The words landed harder than I expected. For a second, I just stared at him, the night air suddenly feeling colder against my skin.
“You are my fucking wife,” he went on, his jaw tight. “Behave like it. You don’t go around letting men put their hands all over your body.”
Everything slowed after that, like my mind needed a second to process what he just said. Everything faded, leaving only the sound of my breathing and the way my pulse thudded in my ears.
“I stole your money.” The words felt heavy, but I didn’t stop. “I lied, and I know that’s why I am here.” My throat tightened, but I pushed through it. “I do everything you ask because I don’t have a choice.”
At that moment, I looked at him not as the man who controlled everything around him, but as the one standing in front of me and insulting me.
“And maybe you don’t see it,” I continued, my voice trembling despite myself, “but every single day I wake up hoping this … whatever this is doesn’t end yet. Just so Cole can have a little more time. Just so I can breathe without feeling like the ground is about to disappear under me.”
His expression shifted, just slightly.
“I respect you, and I know what you’re capable of. I know you can destroy us if you want to. But I am not that desperate.” My chest rose and fell unevenly. “You don’t get to insult me like that.”
He attempted to step closer, but I moved back.
“You would rather throw us out and make me pay for the restof my life than talk to me like I’m nothing.”
I wiped a stray tear and waved my hands.
“Everyone else disappeared,” I sobbed. “My parents, my old life. Everything.” The memories were already pressing in. “But seeing Romeo reminded me of when my parents were still there, when I was just a girl in a family that made sense. When I wasn’t a thief, a liar, a fake wife, and a desperate woman running around with no future.” I hated that I cried, and that made me look away. “He reminded me of that girl.”
I wiped at my cheeks again and breathed. “You wouldn’t understand. You have everything. I’m just your fake wife. If all you’re going to do is insult me, then let me go. I’ll work and pay you back for the rest of my life if I have to.”
Silence followed. It stretched long enough that I realized it was time to leave. “I’ll be with Caitlin.” Without waiting for a response, I walked back toward the door.
The music swallowed me when I stepped inside, but I moved through the crowd without really seeing anyone. My thoughts looped back to the same moment over and over. It stung more than I wanted to admit. I didn’t understand him. One moment, he was touching me in the bathroom like I was someone worthy of touching, and the next, all he saw was a slut. Did he think I allowed him to touch me because I was a slut?
I was happy seeing Romeo. He made me feel like the past had reached out and found me. But Dmitri took that and crushed it in seconds.
That hug carried years in it. It carried my mother’s voice in the cafe, the smell of coffee and bread, the sound of laughter that didn’t feel forced. Romeo was part of that world years ago. He used to sit in the corner of my mother’s cafe with his laptop, busy working. I used to watch him, curious at first, then comfortable enough to talk.
We became close, and he was even close to my parents. AndDmitri thought I shouldn’t have hugged him?
“Inna.”
I blinked, the memory snapping apart as Caitlin’s voice cut through. I turned toward her, and the moment she saw my face, her smile faded.
“Were you crying?” she asked, stepping closer.
I exhaled. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t look convinced. She reached for my wrist and gently pulled me away from the crowd, guiding me toward the back, where it was quieter. “What happened?” she asked, lowering her voice.
I hesitated before answering. “I don’t understand men,” I said finally, letting out a frustrated breath. “Does he not know what a hug is? I can’t hug anyone now?”
Caitlin stared at me for a second, then laughed as she tapped my shoulder. “When you hugged Roman?”
“Exactly,” I said, throwing my hands up slightly, “and Dmitri has the nerve to get mad.”
She shook her head, still smiling, and I glanced around instinctively, trying to spot Romeo again. But realizing Caitlin knew Romeo’s real name caught up with me.
I turned back to her. “Wait. You know Roman?”
“Who doesn’t?” She lifted a shoulder slightly, tilting her head towards the far side of the room. “There he goes.”
I didn’t realize Romeo was that popular. The Romeo I knew was a quiet guy who loved sitting in a corner of a cafe, buried in his laptop. But people change. It’s been over nine years since we met. He could be famous. But in Florida? How?