Chapter 39 Sienna #2
Polina cleared her throat. “Yes. I wanted to speak to you, but—” She broke off and looked down at her clenched hands. Realization rushed in, cold and harsh. I’d thought maybe some of the staff had picked up a few English phrases here and there, but Polina didn’t even have an accent.
“You were told to pretend you didn’t understand English.
” I didn’t have to ask who had instructed them to lie.
The devastating part was that I understood Dimitri’s reasoning.
A virtual stranger from a rival Mafia had moved into his home.
He’d used my inability to speak Russian to get an edge.
If I were a spy, I wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on the staff, but they could report back if I said anything suspicious in English.
It was smart.
“Right. Well, I’m sorry for intruding on your game.” My voice came out embarrassingly high-pitched. My cheeks burned and my back felt sweaty. I needed to get out of here. “Have a good night.”
Polina reached out to stop me and Matvey said something, but my ears were filled with white noise as I fled.
My breathing was strained as I jogged up the stairs.
The walls were closing in. I needed to get out.
I crashed through the patio door and started running.
The rows and hedges of greenery in the garden wrapped around me like a blanket, shielding me from the darkness.
I slid to a stop, my slippers soaked from the damp grass, my chest heaving, and my skin stinging with the cold.
I forced myself to take slow, even breaths until the panic loosened its grip on me. My weak muscles gave way and I sank to the ground, hugging my legs and burying my face in my arms. Tears streamed down my face as I rode the storm of emotions rioting through my chest.
Loneliness had been my enemy for years, and my new husband had ensured I would be lonely in my new house.
Like I often was growing up. Alone in my apartment while Matteo did important Mafia work.
Staring down closed doors to rooms I wasn’t welcome in.
Constantly being underestimated. Sheltered.
Made to feel small and useless in the name of being protected.
I focused on my breathing.
In. Out.
My chest loosened.
In. Out.
I wasn’t a child anymore. I wasn’t helpless. I was just...embarrassed.
My panic attack relinquished its hold on me, and I shivered. It was early December in Chicago and all I had on was a light sweater. What if I had slipped and fallen in the darkness? I held my belly with both hands. “I’m sorry, little Pomegranate. That was reckless.”
“Sienna?” Maxim’s voice drifted on the wind.
My teeth chattered as I pushed off the ground and walked back to the house. Shouts and pounding footsteps echoed through the garden, and then Maxim was in front of me, breathing hard. At least he had clothes on. “Sienna, fuck. Are you hurt?”
“No, just stupid.”
He swore and took off his sweatshirt, pulling it over my head before I could protest. “Let’s get you warm.”
His solid arm at my back propelled me forward, and it wasn’t long before we were back in the kitchen with Polina and Sveta.
“I’m sorry, Sienna,” Sveta said, looking like she was on the verge of tears. She couldn’t look me in the eye, instead focusing on something she was whisking on the stove.
“You have every right to be upset,” Polina said.
“Yes, you fucking do,” Maxim muttered as he guided me over to a counter stool. “We all told him this was a horrible plan.”
My lips twisted. “I feel stupid that I didn’t catch on sooner. You must all have been laughing at me.”
“No,” Polina said. She rounded the island and wrapped her arms around me, giving me a hard squeeze. “Never. You’ve worked so hard learning Russian and staying so positive trying to talk with us. It’s made everyone in this house admire you even more.”
Sveta placed a mug of hot chocolate down in front of me, her movements hesitant like she thought she was in trouble.
“Come here.” I held my arm out to her, and she collapsed into my side. I squeezed her tight. “This isn’t your fault.” I rubbed her back. I smiled so she knew I wasn’t upset. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Although you are the reason I was suspicious.”
“How?” she asked.
“I told Maxim about the baby being a jumbo cupcake, and you baked cupcakes for me.”
Her cheeks heated. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t even think about that.”
Maxim arched his eyebrows. “Damn. Good catch.” He poured himself a mug of hot chocolate from the stove. “I haven’t known you very long, Sienna, but I know you have a devious mind. Dimitri deserves some revenge, don’t you think?”
A slow smile spread across my face. “I am good at revenge.”
Polina snorted. “Sergey is still talking about the knife prank.”
I sipped my hot chocolate as a light, giddy feeling rushed through me. Dimitri and I needed to have a serious talk about our relationship, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t carry out a little revenge prank first.
The past few days, I’d started to grow hopeful about our relationship, and not just on a physical level.
Having sex with my husband brought back the feelings I’d had in Paris.
The intimacy of it made me feel closer to him emotionally.
Every time he checked to make sure I was doing okay, the times he prioritized just my pleasure without taking anything for himself, the tender way he cleaned me up afterwards and held me in his arms..
.it felt real, like it meant something to both of us.
Did he still think I had tricked him into marriage? Gotten pregnant on purpose? That I was here to spy on him? He needed to trust me if this was going to work, and I needed to trust him.
I released a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m going to think up the best revenge prank of all time.”
Maxim rubbed his hands together like an evil scientist. “Excellent. Let us know if you need any help.”
“I definitely will. Actually...will you tell everyone to keep pretending you don’t speak English? We might be able to use it to our advantage.”
Polina laughed and Sveta cracked a hesitant smile.
I grinned. “This is going to be so much fun.”