It’s been three days since I returned home, and I kept my promise—saw my therapist the next day. I’m trying to believe I’m on the road to healing, but the walls of this house seem to close in on me, pressing into me with all the things I’ve been carrying. Things Konstantin doesn’t know. Things I need to tell him. And soon.


    To make it worse, Riley’s been feeding me more damning information about Gerardo. Each new piece ties him deeper to the DeLuca crew, and there’s no longer any doubt in my mind: Gerardo set Nate up.


    He’s been helping the DeLucas hide evidence and evade capture, manipting the system for years to protect them. The fact that I can’t confront him is eating me alive, and not being able to talk to Konstantin about it only makes everything harder.


    I know I can’t report Gerardo to the higher-ups until I get Nate out. If Gerardo really did frame him, nothing will stop him from killing my brother.


    Sliding into my sneakers, I prepare for my run, a habit I’ve picked up since leaving the hospital. It’s been the best way to release the frustration and anger building inside, since shooting things is no longer an option. Though, considering who I’m married to, I suppose it could still be an option.


    As Ice up my shoes, I sense Konstantin’s presence behind me—always there, always watching. His hand settles on my shoulder as I rise, solid and reassuring, and I sense the tension in him, the urge to protect me from even myself. I appreciate him for it, more than words can express.


    “Off for a run?”


    “Yes. Wanna join?” My gaze drifts over his sharp, expensive suit, knowing full well he’s not heading anywhere other than to another meeting.


    His eyes flicker with hesitation. “I’d rather you stay inside. There’s a lot going on right now, and I don’t want you wandering around.”


    “But I’ll have my big, strong bodyguards with me…” My attention drifts to Maksim and Dmitri, their eyes widening for a moment.


    Konstantin’s jaw tightens and he steps closer, tugging gently on my chin. His lips brush mine, a warning wrapped in tenderness.


    “Don’t try to make me jealous, wife. That never ends well. And it would be a pity if I had to kill my own cousins.”


    “Hey, we did nothing!” Dmitri protests, but I can barely hold back augh.


    “Irrelevant,” Konstantin growls, his teeth catching my bottom lip in a teasing tug.


    “I like it when you get jealous.” My hands wrap around his neck, pulling him down into a soft kiss. The rich scent of his masculine, seductive cologne drives me wild. “You’re not allowed to smell this good while I’m not here to fully enjoy it.”


    He smiles against my lips, a hint of mischief in his voice. “You’re making it very hard to leave you as it is, katyonak. Don’t tempt me.” He nuzzles my neck, and I groan. “I should blow this billion-dor deal and take you upstairs instead.” He palms my ass possessively.


    Augh escapes me. “You could. But you’d probably regret it.”


    He eyes me with maddening intensity. “I would never regret you, moya lyubimoya.”


    “Have you ever been told you’re a romantic?”


    He shrugs, a half-grin ying on his lips. “A time or two. Some have even called me a matchmaker.”


    I raise an eyebrow, my smile widening. “I can see that. You’re such a softie.”


    Maksim snickers from the side, and Konstantin shoots him a sharp look.


    “Shto?” Maksim raises his hands in mock surrender. “Am I lying?”


    Konstantin turns back to me, amusement flickering in his eyes as his hands tighten around my hips. “I’ll miss you. Text me when you’re done with your run.”


    “I will.”


    His lips fall to mine again, the pull of his touch almost too much to resist.


    With a sigh, he turns to his cousins. “You’ll go where she goes.”


    He holds me closer like he refuses to let me go, his lips pressing softly to my temple. The kiss is full of unspoken words, a promise to protect me even as he has to let me go.


    “Be careful.” His voice grows thick with concern. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”


    A wave of emotion rises in my chest, and I fight to keep it down. Never before have I felt this much, not until Konstantin. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”


    For a moment, as his eyes align with mine, it’s as though the world stops spinning and everything else quiets in its wake. I can sense his worry, his affection for me, in the way he holds me, the way he’s always there.


    When he starts toward the door, I call for him.


    “Konstantin.”


    He freezes and turns toward me.


    “When you get back from your meeting, maybe we can talk about us.”


    His brows furrow for a moment, but then the corners of his mouth twitch. “Of course, my love. We can talk about anything you want.”


    My love.


    I think that’s the first time he’s said it in English, and it hits me harder than I expected.


    I like it. A lot.


    He rushes back to me, like he can’t stand the idea of being away from me. His hands cup my face as his lips press gently to my forehead and emotions flood behind my eyes, too overwhelming to name.


