Page 71 of Royal Bargain

“I’ll try to find out more. But please be careful. Dariy’s not the only one you should be worried about.”

I nod slowly, my fingers brushing over Lily’s back. “I know.”

Sasha hesitates for a moment, then glances around before leaning in. “Would you at least consider it? He just wants you to come home,” she whispers. “He doesn’t care about your career, or even the Irish. He just wants his little girl back.”

I wish I could believe that. I wish it were that simple. But the truth is, I know my father. I know how love becomes possession in his hands—how apologies turn into expectations, how forgiveness is a leash.

“He says that now,” I murmur. “But what happens after I come back? When I refuse to stand beside him in court? When I won’t pretend I’m grateful, or obedient, or proud to be a Volkov?”

Sasha’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Then he’ll find a way to forgive you again. He always does.”

“But it’s not real, Sasha. It’s control.” My voice quavers, but I hold her gaze. “He doesn’t want me. He wants the version of me that never said no. That never ran.”

Sasha pulls me into a hug without asking. It’s tight, desperate, like she’s trying to hold onto something that’s already slipping through her fingers.

I hug her back just as fiercely. For a second, it feels like we’re kids again, playing make believe, running around the backyard, pushing each other on the swings…

But we’re not kids anymore. And the world we live in doesn’t deal in promises. Only consequences.

When we finally pull apart, she looks at Lily again, then back at me with a soft, teasing smile. “Is your Irishman giving you any trouble?”

I roll my eyes, but my cheeks warm anyway. “Liam? No. He’s… he’s been good to me. Really good.”

Her expression shifts, just slightly. The fondness fades into something more guarded. “Don’t let yourself get too close to him.”

I frown. “Sasha?—”

“I’m serious.” Her voice is quiet but firm. “I know you want to believe things can be different. I know you feel safe with him. But don’t forget who he is. Who his family is. Who we are.”

I stare at her for a beat.

“He’s still the enemy, Ana. No matter how kind he is to you right now.”

My heart sinks, but I don’t argue. Because some part of me still isn’t sure she’s wrong.

I lift Lily a little higher, shielding her from the cold wind as I nod. “Take care of yourself, Sasha.”

“You too, Annika.”

With one last look, she turns and walks away, her bodyguard falling into step beside her. Shane waits until they’re out of sight before approaching, his face unreadable.

I press a kiss to Lily’s head. She’s warm, soft. Safe.

“Yeah,” I murmur. “Let’s go home.”

The apartment’s quiet when we get back.

Kate’s in the corner folding laundry, the dryer humming like white noise. Shane locks the door without saying anything.

I unclip Lily from the carrier and kiss her again, softer this time, like maybe I’m trying to ground myself. She clings to my shirt, half-asleep.

In the nursery, I lay her down. My hand rests on her back longer than it needs to.

I don’t want to leave her. I don’t want to move at all.

But then my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I pull it out, expecting something from Liam—maybe a check-in, maybe a quiet Where the hell were you—but it’s not him.