Page 144 of The Last Hope

Before I could react, his lips were on mine—rough, commanding. By the time I caught my breath, I was already seated in the passenger seat, and he was buckling my seatbelt.

He turned to Sasha, who was once again scrolling through his phone, “get him out. Call one of the guys to pick you up. I don’t want to see him until tomorrow night,” Nikolai snapped and slammed my door shut.

Then he circled the car, climbed into the driver’s seat, and started the engine. His threat lingered between us—and instead of fear, it sent a shiver down my spine for an entirely different reason.

Chapter thirty-eight

Nikolai

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched my wife squirm in her chair the next morning during breakfast. She carefully avoided my gaze, and the few times our eyes did meet, her cheeks flushed an adorable shade of red—completely understandable, considering how much she had enjoyed her punishment.

Fortunately for her, the boys weren’t there to witness this scene. Earlier that morning, I had received a call—unexpected, to say the least, but not entirely unwelcome. My sons’ grandmother, Agata, had asked if she could keep them for the weekend. I had been ready to refuse outright, but Selina had thought it would be good for the boys to maintain a bond with Irina, despite everything that had happened. And since Nina would be there, I knew she would keep a watchful eye on them.

So, I had agreed—on the condition that Rafael went with them. I didn’t want to separate him from his brothers, not when they got along so well. They would look after each other.

Nina had come to pick them up in the morning, and despite their initial reluctance, Selina had managed to convince them by reminding them of the vacation we were planning for next week.

“Are you alright, Selina?” Elif asked suddenly from the other end of the table, her eyes still red from Tarik’s early morning departure.

My wife froze, lifting her gaze to my sister, opening and closing her mouth without answering. I burst out laughing, drawing Elif’s attention.

“Leave my wife alone, Elif. She didn’t have an easy night—her first street race, then a stint in a holding cell with Roman, andfinally, a well-deserved punishment,” I said, taking a bite of bacon.

Sienna choked on her orange juice, coughing so violently it seemed she might tear her lungs out. Elif stared at Selina wide-eyed, while my wife turned redder than a peony.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” she hissed through clenched teeth as Sienna struggled to breathe.

Sasha handed Sienna a glass of water, which she accepted without looking at him, her unwavering stare fixed on her sister.

“Sienna…”

“A street race ?! And a holding cell ?! What the hell, Selina ?” Sienna exclaimed.

My smile faded as I saw my wife’s expression shift. She was truly angry.

“That’s not like you, Selina—”

“Maybe it is !” my wife shouted suddenly, pushing back her chair as she stood abruptly, her dark eyes locking onto her sister’s.

We all froze.

“Maybe this is who I want to be ! Maybe I want to stop worrying about everything—about whether I’ll survive another day ! About whether Antonio has planted something else in my body ! About whether he’s going to come after Rafael again ! Or worse—you! Where were you these past eight years, Sienna ? And why the hell do you have clothes that belong to a whor—”

“Selina,” I cut in, rising to my feet as well.

A heavy silence fell over the room as the two sisters held each other’s gaze. Selina’s breathing was ragged, her shoulders tense, while Sienna remained perfectly still, her face unreadable. The only thing betraying her emotion was the single tear slipping down her cheek.

Selina gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she shook her head.

“Sienna…”

“I need some air,” Sienna muttered, wiping her cheek before walking out, her movements stiff but controlled.

Selina started to follow her, but I held her back just as Sasha murmured, “I’ll handle it,” and followed after Sienna.

“Oh my God ! What’s wrong with me ? Why did I say all that ? Nikolai…” she sobbed.

I pulled her into my arms, casting a helpless look at Elif, who had moved closer. She simply shook her head, just as lost as I was, before gently rubbing Selina’s back and guiding her toward the couch. I watched them, still confused.