Chapter 10 Who is Ivanov

Chapter 10

Druscilla

Kaila pushed the door open without knocking, the way she always did, and the scent of her vanilla body spray hit me first.

"Do you really want to postpone the wedding?" she asked, kicking off her sandals and flopping onto the edge of my bed like she owned the place.

I sat at the vanity, staring at my own reflection like it belonged to somebody else. The wipe in my hand smelled like rosewater and regret. I dragged it across my cheek, smearing the last of last night's mascara.

"I don't even know what to think anymore," I muttered, biting the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste copper.

Kaila's brows pulled together. "But why the sudden change of heart? You've been planning this wedding since we were kids. You had the damn color scheme picked out in middle school."

I tossed the wipe into the little silver trash can and watched it disappear. "That's exactly the problem. My whole life has been mapped out like a damn GPS route. Turn left at twenty-five, merge into marriage at twenty-eight, exit at babies and a white picket fence. I'm tired of knowing what's coming next every single second."

My palm came down on the vanity harder than I meant it to. The bottles rattled. Kaila flinched, eyes wide.

"I want to be surprised," I said, voice cracking. "I want to wake up one morning and not know how the day's gonna end. I want spontaneous. I want messy."

She just stared, lips parted, like I'd grown a second head right there in front of her.

I dragged in a shaky breath. "I'm not calling the whole thing off. I just... I need a minute. To breathe. To be single for five damn seconds before I sign my life away."

Kaila's face softened. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I get it. I do."

Relief flooded me so fast my eyes stung. I threw my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder. She smelled like home and trouble all at once.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Yesterday at the club... God, it was fun. Real fun."

She pulled back, confusion wrinkling her nose. "You? You enjoyed clubbing? I thought you hated that scene."

I touched my lips without thinking, the ghost of Ivanov's mouth still burning there. Heat crawled up my neck. "There's a first time for everything."

Kaila's eyes narrowed, playful but sharp. "After the bullets and the screaming and the whole 'we almost died' thing?"

I shrugged, standing up and reaching for my robe. The silk slid cool against my skin. "We're still breathing, aren't we?"

"Jesus, Cilia. You're scaring me." She laughed, but it sounded nervous. "I was losing my mind worrying about you."

I rolled my eyes and tied the belt. "You're acting like my mother now. Patricia had you shaking in your heels last night, didn't she?"

Kaila snorted, picking up the giant teddy bear Isaac gave me last Valentine's. She hugged it to her chest like a shield. "That woman could make the devil apologize. I swear she almost made me pee myself with that lecture down there."

I winced. "I'm sorry I left you to face her alone."

She waved it off. "It was my idea to drag you out. My fault."

I twisted my hair into a messy bun, the strands still damp from the shower I hadn't taken yet. "I need to get clean. I still smell like smoke and bad decisions."

Kaila's gaze snapped to my neck. Her mouth fell open. "Is that a hickey?"

My hand flew up before I could stop it. The mark was small but unmistakable-pink and tender, right where Ivanov's teeth had grazed me.

Shit.

I spun toward the mirror. There it was, loud as a neon sign.

Kaila was already on her feet, crowding me. "Cilia. Where the hell did you spend the night?"

I pressed my lips together, biting the inside of my cheek again. "I swear nothing happened with Ivanov. I must've hit my neck on something."

"Hmm. Interesting." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Who's Ivanov?"

The name had slipped out like a secret I couldn't keep anymore. My face went hot. I dropped my forehead to the vanity, the cool wood pressing against my skin.

I couldn't stop seeing him. The scar slicing through his eyebrow. Those strange, mismatched eyes that looked straight through every lie I'd ever told myself. The way water had slid down the hard lines of his chest in that hotel shower like he was carved from something dangerous and beautiful.

I'm engaged. I shouldn't be thinking about another man's hands, another man's mouth, the way he'd tasted like whiskey, chocolate and sin.

But God, I was.

Kaila grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. "Come on. Spill. You're blushing like a teenager."

I laughed, shaky and embarrassed. "I'm not telling you a damn thing. We need to get ready for church before Mom starts yelling the roof off."

"Your mom, your problem," she shot back, grinning.

Avery walked in right then, carrying the glass of water I'd asked for ten minutes ago. She looked a little flushed, like she'd been cornered downstairs again.

I took the glass from her and drank it in three long gulps. The cold shocked my throat. "Thanks, babe. I know Mom probably preached at you the whole time. I'm sorry."

Avery shrugged, sinking into my pink heart-shaped chair and spinning it slowly. "I'm used to it. She's consistent, I'll give her that."

Her eyes bounced between me and Kaila. "What'd I miss? You two look like you're hiding a body."

Kaila opened her mouth, eyes sparkling.

