Page 50 of Thorns of Love

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I tossed and turned for hours, expecting Illias to come back to bed.

He didn’t. It was almost midnight, Moscow time, before my eyelids started to droop and sleep pulled me under.

Adrian’s hands grasped the wheel in a steel grip as we drove away from Vasili’s home. It was their traditional Halloween-slash-anniversary party. It was my favorite time of the year too. The holidays were right around the corner, yet I couldn’t muster the energy to be happy about it this year.

My eyes darted my husband’s way.

He was in a strange mood.

Something had pissed him off. He was irritable, and by the way his jaw ticked, he wasn’t in the mood to talk. Was it my comment about wanting a baby? He didn’t want kids. It was another thing he kept from me. So many damn secrets, I started to feel like I didn’t even know him.

Or maybe there was something bigger going on?

I saw Vasili, Sasha, and even Alexei get into a heated discussion with Adrian, but the moment they spotted me, the four of them abruptly stopped talking. There was only one thing my brothers didn’t share with me - Bratva business.

Adrian stuck more to legal businesses, but every so often he ventured into the illegal side. I’d be a hypocrite if I held that against him considering where my family came from. But there was something amiss, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I studied my husband’s face.

His expression was dark. His jaw clenched. His knuckles white as he clasped the steering wheel.

“Are you still mad about the baby comment?” I demanded to know. My heart clenched remembering how fast he shut me down when I first mentioned it a month ago. It had slowly progressed from there - the anger simmered, the bitterness swallowed, and the betrayal grew.

Ironic really. It only took one major topic and only a month for our differences to manifest.

But I refused to cower or accept defeat. I’d been honest with Adrian from day one. I wanted a family. If he never had any intention of having children, he should have told me before I pledged my life to him.

He flicked his eyes my way, then returned them to the road. I waited for an explanation. For another argument. Anything.

Instead, I just got silence that felt heavy and thick, suffocating us both.

“I just want a simple family,” I rasped, my heart fluttering with broken wings. “A simple life. I don’t need all the fancy stuff.” He scoffed, throwing me an incredulous glance. “I totally would,” I protested.

“You’d give up your wardrobe? Your jewelry? Your Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Hermès?” he asked with a snicker.

Okay, so I liked nice stuff. I couldn’t help it. It made me feel good when I was down. Whenever I was sad or upset, my brothers would take me shopping. They hated it, but it was the only way they knew how to compensate. Sasha would hug me, try to talk to me, then drag me out to the fanciest store within our vicinity. Vasili would just grumble about hormones, then drag me to the store. He’d find a corner where he’d brood while working and order sales ladies to satisfy my every whim. Father was rarely, if ever, around.

Hence, my brothers created a monster. A stylish monster.

“I would give it all up,” I claimed. There was no doubt in my voice. No second guessing. I just wanted us to have a family. A child. Maybe two. A boy and a girl.

“No.” One word, but it had so much power to hurt. Pain sliced through me. Anger followed. He had no right to take that away from me without an explanation.

“Why not?” I snapped, but as the last syllable left my lips, Adrian floored the gas and my body flew back into the seat. I shot him a glare to find him peering into the side mirror.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed.

No answer.

Worry furrowed his eyebrows. The vein in his neck pulsed. I opened my mouth to say something, but it was like the switch was flipped.

My head hit the passenger window. Again and again.

Adrian said something. His lips moved. He said something else. I couldn’t hear it. I tried to focus on the words. “Tatiana, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have used you.”

Smash.