Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Natasha
Everything changed after that dramatic reunion at the gallery.
The air in the room felt suffocating. Dante had just walked in, ignored me completely, and headed straight for the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a full glass of whiskey, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp.
This had become his routine these past few days—coming home reeking of booze and stale cigarettes.
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching his back.
"You've been drinking?" I said.
Dante didn't turn around. He reached for the bottle and poured another glass.
"Yeah. A lot on my mind lately." His tone was flat.
I knew what was eating at him.
"We need to talk." I stood and took two steps forward, trying to close the physical distance between us. "Ever since the gallery, you've been coming home later and later."
Dante finally turned around. Those black eyes locked onto mine.
"I've got business to handle." His voice was as cold as his stare. "Viktor's hitting my smuggling routes. My men are getting hurt every damn day."
I knew the gang situation was brutal. Dante's uncle Viktor had apparently started a war with him, and the pressure was crushing him. But before, no matter how busy he was, he'd always made time for dinner with me.
A woman's intuition told me something was off. The way Dante's eyes kept dodging mine—he was brushing me off.
"It's because of Vera, isn't it?" I said her name outright.
Dante's hand froze mid-drink. He didn't answer immediately. His silence made my unease worse.
"Don't pin everything on her." Dante slammed the glass down on the table. "I told you, I'm busy. I'm taking a shower."
He turned away, strode toward the bathroom, and shut the door hard behind him. Water started running inside.
I sank back onto the bed, drowning in helplessness.
Was I not good enough? Not pretty enough? Or was it that no matter how hard I tried, I could never replace Vera in his heart?
I was such a fool. How could I possibly make a man forget the woman he'd once loved—especially when that woman was Vera. She was so dazzling, always getting everything so easily.
That night, Dante didn't speak to me at all. He fell into a heavy sleep while I lay there staring at the ceiling, finding no answers.
The next morning, Dante left the manor early. He didn't wake me with a goodbye kiss. By now, I was used to it.
I got up and changed into a grey hoodie and old jeans. I hadn't dressed this casually in a while—I'd been worried that not looking polished enough would embarrass Dante, would prove I wasn't worthy of him.
But it was pointless. No matter how I dressed up, I could never measure up to Vera.
I left the main building, avoiding the cleaning staff, and followed a side path toward the back until I stopped in front of a massive oak tree.
The branches were thick and sprawling, the trunk solid and wide. Looking at it, I finally felt a flicker of familiar safety.
During those years with the Kornilovs, I'd suffered endless humiliation. Nikolai would scream at me over nothing. Vera would dump all my paints down the drain. When those things happened, I had nowhere to run except the backyard, where I'd climb the tallest tree and hide in its dense foliage.
It was my secret quirk. Only up in the trees, hidden away, could I find a moment's peace.
No one could see me. No one could hurt me.
I reached up, grabbed the lowest thick branch, and pulled myself up. The bark was rough. I worked my way through the crisscrossing branches until I found a perch high enough, then sat down on a wide limb and let my legs dangle.
Through gaps in the leaves, I could see the road outside the Manor, the clouds drifting across the distant sky. Wind rustled through the foliage with a soft whisper.
I took a deep breath. Some of the misery lifted. Up here, I was just a regular girl. I didn't have to think about mafia power struggles or obsess over love I didn't deserve.
But after barely fifteen minutes, a harsh voice suddenly barked from below, loaded with warning and killing intent.
"Get down from that tree. Now."
My eyes snapped open. I looked down.
A man in full black tactical gear stood beneath the tree, both hands gripping a black handgun. The barrel was aimed straight at me.
I saw the red laser sight. When I looked down at my chest, the red dot was right there.
Shit. This wasn't the Kornilov backyard where nobody cared what I did. This was a mafia manor. The security here had permission to shoot to kill. He might actually pull the trigger.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" I screamed, my voice warping with fear.
I tried to climb down, but my hands and feet wouldn't cooperate. I panicked, my foot slipped on the bark, and I lost my balance completely. I fell from the branch, eight feet up.
I hit the lawn hard. My knees smashed into the ground. Pain shot through me, but I didn't have time to care. I threw my hands up and looked at the man with the gun.
"I'm Natasha. Dante's wife. Look at me. I'm not an intruder." I rushed to prove my identity before this guy decided to end me on impulse.
He didn't believe me right away. He kept the gun raised, scanning my face carefully.
"Natasha?" He said my name, his voice full of disbelief and surprise.
He knew me? I looked at him more closely. He was young, handsome, with sharp features. Something about him felt strangely familiar.
"Leo." The name came out before I could stop it.
Leo laughed. He lowered the gun, walked over quickly, and reached out a hand. I put mine in his palm, and he hauled me to my feet.
I couldn't believe it was really him. Leo had been my high school classmate—sunny, a star basketball player. In that snobbish private school, Leo and Anna were among the few who'd treat me like a normal person.