"Nothing!" I cut in, stepping between them. "Absolutely nothing. Let's just get dressed."

I escaped into the bathroom, heart hammering. Kaila caught the door before I could shut it.

"Let's do another bachelorette night," she whispered, winking. "I like this version of you. Wild. A little reckless."

"You're insane," I laughed, prying her fingers off the door and locking it behind me.

An hour later I was in a simple black V-neck dress that hit just above the knee, a thin belt cinched at my waist. Kaila and Avery had already left for church. I fastened the buckle, the metal cool against my fingers, when a knock sounded.

"Mom, I'll be down in a second!" I called.

"It's not your mom."

Isaac's voice. Low. Familiar.

I opened the door. He stepped inside, hands in his pockets, looking every bit the polished lawyer in his charcoal suit. But his eyes were tired.

"Your mom already left in the convoy," he said. "Figured you wouldn't want to ride with her today."

I exhaled. "Thank God. I'll meet her at church."

He closed the distance, voice soft. "I'm sorry about last night, baby. I panicked. I should've come in after you. I shouldn't have left with Avery."

I looked at him-really looked. The slump in his shoulders, the way he kept swallowing like the words hurt. Guilt twisted in my stomach.

"I overreacted," I said quietly.

"No. You didn't." He took my hands, thumbs brushing my knuckles. "I deserved every word. I just... I don't want to lose you."

"We're not breaking up," I told him, forcing a smile. "You're still the only man I've ever loved. You're going to be my husband."

He searched my face. "Then why postpone the wedding?"

The question landed like a stone in still water. I shifted my weight. "I need to think. Straight. Without all the noise."

"Why?"

The picture flashed behind my eyes again-the blonde, the angle, the way it had been tucked into that stupid cake like a poison pill.

I pulled my hands free. "Because I saw something. At the club. Inside the birthday cake you supposedly sent me."

His brow furrowed. "What picture?"

"You and some blonde. It wasn't clear, but it looked... intimate."

Isaac's face went slack. "That's a lie."

He reached for me again, gentle. "Baby, someone's trying to mess with us. I would never. You know me. I'd rather die than hurt you like that."

I studied his eyes. They were steady. Honest. The same eyes that had looked at me across the lunch table in tenth grade and promised forever.

"But it looked real," I whispered.

"You know what they say-don't believe everything you see." He cupped my face, thumbs wiping at the tears I hadn't realized were falling. "It was photoshopped. I don't know who or why, but I'll find out."

I sniffed. "You forgot my birthday."

The words came out small and cracked.

Isaac's shoulders dropped. "It slipped my mind. I had that big case, the one with the hedge-fund guy-"

"Work," I cut in, voice rising. "It's always work. That's all it's going to be when we're married, isn't it? You at the office until midnight, me waiting up like some sad little wife."

He pulled me into his chest. His cologne-something expensive and woody-filled my nose. I used to love it. Today it made me want to gag.

"I'm sorry, angel," he murmured into my hair. "Let me make it up to you. Dinner tonight. Just us. Somewhere nice. We'll talk. Really talk."

A date. Actual time. The idea felt foreign after months of canceled plans and quick kisses on the forehead.

I nodded against his shirt. "Okay. Yeah. That sounds good."

He kissed my forehead-soft, familiar, safe-then stepped back. "I'll make the reservation. I love you, Cilia. Always have."

"I love you too," I said, but the words felt heavy on my tongue.

He left, and I stood there a moment, staring at the closed door, the teddy bear on the bed watching me like it knew every secret I was trying to bury.

My driver was waiting downstairs. The ride to church was quiet, just the low hum of the engine and the city sliding past the tinted windows. When I stepped out, my Jimmy Choos clicked against the stone steps like tiny accusations.

Inside, the choir was already singing, voices rising sweet and steady. I slid into the pew beside Kaila. She'd saved me the spot, same as always.

The music wrapped around me, warm and familiar. For a few minutes I let it carry me. I closed my eyes and tried to feel clean. New. The way I was supposed to feel in this place.

Then the scent hit me-dark, expensive, a little dangerous chocolate and something sharper, like smoke and rain.

My head turned before I could stop it.

Three rows over, settling into a seat like he belonged there was none other than the handsome devil himself-the one who had lodged himself in my thoughts since last night. The very man I believed worship and the sermon had cleansed from my mind... and from my skin.

Ivanov Rodriguez.

Black suit. Crisp white shirt. The scar on his face catching the light from the stained-glass windows. Those sharp eyes scanned the sanctuary once, then locked on mine.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought the whole congregation could hear it.

What the hell is he doing here?

He didn't smile. He didn't wink. He just looked at me, steady and unblinking, like he already knew every filthy thought I'd had about him since last night.

And God help me, I couldn't look away.