Page 3 of Unrequited

The second time, I stayed inside but crept around the house to see if they’d notice.

The third? I snuck out for ice cream at a local street fair.

No one ever noticed.

We have guards at every exit and entrance, of course. My brothers monitor everything. They’re not just overbearing but militant.

I’ve never been out likethisbefore, not without a bodyguard trailing close behind.

Even at school, someone was always watching. Nobody dared approach the Kopolov family’s precious little princess. They knew if anyone triedanything, my brothers would kill them.

Literally.

No one took the risk. So I stood alone at school dances while the shadows of my guards hovered nearby like grim sentinels. I went shopping alone, to the bookstore alone, and spent more than my fair share at restaurants, eating solitary meals.

I was lucky to have one friend outside of my family. Just one. Mia, the only one who’s ever helped me bend the rules.

“Zoya?” Mia’s voice hisses from just ahead.

“I’m here,” I whisper back.

My heart pounds. I rub my clammy palms against the thighs of my fitted jeans. I’m nervous tonight, more than usual. But I’m alsoresolved.

Tonight, I’m doing something that would make my brothers lose their ever-loving minds.

I’m going to a club.

I’m going to have adrink.

Unsupervised.

And god help me, I’m going to get kissed. I’ve already made it my mission.

“You ready, baby?” My best friend Mia grins as she peeks around the corner of the tall hedges. Her eyes widen when she takes me in.

“Zoya… you lookgorgeous,” she praises. “No one would ever know who you are.”

Tonight? I’ve pulled outallthe stops.

I’m wearing a fitted, low-cut, red halter top with a vee that dips nearly to my navel. The color pops against my pale skin, bringing out my blue eyes and dark-brown hair. My jeans hug every curve. Red heels give me just enough height to feel bold, and a tiny clutch completes the look. I’ve practiced walking, practiced my smile.

I give her a small, nervous grin as hope surges in my chest. I sigh. How I wish I could live my life without anyone knowing who I am. My name, the title, the connections, the weight of all that entails… I’moverit. I need something more.

With a deep breath, I step out through the hedges, just as I rehearsed. They’re covered in ivy and nestled into the old stone wall behind the estate. Hidden. Secret. Though it’snot my first attempt at escape, this is the first one that feels real.

The dusky air wraps around me. Moonlight filters through the trees, and the buzz of crickets fills the silence. For a moment, I feel like Cinderella on her way to the ball.

And then…I’m free.

I’m shaking with nerves as Mia chatters in the driver’s seat of her hand-me-down car about some guy she’s meeting tonight.

“Are you sure your cousin isn’t coming?” she teases with a wink.

“Matvei?” I snort. “Are you serious? He’s terrifying. Unhinged.”

“And the only one of them who’s single,” she replies, waggling her eyebrows. “Your brothers aresohot.”

“Ew. Gross, Mia.Stop.”