    Damn this man—always making me feel too much, too fast.


    Clinging to his arms, I wish for it to stay this way. This good, this happy.


    But I know I’m only kidding myself.<hr>


    The rhythmic pounding of my feet on the gravel echoes in my ears as I continue my jog, the cool morning air filling my lungs. I focus on the path ahead, the sound of my breath blending with the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze, but I can’t shake it. Everything with Gerardo has invaded my thoughts, and I hate how much control he still has over me.


    When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I instinctively think it’s Konstantin, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts. But when I nce down, I see it’s Fiona. I immediately slow my pace and answer the call.


    “Hey,” Fiona’s voice rings in my ears through the earbuds,ced with an undercurrent of concern.


    I keep running, forcing myself to push through the tightness in my chest. “Hey. Everything okay?”


    “Did you forget what today is?”


    I almost stop in my tracks, but I can’t afford to, not with Maksim and Dmitri a few yards behind, watching my every move. They won’t stop unless I do. So I keep my pace, my mind racing to figure out what I’ve missed.


    Repeating the date in my head, over and over, I almost think she’s messing with me. Then it hits me.


    “Oh my God, Nate’s trial!”


    A wave of shame floods my face. How the hell did I forget? The hospital, the constant stress…it’s all been a blur. But still, what kind of sister forgets when her brother starts his trial?


    “It’s okay. I know you have a lot going on. Can you talk? I wanna tell you some good news for once. Wait, are you running?”


    “Mm-hmm, and please, I could use some of that. Tell me they dropped all the charges and that he’sing home.”


    “No, but hiswyer was able to get him an ankle bracelet, so he won’t be in jail for the duration of the trial. Unless he tries to run, of course. Then he’s fucked.”


    I nearly stop running, the relief rushing through me.


    “This is amazing.” My legs push harder, adrenaline surging through me.


    He won’t have to stay in that hellhole anymore. I smile, even though it’s bittersweet, thinking of Nate finally getting a sliver of peace amidst all this chaos.


    “Yeah, I figured you’d wanna know since you can’t be there. He should be home soon.”


    Emotions flood my system, unable to wait to talk to him.


    Fiona’s voice softens for a moment as she asks, “Are you okay?”


    I almostugh.


    No, I’m not okay. Nothing will ever be okay.


    But I lie instead. “Yeah, I’m fine.”


    She sucks in a breath. “I can’t wait until you’re done with those damn Marinovs.”


    “They’re not so bad…”


    She’s gonna take my head off for that in three…two…one…


    “I can’t believe you just said that! Have you met Aleksei? He’s a real piece of work.”


    “Yeah, a few times, and I mean, I can tell why you like him. You two would have some amazing se?—”


    Her tone cuts through like a knife. “I swear if you finish that sentence, we are no longer friends. I’m cutting you out of my life.”


    I can’t help butugh. “You’d never. Don’t lie to yourself.”


    “Seriously, watch your back with that one. He’s the worst.”


    “You two are so going to sleep together, and I’m gonna say I told you so.”


    Her response is instant and sharp. “Never going to happen. It’s just too bad I never managed to send his ass to prison. That still haunts me at night.”


    A teasingugh rises in me. “I’m pretty sure plenty of other things about him haunt you at night too.”


    “Seriously, shut up. I’m getting off now.”


    “It’s cute watching you deny this.”


    She groans before the call disconnects.


    And as I continue my run, I wonder when Aleksei is going to force her into a marriage quite like my own. Wouldn’t that be hrious?


    Okay, maybe not for her…<hr>


    Hourster, on the bench out back in the garden, I dial Nate’s number, desperate to hear his voice. My fingers tremble a little as I bring the phone to my ear, Maksim and Dmitri keeping a safe distance.


    “Hello?”


    My eyes pinch shut, a smile stretching as soon as I hear him.


    “d to see you’re alive.” I try to lighten the mood.


    “Yeah, almost thought I wouldn’t make it.” Nateughs, the sound dry and strained. But it quickly shifts into a low groan, and I’m instantly on alert.


    “Are you hurt?”


    “I’ll live. That’s all that matters.” He pulls in a sharp inhale, like even moving hurts. “Getting my ass beat the other day did help mywyer make the case for the ankle bracelet, though.”


    “I thought you were in solitary.”


    “I was, but they moved me back.”


    “Fucking great…” Frustration builds inside me.


    “It’s fine. It worked out. I’m out for now.”


