I back away the second Magda’s tiny hands clutch him in return, sensing the need to make my exit. Downstairs I try to distract myself by cleaning up the table and the dirty dishes. Eventually, I wind up nursing a glass of wine, contemplating running.
This is best for everyone, right? A father and daughter reunited—no more need for an interloper…
After over an hour, I risk creeping up the stairs. A soothing, deep hum drifts from Magda’s room. Singing? Yes. God, I recognize the rasping, haunting voice as Vadim’s. He has her sleeping in his arms, rocking her as he sings the same song he must have while she was in the hospital.
My heart aches as I leave them be and crawl into bed alone.
If I were a better woman, I would gather my things and leave now. Let them rebuild their bond in peace. It might hurt in the short-term, but in the long-term, they’d be better off. They belonged together—without me.
But as the minutes tick by, I don’t get up.
I never pack my things.
I never leave.
Chapter Eighteen
I wake up, alarmed to realize that Vadim isn’t beside me. Judging from the state of the sheets, he never came to bed during the entire night, either. When I venture down the hall, my alarm eases. I find him still in Magda’s room, in the same position I’d left them in last night.
His eyes meet mine tiredly as she slumbers in his arms, her head propped against his shoulder.
Again, I retreat and shower, taking my time. I get dressed, and when I finally reemerge, Magda’s room is empty. I head downstairs, but they aren’t in the kitchen either. Or on the terrace.
Confused, I wander the rest of the downstairs level, only to run into a scowling Ena when I reach the front door.
“Horse,” he grunts, though I sense he regrets telling me even that much.
I head out to the stables. Sure enough, the beautiful Zzazza is in one of the fenced-in pastures, looking like something out of a fairytale. Riding her is Vadim, still in his rumpled sweats. Seated before him, in her riding outfit, helmet in place, is Magda. She sits stiffly as he murmurs instructions into her ear, explaining various aspects of riding.
But bit by bit, she obeys his gentle suggestions, adjusting her grip on the reigns. And every now again, her eyes dart to him for approval—which she finds every single time.
My chest aches as I creep to the fence and watch them. It’s a night and day contrast to yesterday. They both look relaxed, for one, their expressions neutral. Still hesitant in some ways, but it’s progress.
Spotting me, Magda cracks the tiniest hint of something that may or may not be a smile, and my heart soars. Above her, Vadim grins in that wary, breathtaking way.
And their fragile, fledgling joy resonates like sunlight, adding life to the overcast landscape.
Only once night falls, and Magda is fast asleep do I finally meet with Vadim alone. He enters the bedroom awkwardly, having been the one on bedtime duty for once.
Our eyes meet, and words spill from my throat before I can hold them back. “I’m so happy for you,” I tell him, my voice wrought with emotion. “I am. I’m so, so happy—”
“But you’re doubting.” His eyes narrow as he advances, pinning me in against the wall before I even realize what’s happening. One shift of his body and I’m trapped. But this prison isn’t one I’m eager to escape, no matter how fiercely every nerve in my body is urging me to run.
“My beauty…” My eyelids flutter as he grasps my chin, cradling my jaw against his palm. It should be illegal for one gesture to contain so much emotion. I sway, overwhelmed as he draws me to him, his mouth hovering near my throat.
“Gaining Magdalene was one obstacle I’ve surmounted,” he tells me, his voice low with a determination that sets me alight. “I won’t lose you. Whether I have to shackle you, or chastise or claim…” He captures my hips, grinding his touch into my flesh. “I refuse to relent. You will give in to me. I know it.”
“Through marriage?” I ask softly.
He smiles, and my heart lurches, hammering madly. “Through corruption,” he corrects, stroking my hair from my face. “I will corrupt you as thoroughly as you have tainted me, be it through marriage or otherwise.”
“That sounds like a threat,” I confess, even as I find myself lurching into him, manipulated by his groping touch.
“Take it as you will,” he warns, his voice deepening with possession. “I will have you. No matter the cost. No matter the price. I will.”
Whether I’m willing to be bought or not.
Chapter Nineteen
“That’s another round lost for Tiffany,” Vadim declares from over a stack of neatly arranged Monopoly money. “I think we might have to up the stakes.”
“Like what?” Magda asks conspiratorially. They sit on the same end of the table, far too close for my liking. Something tells me that I’m woefully outmatched in this war.
“Like…” Vadim cuts his gaze to me. “If Tiffany loses again, we should devise a fitting punishment for her.”
“No fair!” I snatch a handful of money from the till and throw it at him. “I forfeit!”
Vadim’s grin is sinful. “Shall we let her?” he asks Magda, who gleefully shakes her head, her curls bouncing.
“Then, I declare…” He strokes his chin in chilling contemplation. “That she be tickled to death!”
He lunges for me, and I race away, cackling at the top of my lungs. “No! I’ll never give in! Never—”
I break off as a knock sounds from the front door, and I skid to a stop at the mouth of the foyer.
Frowning, Vadim slips past me, the playful mood broken. Squaring his shoulders, he opens the door, and I can tell just from his posture alone
