Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Andrei
Sergei had those idiots who'd messed with Lilith lined up at the pool's edge, every one of them kneeling on the ground like drowned rats, trembling.
I didn't even need to say a word when I walked up. Sergei was already moving—he grabbed the woman who'd pushed Lilith and threw her into the water.
She thrashed to the surface, makeup running down half her face, mouth opening to scream.
Sergei grabbed her by the hair and shoved her back under. Bubbles broke the surface.
Then he let go. She floated up like a dead fish, clawing at the pool's edge, coughing violently.
Nobody dared help her. The other women who'd helped bully Lilith were white as sheets, crying and kowtowing apologies. Some party guests stood nearby, staring into their champagne glasses like they could read fortunes in them.
"I don't want word of this reaching my fiancée's ears." I gave the warning. Lilith didn't need to know what I'd done here.
"Of course, sir. Our lips are sealed." One of them nodded frantically. The others caught on quickly. "We didn't see anything."
"Good."
"Let them enjoy this pool party a while longer," I told Sergei.
Sergei nodded and grabbed the woman's hair again, pushing her back under.
I turned and left.
Anyone who touched Lilith deserved to die. I hadn't killed them only because I didn't want a body at a party Lilith was attending—it would scare her. But there were plenty of ways to teach someone a lesson without spilling blood every time.
After the party ended, I drove Lilith home. She sat in the passenger seat with my suit jacket wrapped tight around her shoulders, face turned to the window, watching the streetlights slide past.
From the moment we left the party until now, she'd barely said a word.
"Lilith, are you upset? Is it about what happened at the party?" I pulled over and looked at her.
She stayed silent. Watching her curl into herself like that, so small and quiet, hurt like hell.
"Those people from the party have been dealt with. They won't bother you again. I promise." Those women—the punishment I'd given them was too light. I reached out to pull Lilith into my arms, but the moment my hand touched her, she flinched.
"Don't touch me!"
Lilith turned to face me. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were red. She bristled like a porcupine, all her defenses up.
My hand froze mid-air. "Lilith, what's wrong?"
I had no idea where this sudden emotion was coming from, but her defensiveness made my stomach drop. She'd been fine when we were eating dessert. Just before that, she'd told me she was falling for me.
"Did someone hurt you? Did you see something?" I didn't know if she'd seen what happened by the pool and was now afraid of me. "Whatever it is, you should tell me. Give me a chance to explain instead of leaving me in the dark about why you're upset."
"Princess, please tell me."
"We should break up, Andrei."
"What did you say?"
The words hit me like a sledgehammer. I clenched my fists, veins bulging.
The thought of her leaving me nearly made me explode.
Rage burned in my gut. Violence flooded my brain. Break up? Impossible. She was my woman now. No one could take her from me—not even her.
I swallowed my fury. "That's not happening. Everything's been fine. Why would we break up?"
"We're not right for each other. If you're still hung up on someone else, don't drag me into it. I'm not some easy girl who can just close her eyes and pretend nothing happened while playing your loving girlfriend."
Lilith kept her eyes on the window. In the reflection, I could see tears shining in them.
"Who the fuck else is there besides you in my head?" I nearly laughed. "Lilith, you need to think carefully about what you're saying. But whatever you come up with, I'm not agreeing to a breakup."
"You know exactly what I mean. Don't make me spell it out and embarrass us both. Andrei, I'm completely disappointed in you." She hugged herself, pressing against the far side of the seat.
What the hell was I supposed to know?
I wanted to use the same methods I'd use on a traitor, but this was Lilith—my Lilith, the woman I'd break before letting slip through my fingers. Even when she infuriated me like this.
"Lilith, let's just talk this through. What exactly—"
"No! I have nothing to talk to you about!" Lilith shook her head frantically, tears threatening to spill. She pressed herself against the door, yanking at the handle. "We're already broken up. I'm going home, and don't come looking for me again."
When she got the door open and started to bolt, rage reignited in my chest. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back in, then hit the locks on all the doors.
"What are you doing?" Lilith struggled wildly in my grip. Tears spilled down her cheeks, nearly breaking my heart. "Open the door! Andrei, don't make me hate you."
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. I took a deep breath, waiting for the explosive anger to pass, but the knot in my chest was suffocating.
