The pair of them blink, stunned.
I rub my temple, not really knowing where to start. “Please don’t tell me you went to the police about me?”
“We were about to,” says Mom. “After that call, I couldn’t get in contact with you.”
“I know. And I’m so sorry. I’ll tell you everything,” I say. “Please don’t tell the police anything. If you go there, you could die.”
Lila searches each of my eyes. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Igor’s father forced me to marry him.”
Their eyes burst out of their sockets simultaneously.
I keep speaking before they get started with the questions. “Look, I’ll promise I’ll fill in the blanks later. But for now, I need you to stay quiet. Don’t tell anyone about this. Don’t tell anyone I’m back.”
“You said you were in Beverly Hills taking a break with your work colleague,” says Mom. “You lied.”
The guilt washes over me all at once. I hold onto the back of the couch for stability, straightening my vision. Fuck. I appeased Valerian, did everything he asked.
And as a result, I lied to the two people closest to me.
I’m completely lost for words. But I can start with two very small ones: “I’m sorry.”
But it’s not enough. It doesn’t fix what I did. Or how they’ve been feeling this past week.
Lila and Mom keep staring at me.
“Igor’s father is the leader of a Bratva.”
“What’s a Bratva?” asks Mom.
“Organized crime.”
“Going on here in the city?” Mom’s jaw drops. “And you’re involved?”
“I didn’t know I was until I went over to Igor’s apartment to take back those documents.”
Lila pins me a look. “What happened when you were there?” The tone of her voice is steady, but I can sense it starting to shake. “You told me Igor threw you out.”
Another fucking lie.
“I know. I’m sorry. That’s not what happened.” I keep staring at her. “His father caught me trying to break in. He took me back to his place in Beverly Hills and chained me to his bed. He forced me to marry him the next morning as punishment for his son betraying the Bratva.” I sigh. “I tried to get out of it. But I was swimming at the beach, and they took me.”
“We’re going to the police.”
“No, Mom. No offence—there’s a lot you don’t know. These people are very dangerous.”
“They kidnapped you, stole you from your home, and forced you into a marriage. God knows what else this man has done if he chained you to his bed…”
I flick my gaze to the ground, which Lila picks up on immediately.
And now it’s all becoming very obvious. As soon as I think about Valerian in a sexual way—which is all the time—I go bright red.
“What aren’t you telling us, Joy?” asks Lila.
I look up at her. She narrows her eyes, trying to work out the answer herself. She reads my face. God knows how smitten I look right now.
“Oh my god.” Lila steps back, placing a hand over her mouth. “You’re in love with him? Aren’t you?”