I temper my emotion and sit beside him.
The fairy tale is about to end.
You wanted to know how long this would last, didn’t you?
Well… here’s your answer.
“Tell me whatever you need to,” I begin.
He sighs deeply. It’s a sound I’ve never heard from him before. “I’m sorry,” he says.
“Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” I snap. “Just tell me what you have to.”
He nods, but it’s still several more seconds before he finally breaks the silence.
“Esme, you and Phoenix, you mean the world to me,” he says.
I squeeze the armrest and brace myself for what’s coming.
“But I never should have made you believe I was leaving the Bratva behind.”
The hairs on my arm rise.
But nothing else changes.
And I know why instantly.
Because I’ve been expecting this all long.
Deep down, I’ve always known where Artem’s choice lay.
“The last several weeks, I’ve been consolidating power,” Artem continues. “I’ve been preparing to take on my uncle and fight for what’s mine.”
I nod slowly, as though I understand. Part of me doesn’t. Part of me does.
“I thought I could let you go,” he confesses. “I thought I could give you the freedom you crave so much. But… I’m a selfish fucker. I want you in my life, Esme. You and Phoenix. We’re a family and we need to stick together.”
I look down at my trembling hands, trying to process everything he is telling me.
“Hate me if you must. Get angry with me if you have to,” he says. “But come back to Los Angeles with me.”
I look up at his intense eyes, pooled in shadow. Despite their darkness, they’re so clear. They make me feel like I can fall into them.
“What if I say no?” I ask.
His body tenses instantly.
“I… I don’t know if I can accept that,” he admits. It’s a vulnerable answer. An honest one.
“Meaning what?” I ask. “You’ll force me back? Lock me in a room? Visit me at night to demand I perform my wifely duties?”
A ripple of hurt flashes across his eyes but his jaw doesn’t unclench. He’s still determined. Still hopeful.
“I will never force myself on you,” he says icily. “I just want you to understand why I can’t walk away from the Bratva, Esme.”
“Okay,” I say. “Tell me.”
“You may think it’s just about getting revenge. Avenging Cillian and Stanislav. And it is about that, I won’t deny it. But it’s more.”