    My eyes squeeze shut. “I want toe see you, but I can’t right now.”


    “Don’t worry. I get it. I’m lying low in the apartment anyway. Don’t worry about me.”


    I pause, unsure how to say what I need to. He deserves to know this too. That man means just as much to him as he does to me.


    “What is it, Em?”


    My God, he can see right through me.


    “Are you okay? Did that Marinov fucker do something to you?”


    “No, it’s not that…”


    “Then what the hell is going on? It can’t be worse than me being framed for Tim’s murder.”


    “Debatable…”


    “Alright, Em, you’re scaring me. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”


    My gaze drifts toward my bodyguards, stationed on the bench yards away, watching me closely. I whisper the next words, just loud enough for him to hear.


    “I’ve had Riley help me try to clear your name, and I found out some shit.”


    “Em,” Nate interrupts, the frustration sticking to his throat. “I told you, I don’t want you doing this shit for me. How many times do I have to tell you to let it go? Whatever happens, I’ve made peace with it.”


    “Well, I haven’t. I’m gonna get you off, because you didn’t do it.”


    “I know,” he says, the fatigue in his tone matching mine. “Thewyer will help me. Gerardo set me up with a good one and?—”


    “Wait,” I cut him off. “Did you say Gerardo got you one?”


    “Yeah…why?”


    The pulse in my head thuds, the words feeling like a p to my face. “I thought you had a statewyer.”


    “I did. But he got me a better one. What the hell is this about?”


    I pinch the bridge of my nose, struggling to breathe. I can’t hold this back anymore.


    “This is hard.”


    “Just say it. Whatever it is, I can handle it. You know that.”


    I swallow hard. “When Riley was digging into things, she found a connection between your partner and the Russians, and also some small-time gang called the DeLuca crew. Ever heard of them?”


    “Yeah, I have…” He pauses, the realization starting to hit him. “Wait, are you saying Tim was dirty?”


    “Yeah, Nate. He was definitely dirty.”


    “Shit…” He huffs, his frustration clear. “I never saw him do anything shady.”


    I exhale slowly, gathering my thoughts. “There’s more.”


    “Yeah?”


    “Gerardo, he?—”


    “No.” Nate interrupts sharply. “Don’t even go there.”


    But I have to. He has to understand the depravity of the situation.


    “Believe me, this is just as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear, but you have to know the truth, Nate.”


    There’s a long silence, like he’s giving me permission to go on.


    “Riley found payments to Gerardo from the DeLucas, stretching back years—and not small amounts, either. He’s been hiding evidence for them and using the system to protect them for a long time.”


    For what feels like an eternity, there’s nothing but silence on the other end of the line. I can’t hear him breathing, can’t hear him moving, just the steady hum of my own thoughts filling the quiet. Then, finally, his voice breaks through, sharp and full of disbelief.


    “There’s no way, Em. No damn way!”


    “I know this is hard to ept. Trust me, it’s tearing me apart. But it’s the truth. I had hypnotherapy to unlock that memory from when I was a kid, and it was him, Nate.”


    “What do you mean, him?”


    “He was the one. The one who was there that night. I saw everything. How he shot the other man, a cop, how he led me away. But he never told me. Never let me know the truth. Because he didn’t want me to find out.”


    A stretch of silence slices between us.


    “Oh, fuck…”


    “Yeah. We can pretend it’s not real, but the facts are staring us in the face. Tim’s dirty, Gerardo’s dirty, and now you need to watch your back. This is bigger than we thought.”


    There’s a deep exhale on the other end, followed by a harsh whisper. “Why the hell would he frame me?”


    “Because you were just an easy mark. He needed to pin it on someone, so why not Tim’s partner, the man who’s around him a lot, someone who’s had issues with him before? They have motive, opportunity, and a weapon.”


    “That fight Tim and I had a while back was nothing, Em. Plus, they’ve got no fingerprints.”


    “Yeah, but they don’t need fingerprints to make you the killer. Sure, it would help, but they will say you know how to clean up a crime scene.”


    “Shit, I don’t want to believe Gerardo did this to me of all people.”


    “I know,” I go on, scared that something will happen to him. “Just please watch your back. I’ll call you if I find anything else. I love you, Nate.”


    “Love you too.”


    When the call ends, I lower the phone and let out a shaky breath.


    At least now he knows.


    The truth is a cruel thing, one I wish I could forget. It would be easier to bury it and pretend everything’s fine.


    But life never offers us that luxury.