I couldn't bear to let Lilith keep driving a knife deep into my heart. "Hate me? A few hours ago, you said you liked me. Lilith, don't treat me like some toy you can throw around!"
Lilith went silent. Tears streamed down her face.
Damn it. She'd gotten me this worked up, and I still wanted to wipe away her tears.
I roughly searched my pockets and pulled out that goddamn hard-to-find handkerchief, reaching for her face.
"Don't touch me!" Lilith jerked back instantly, slapping my hand away.
My hand hung frozen in the air, clutching the handkerchief. If the person in front of me wasn't Lilith, she'd have a bullet hole in her forehead by now.
"You need to calm down."
Without waiting for her response, I caught both her wrists and wiped her face with the handkerchief.
She couldn't fight my strength. She let me clean her face, but the tears kept coming. I couldn't wipe them away fast enough.
I threw down the handkerchief with a scowl and started the car.
"I want to go home! Where are you taking me? Asshole!" Lilith yelled, but I ignored her. I was taking her back to my manor. If necessary, I'd already decided I'd lock her up there—never let her leave that house.
I brought Lilith into my study and pressed her into a chair. "Have you calmed down? Can you talk now?"
She looked like a hissing cat, hair disheveled, arms crossed. "Let me go. Do you mistake me for someone else? I'm not going to worship you like some god, Volkov. Please let me leave. Please!"
"Someone else? What the hell are you talking about? Lilith, even if you're sentencing me to death, I deserve to know why. I have a right to know!"
My hands clenched unconsciously, crushing the water glass I'd been about to hand Lilith. Blood mixed with ice water ran down my fingers. I stood there, frozen with rage.
My action seemed to startle her. Worry flashed across her face. She grabbed my hand instinctively to check it, then seemed to catch herself and let go.
She cared about me.
So why the hell did she want to break up?
I grabbed Lilith's hand back. "Don't tell me you don't care about me. If you didn't care, you wouldn't give a damn if I was hurt. Lilith, just give me the truth."
Lilith's shoulders slumped. She pulled her hand away and looked at me with such sadness.
"Your ex-wife. How long were you planning to keep lying to me? I heard it from someone else—I look like her, don't I?" A cold smile played at Lilith's lips. "Sorry, but I'm not her. I'm going crazy trying to get away from you. How's that? Not so much like her now, am I? Just let me go."
"What the fuck does she have to do with anything? She's been dead for over ten years." I slammed my hand on the desk. "Lilith, tell me who said what to you."
Blood from my hand dripped onto the desk. I ignored it, keeping my eyes locked on Lilith. She stared back, her brow furrowed in pain.
"Rebecca told me everything. You have women all over the place, and I look like your ex-wife. You find women to be her replacement, and I'm the one who looks most like her. That's why you wanted to marry me, isn't it?" Lilith's voice rose to a shout, even as tears streamed down her face.
"Rebecca's full of shit. I promise you—you and my ex-wife have nothing in common. My marriage to her was a business arrangement. No feelings involved."
"Before you, I never loved any woman. After you, I haven't let another woman near me. Lilith, I wouldn't lie to you. I don't love anyone else. There is no goddamn replacement."
Lilith's expression softened slightly, but she still didn't respond to my explanation.
"You'd believe some random person over me?"
"No, but she's your sister. She knows you."
"I don't care what the hell she is. She's wrong. I'll make sure she knows not to project her fantasies onto other people. Right now, you only need to listen to me. I want you to use your eyes and your heart to understand me. Then ask yourself—do you really want to break up with me?"
Lilith didn't speak. She looked at me with those tearful eyes, her body trembling slightly. I could see her pain.
I didn't press her. Instead, I walked around the bookshelf and pulled a velvet box from the safe. I opened it in front of Lilith.
"This was my mother's ring. She inherited it from my grandmother. Before she died, she put it in my hands and told me to give it to her future daughter-in-law. I've never given it to anyone—not even my ex-wife."
I took out the ring. Like some nervous kid, I looked at Lilith anxiously, my heart pounding.
"Maybe you won't believe me, but I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.
Even knowing you were my son's ex-girlfriend, I still brought you home.
After that, you invaded my dreams. No one else has ever done that.
So I decided long ago—I'm going to marry you. And this ring belongs to you."
"Lilith, will you wear it?"