Chapter 24 #3
"Don't." I almost laughed. "Don't dump me, humiliate me, marry my best friend, then come tell me I'm a good girl. You didn't say that before."
Makar's jaw tightened.
"You said I looked like an overstuffed couch in a dress. You said looking at my body disgusted you. You said touching me made you want to vomit." I didn't give him an escape route. I kept going.
Each repetition reopened old wounds slightly. Strange thing was, they didn't hurt as much as before. Maybe too much had happened these past two days. Maybe I'd finally realized that being rejected or chosen by a man didn't determine my worth.
Makar's face filled with discomfort. "I'm sorry."
I said nothing.
"After leaving you, I haven't slept well.
I keep dreaming about you. About what we had.
" Those steel-gray eyes lacked Varlam's impenetrable calm, showing only young and direct regret.
"Chloe just looks gentle. After marriage, I realized how cruel she is.
She yells at waitstaff, bosses my friends around, everything has to go her way.
She wanted the Petrov name, the money, the envious looks from others. "
"So you discovered Chloe wasn't the woman you imagined, and now you want to pick me back up? Makar, I'm not your backup plan after a failed marriage."
Backup, substitute—both words stabbed like knives into my chest. What kind of brothers had I encountered? One treating me like a shadow of his white moonlight. Another suddenly realizing I was great after his wife didn't work out, wanting me back.
Makar saw my expression and softened his voice.
"I know nothing I say can fix this. But I can take care of you."
"I don't need it." I frowned.
"You and the baby."
I stared at him, speechless for several seconds.
"Is your brain waterlogged? I'm carrying Varlam's child."
Saying that name still made my chest tighten traitorously. Makar didn't look surprised.
"I know. But the child shouldn't pay for adults' mistakes."
Hearing those words from Makar was absurd enough to make me wonder if I was still feverish. He moved forward half a step, then stopped under my warning glare.
"I know about Varlam and Brinny."
My whole body went rigid.
"They were together before," Makar said. "Not casual dating. Varlam really loved her. After she left, he never truly got over it. Everyone in the family knows, they just don't dare mention it in front of him."
The sunlight warmed my skin, yet I felt the ocean's cold again.
"Thanks for the news," I said. "But you're two days late."
His brow moved.
"You already knew?"
"I saw who he chose with my own eyes."
Makar's expression grew complicated. He probably wanted to ask what happened on the yacht but didn't in the end.
"Then you should definitely leave."
"I will."
This time, he was clearly stunned.
"I'll resign and move away," I looked at him. "But not for you."
"I can take you away from here."
"Makar—"
"Hear me out." His tone finally showed some force, but quickly softened again.
"I won't pressure you to get back together.
I'll take you somewhere Varlam can't find.
You can have your own place, your own work.
I'll find you doctors, help care for Rory, cover the baby's expenses.
You won't have to work until dawn over bills anymore. "
The offer was dangerously tempting. A place without Varlam. Rory could have a better school. The baby could be born safely. I wouldn't have to calculate my account balance daily, wouldn't have to choose between keeping my dignity and paying bills.
Security. The word appeared like a soft bed before someone utterly exhausted.
But the person offering this was Makar. The man who'd torn me apart and left the pieces on display at a wedding for everyone to see.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I owe you."
"Debt isn't love."
"Then don't call it love yet." Makar looked at me. "Call it compensation. A chance to start over. Whatever you want."
My hand touched my abdomen, hiding a fragile child who might need expensive medical care. Not only that—his existence couldn't be known to Varlam. My brain felt violently shaken, all thoughts colliding into chaos. I needed money, safety, needed to be far enough from Varlam.
But I wasn't sure if Makar was an exit. He might just be another abyss.
"I don't know," I finally said.
But I was certain I'd never fully surrender myself to any man again. What I needed more was to fully leverage my wedding planning skills after leaving Varlam, earn more money that way, and support my child and brother.
Makar's shoulders relaxed slightly, as if this was already better than the answer he'd expected.
"You don't have to decide now." He put his sunglasses back on and opened the passenger door for me. "Let me drive you back."
I kept my hand protectively over my abdomen and stepped into Makar's car. As the door closed, he said quietly, "I'll wait for you, Briony."
The engine started. The black sports car pulled away from the hospital. I watched that white building shrink in the rearview mirror until it vanished completely.
Maybe I should have left long ago.