Page 22 of Secret Heir

“You think you protected him?” Maksim continues, relentless, speaking everything I’ve already thought of myself. “You didn’t. You failed him. You failed to provide for him. You failed to give him the basic necessities a child needs. You failed as a mother.”

My hand moves before I can think.

The slap cracks across his face with a sound that echoes through the room, and his head snaps to the side.

For a moment, neither of us breathes.

“Don’t you dare.” My voice is shaking with rage along with shame and guilt. “Don’t you dare judge me. I kept him alive. I kept him safe. I worked myself to exhaustion to give him everything I could. So what if it wasn’t enough? So what if I couldn’t give him luxury and plenty? He had love. He had me. And he didn’t have to grow up around violence and murder and⁠—”

“And what?” Maksim turns back to me, and his eyes are empty and cold. The red mark blooms on his cheek. “Say it, Aria. He didn’t have to grow up around what?”

“Around a monster,” I snap, now wanting to hurt him the way he hurt me. “Around you.”

Silence falls and it’s suffocating.

“A monster,” he repeats softly. My brain bleats at me that this is dangerous territory, but I ignore it.

“Yes.” I’m shaking so hard I can barely stand. “I saw what you are. I saw the darkness. And I won’t apologize for protecting our child from it. Maybe he went hungry sometimes. Maybe we struggled. But at least he’s not—” My voice breaks but I push forward. “At least he’s not growing up to be like you.”

Rage and hurt quickly cross his face before he masks it. “What exactly did you see, Aria? What was so terrible that it justified letting our son starve?”

“I’m not discussing this.” I try to move past him, but he blocks me with his body.

“What. Did. You. See?” he grits out.

“Not now.” I push against his hard chest, but he doesn’t budge. “Not ever.”

“You will tell me.” His voice is ice. “Because I’m done being patient and letting you keep secrets. You owe me the truth.”

A hysterical laugh bubbles out of me. “I owe you nothing.” I shove him again harder. “Get away from me.”

For a moment, I think he’ll push back and force the answer from me.

But then he steps aside, and I stumble past him.

“This conversation isn’t over,” he says to my back. “Not by a long shot.”

He walks out, and the door closes behind him. I hear the lock engage.

I’m alone in the beautiful cage with my son in the next room, and I’m shaking so hard I have to sit down before I collapse.

He’s right. About everything.

Daniel has suffered because of my choices. Daniel’s gone hungry. He’s lived in poverty all because I was too scared to reach out.

I was terrified of what Maksim is to give Daniel what he deserved.

I’ve failed as a mother.

I’ve failed to protect Daniel from suffering, even if I succeeded in keeping him from violence.

Now we’re here, in this prison, with the monster I ran from eight years ago.

And there’s no escape.

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MAKSIM