Page 29 of A Sinner's Virtue

“Just landed an hour ago,” she says.

“Why? I mean, not why? But I didn’t know you were coming? Where’s Mikhail? The kids?” I look around, waiting for the rest of them to appear.

“Mikhail just took them out for ice cream with my dad.” Izzy rolls her eyes. “We have about an hour to ourselves before they’re back. Which means you have an hour to tell me all about this Marcel fella.”

“Fella?” I lift an eyebrow at her, the smile on my face not wanning. I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed her.

“Yeah, fella. Follow me. I have a bottle of wine open already and I don’t want you to leave out any details.”

After two glasses of the good stuff, I start to relax, feeling a light buzz. Something that allows me to start to open up more about Marcel—probably more than I should. “I feel like I shouldn’t like the way he… the way we, well, have sex,” I tell Izzy.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s different from how things were with Flynn. Rougher, I guess.”

“Rougher? But you like it?”

I nod my head. “There hasn’t been anything Marcel has done with me I don’t like,” I admit.

“Then don’t overthink it. If you like it, he likes it, go with it.”

“He took me dancing.” I smile.

“Dancing?”

“Mhmm. It was weird at first, and then it wasn’t. And then I had a flashback and freaked out a little.”

“You didn’t call me.” Izzy’s brows draw down, and I realise her confusion.

“I didn’t need to,” I say. “Marcel… he just kept talking to me. I don’t know how or why, but he didn’t seem fazed.”

“Okay.”

“Flynn used to get embarrassed whenever it happened. Especially if someone else saw me.”

“Flynn is a pussy-ass motherfucker,” Izzy grunts. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Marcel says the same thing.”

“I think I might like this Marcel guy,” she hums thoughtfully, while raising her glass to her lips.

“I don’t.” Mikhail’s voice booms through the room. He’s followed in by Mabilia and Little Neo. Then Big Neo, who’s holding baby Lex.

“Mikhail, she’s happy. Don’t you dare ruin it.” Izzy glares at her husband.

“I would never do such a thing,” Mikhail says as he leans in to kiss her before pressing his lips to my forehead. “Zoe, it’s been way too long.”

“I know,” I tell him. I’m then bombarded by a frenzy of little hands as Mabilia and Neo jump on me, both squealing out my name.

“Okay, give Zoe some space.” Izzy scoops up Neo but leaves Mabilia with me.

I love this little girl. She was just a tiny baby when I first went to live with them, and now she’s a mini Izzy, right down to the sass and recklessness. “Zoe, I missed you most,” Mabilia says.

“I missed you too, so much. Like a whole lot.”

“I know,” she replies confidently, and I laugh. I wish I had just a tenth of her confidence.

“So, where is this Marcel?” Mikhail asks.