"What are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me," I said, brushing dirt off my legs.
Leo rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic smile.
"I'm the new head of security here. I saw movement in the tree and thought it was an intruder. I didn't expect it to be you. I'm sorry." He explained earnestly.
I shook my head. "It's fine. You were doing your job. I'm the one acting weird."
"But seriously, where have you been all these years? You left so suddenly." I asked eagerly. I really wanted to know about his past. In this suffocating place, finding someone I used to know felt like a lifeline.
Leo's smile faded. His eyes darkened.
"My family fell apart." He sighed. "My dad's company went bankrupt.
He owed a lot of money. To stay alive, we had to pack up in the middle of the night and run.
I've been bouncing around different cities these past years doing odd jobs—bodyguard work, club security.
Eventually, the Romanov family recruited me. After training, they sent me here."
I listened quietly, looking at his black uniform and gun holster, frowning. For a former rich kid, that was a brutal road.
"I'm sorry to hear all that, Leo," I said sincerely.
Leo shrugged. "I'm used to it. That's life. Life never goes according to plan."
He paused and looked me up and down.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Leo hesitated, then continued, "Why are you Dante's... wife?"
I dropped onto the grass. I didn't want to stand for this conversation. I gestured to the lawn beside me, signaling him to sit too.
Leo hesitated, then sat down next to me.
I was glad to finally have someone my age to talk to. At the Manor, all the staff avoided me. Richard the butler only knew protocol. Katerina was kind to me, but she was an elder—Dante's mother. There was so much I couldn't say to her.
"Business marriage," I said, trying to sound light. "The Kornilov family needed Romanov protection. They needed to merge territories. So they shipped me here."
Leo's expression turned strange. His brow furrowed tight.
"That's not right." Leo looked at me seriously. "According to what I heard, your sister was supposed to be the one. That woman named Vera. Not you."
I looked down at an ant crawling through the grass, thinking about how to answer.
"What you heard is correct." I took a deep breath. "It was supposed to be Vera."
"Then why was it you?" Leo pressed.
"Because there was an accident." My voice dropped. "On the wedding day, Vera ran. So they married me off instead."
No point hiding it. I told Leo the whole absurd story. Even if I didn't tell him, he'd hear it from someone else eventually now that he worked here.
"That's insane. How could they do that to you? Shove you out there like some replacement," Leo said, anger sharp in his voice.
"I've accepted it." I gave a bitter smile. "I liked Dante anyway. And after Dante found out the truth, he started trying to make it up to me. He gave me a lot. I really thought our life would slowly get better. I thought he was starting to accept me."
I stopped. My throat tightened.
"And then?" Leo looked at me.
"And then Vera came back." I turned to meet his eyes. "So now I don't know if I'll even be here much longer. Ever since Vera showed up, Dante's completely changed. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know where I'm supposed to go. I feel like trash waiting to be thrown out."
My voice shook uncontrollably. Once the fear rotting in my gut found an outlet, there was no stopping it.
"Natasha, listen to me. I know men." Leo's tone was serious. "If he really loved you, he would never ice you out when you need him most."
My worst fear, spoken out loud by someone else.
I smiled bitterly, forcing myself to accept it.
"I don't know. Maybe everyone gets nostalgic when they run into an old flame. It's normal. And Vera's so perfect—of course Dante's conflicted. I just have to wait. Wait for Dante to make his choice."
I was trying harder to convince myself than anything.
Leo reacted suddenly, leaning in close and grabbing my hand.
"Don't say that." He looked at me intensely. "Natasha, you're a good person. You got dragged into this dirty mob deal through no fault of your own. You didn't do anything wrong. You don't have to degrade yourself for a man who doesn't appreciate you. You shouldn't be treated like this."
The sudden contact startled me. I instinctively tried to pull my hand back. But Leo held on too tight.
"Leo, let go," I said with a pained look. "You don't have to comfort me."
"It's not like that." Leo's voice was firm. He didn't let go. He looked deep into my eyes. "I don't know how you look to other people, but you've always drawn my attention. Natasha, I've been watching you. I've always felt—"
I froze. Stopped struggling.
Looking at the undisguised emotion in his eyes, a realization crashed over me.
The thought made me panic. My life was already a mess. I couldn't drag Leo into it, too.
"Leo, don't say any more." I lowered my voice and tried to pry his fingers off with my other hand.
Right then, sharp, slow clapping suddenly rang out nearby.
I whipped my head around. Leo immediately released my hand and shot to his feet, hand moving to his holster.
Dante stood fifteen feet away. I didn't know how long he'd been there. He clapped slowly as he walked toward us.
"Why didn't you let him finish, Natasha?" Dante stopped clapping and slid both hands into his suit pockets. He wore a mocking smile. "I really didn't see this coming. The head of security I handpicked to keep the manor safe—"
Dante's eyes burned into the spot where Leo had been holding my hand.
"—is out here brazenly hitting on my wife."