid worships the ground you walk on. And Rose?" Ethan scoffs at my phone and hands it back. "She gets stars in her eyes just looking at you."
"The photo is real," I reply hoarsely. "I had it checked."
Ethan's brows dip. "Then there's something else we're missing."
"Like what?" I glance up at him. "Tell me what justifies my wife locking lips with her bodyguard?"
"She's not Lianna, for one," Ethan replies quietly. "Fuck. You can't think straight about Rose. You know this. You get clouded. I mean, you killed the fucking Italians for even threatening her. Are you really going to sit there and tell me that you're thinking clearly right now?"
"I am glad you are back." Focusing on Ethan is much easier. "I was scared you would die."
"You're drunk."
"Maybe. But you are my best friend, Ethan. When you went down… all that blood. I thought I was going to explode."
Ethan gives me a sad, lopsided smile. "Is that why you latched onto the worst-case scenario about that picture?"
"No."
"Don't bullshit me, Kon. I might have lost almost my entire bodily volume of blood but I know you. You get hurt and you self-destruct. Did you even ask Rose about the picture?"
There it is. The anger in my chest gradually burns away, revealing guilt wrapped in the hurt of betrayal. "No."
"Or Calvin for that matter?"
I can't answer. All I do is stare at Ethan until he sighs deeply and lifts his good hand to his face. He presses his fingers into his eyes and groans.
"Shit. Start from the beginning. Who gave you the picture?"
"General Zangier."
"Okay. I mean, it proves he was there when they were attacked and it explains why Calvin killed his men. Did he say why he was there?"
"He said… he said that after Lianna, he's been protective and he saw Calvin and Rose making eyes at each other at the wedding. So he kept an eye on them. He also said that he wasn't drunk when he made a pass at Rose at the party, he was just testing how Calvin reacted."
Ethan's frown deepens and he rubs at his jaw. "It's… convincing, I'll give him that." He shifts against the desk and pulls himself up to sit. "Okay, let's think this through." He glances at me and smirks. "As much as we can with that much vodka in you."
"I'm fine."
"Sure. We're both fine. Right, first, Calvin would never betray you like this. He's as loyal as they come and he's who I would trust if I couldn't reach you. And Rose… did she ever seem unhappy?"
"Sometimes."
"With you?"
Her beautiful face fills my mind and I shake my head. "No. Just… with something else."
"Did she ever give the impression she would cheat?"
I narrow my eyes. "Cheaters don't advertise it."
"Sure, but you know her better than I do."
"I suppose… no. If anything, she seemed eager to be with me all the time."
"But you told her the truth about you. I got shot.
She was nearly killed. And you saw a picture that confirmed your fears and you went full on bull in a fucking china shop rather than taking a breath.
" Ethan tsks under his breath. "You're hopeless.
And from where I'm sitting, Zangier definitely benefits from this. "
"How?"
"Well, for one, it makes him seem incredibly loyal to you, doesn't it? Something that only works in his favor, considering our search for a leak."
That makes a painful amount of sense and I groan. "Shit. But the picture is still real." I point at Ethan. "That's real."
"So ask her. And hope she tells you the truth."
Ethan's right.
Annoyingly.
After hugging him to ensure he's really there and not a drunken hallucination, I grab some coffee from the kitchen and slowly climb the stairs to the bedroom.
I yelled at Rose and told her I was sending her back to her father, and at that moment it felt like the best thing I could do because I was so angry.
I half expect her to slam the door in my face, but to my surprise, when I walk into the bedroom, she's on the bed with her teary face in her hands and one suitcase half-packed.
"Rose."
Her head snaps up. Tears stain her cheeks, and her skin is pale, but her cheeks flush red when she sees me. "Kon!" She's on her feet instantly. "Please, Kon. Don't hurt Calvin! He hasn't done anything wrong, you have to believe me! Do what you want with me but please don't hurt him!"
"Why?" I ask quietly. "Because you love him?"
Her face twists as she starts toward me, then she shakes her head and presses one hand to her abdomen as if it will help keep her together. "No, Kon. Because he loves you. He's loyal to you and he doesn't deserve this, okay! It's all my fault."
"Are you having an affair?"
"No! Kon, I swear! I swear on everything I have, everything I am! I'm not having an affair!"
"But this picture is real, Rose. It is not fake." My heart clenches as if caught in a cage. "Explain them to me."
"I…" She gasps softly and gazes at me while tears roll down her cheeks. "I-I can't."
"Cannot? Or will not?"
Her red lips press together and she barely stifles a sob. "Kon… please."
"Rose… I came here because I realized I may have overreacted. And for that, I am sorry. But you kissed him. Another man. My friend. And you refuse to tell me the truth. You refuse to let me in. So affair or no affair, I cannot be with or around someone that I cannot trust."