Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
They had known each other a year, and she had revealed a lot about herself. Stuff she had never told Roman Sidorov, but she had given to Roman Smith. He knew her mother had instilled in her the need to be respectful and kind. She loved her mother and had followed in her footsteps. She believed even if someone treated you like shit, that didn’t give you the right to do the same. That was what was wrong with the world, according to Chloe’s mother. There was nothing wrong with being kind.
“How are you?” Chloe asked.
That was all he had to wait for.
“I’m fine, I guess the real question is, how are you?” he asked.
“Why?” Chloe asked.
Roman tilted his head to the side and watched her. “I told you my reasoning three days ago.”
Her cheeks started to heat, again, just another part of her that he adored.
She dropped her spoon into the bowl, and he noticed she did it carefully so as not to spill a single drop of milk.
“I don’t get it. I went to the cops with the information I had. I must be some kind of liability. Why not just kill me? There’s no way you, your boss, or anyone within the Zaitsev Bratva could be happy with me being here.”
“They’re very happy, in fact.”
“How?”
“Don’t you get it, my sweet? You’re powerless.”
“I’m not.”
“No? You’re a young woman. Twenty-five years old, and just married to a very strong and powerful man. Anytime you go to the cops now, you’ll look nothing more than the petulant housewife. You want your husband’s attention and the only way to do that is to cause drama. I could have killed you, quite easily as well, but that requires more paperwork, more details. There are always those pesky cops that put two and two together and come out with four.”
He saw the tears in her eyes. “So, that’s it. Marrying me was easier than killing me. You just didn’t want the … inconvenience.” She looked away and he ignored that kick to the gut he felt.
Chloe rarely cried. Even when she talked about her parents’ and brother’s death, she’d not shed a tear. When he asked her about that, she said she had cried for three months afterward. She had to carry around tissues because she couldn’t get the tears to stop. Then one day, it was like she had cried as much as her body could stand. She hadn’t cried since. Until now.
He watched as she swiped at her cheek and stood.
“It was a lie, this past year, wasn’t it? All of it. You being … you.” She pressed her lips together.
“It was a means to an end.”
She nodded her head, then stepped away from the table. This wasn’t what he anticipated. He expected her to be angry, to scream at him, maybe even throw things, but this coldness was new.
“I didn’t dismiss you,” he said.
“I’m your wife. I’m not your employee or anyone you control. You don’t get to dismiss me.” With that, she turned on her heel and left.
Roman looked down at her breakfast. She had taken three scoops of cereal. According to his men, she had rarely eaten anything. He had made sure they kept an eye on her, even ordering food for her. Pizza was her favorite, but each night he came home, the pizza was uneaten. In the trash, he saw only a couple of banana skins and a few apple cores. He didn’t know if she was intentionally starving herself, or just couldn’t eat.
Getting to his feet, he picked up the bowl and dumped it in the trash, after pouring the milk down the sink. He cleaned up the mess, did the same with the cups, and then went to the bedroom where he found her already dressed. She wore a pair of jeans and an old, button-up checked shirt. She had pulled her long, brown hair back, and wore no makeup. Chloe rarely used makeup.
“You’re ready. We’re going out,” he said.
“Where?”
“To work.”
Most men left their women at home with a credit card. When it came to Chloe, he couldn’t trust her to go shopping, but he also knew letting her loose with a credit card just wouldn’t work. She never enjoyed shopping, even during the year they had been together, and he wanted to take her out and buy her things. Chloe had been more interested in enjoying each other’s company.
In all his years, Roman had never been to a picnic, a play fair, or even attempted to walk around any gardens, but Chloe had taken him. They were always doing something on their dates, rarely did they go shopping, apart from when she asked to go to the beach. He ended up destroying a pair of Italian shoes, and she took him to a shop to buy flip-flops.