Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 450(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
My brother looks like a little boy next to my husband. Luka clears his throat and backs away, almost like he’s afraid of Valentin, and it’s not like I can blame him.
Even diminished and hurt, Valentin’s a gorgeous, vicious god of a man.
And my brother’s just a regular mortal.
“How did you two meet?” Luka asks, sounding extremely awkward.
“Work,” Valentin says.
“Oh? What do you do?”
“I run businesses.” Valentin’s grip on me tightens. “It’s funny. We’ve been married for a couple weeks now, and yet this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
Luka’s gaze flips to me and there’s a look of panic in his eyes. “I’m in med school. Just busy and stuff. Right, Karine?”
“Yeah, he’s busy,” I say, gently extracting myself from Valentin.
I know the truth is that Luka and I barely ever talk unless we have to, but I don’t need to see my husband make my poor brother squirm more over my mother’s unconscious body.
I pull Valentin from the room. He clearly doesn’t want to leave. “I’ll wait in the hall.”
“Luka’s my brother,” I say, exasperated. “Could you just give us a few minutes to talk?”
“Fine,” he says, jaw flexing. “But I’m still waiting in the hall.”
I roll my eyes, but good enough.
Luka’s sitting next to Mom and gently looking her over. I watch him work, impressed with how steady he seems. I’m barely keeping it together, but it’s like Luka’s falling back on his med school training and turning this into just another learning experience, even though it’s his own mother lying half dead in front of him.
“She’ll be okay,” he says after a short silence.
“I know.” I go and sit in the chair across from him. “She missed you a lot, you know.”
He grimaces and doesn’t look at me. “I visited as often as I could.”
“You’re only up at Temple. You could’ve visited a lot more.” I’m too tired to be kind right now, and there’s a lot of baggage between my brother and me.
“What do you want from me, Karine? I have a life.”
“You think I don’t?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Mama’s been drowning. You know that, right? We barely have enough to get by.”
“I send money home,” he says, sounding frustrated. “And you know I have my own debt.”
“Right, your med school. What a burden.”
“Are you seriously doing this right now?” He cocks his head, glaring at me. “You think I don’t love our mother?”
“I know you do,” I say but refuse to let him goad me. “I just don’t want you to be here now, when you have to be, and disappear again once it’s convenient. That’s all I’m saying.”
He doesn’t look at me. I’m suddenly aware that Luka’s only twenty-six, a few years older than me, and still very much a young man. Honestly, compared to Valentin, he seems like a child.
“I get it. I haven’t been as present as I should be. But you and Mama always were so much closer, and after Dad died—” He clears his throat. “You two have your own thing going.”
I laugh at him. I can’t help it. He’s so damn dense that he doesn’t even see past his own privilege. “I’m close with Mama because she did everything in her power to keep me in the house. You went to college. You went to med school. You think I didn’t have good grades? I could’ve gotten in anywhere.”
“Karine—” he says, frustrated.
“No, you listen to me. I’m tired of being quiet about this. Mama and Papa gave you everything because you’re the oldest boy, and I was expected to stay home and be a good daughter. You think that means I’m closer to them? Of course I am, I was stuck in the house while you were out having a life. Don’t give me that excuse, because I don’t want to hear it. I have no sympathy for you. When Mama wakes up, if she gets through this, you’re going to be around more for her. You’re visiting on weekends. You’re coming over for dinner at least once a week. Do you hear me?”
Anger flashes across his face. I’m sure he wants to argue right now. That’s the dynamic we’ve always had: bickering siblings.
Except his rage slowly fades as he looks at Mama’s unconscious body.
“All right,” he says at last. “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth. They should’ve done more for you.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sink back, suddenly so tired I can barely keep myself upright. “But that isn’t your fault.”
Quiet falls over the room. Luka’s in his own thoughts, and I’m in mine. After a while, he asks me about Valentin, and I tell him a sanitized version of my marriage to the Russian Pakhan. Part of me wants to drag Luka into this mess, but it’s better if he doesn’t know anything.
“The guy’s scary,” he says as he gets up to leave. “Seriously, everything’s good there? You know, with him?”