The Bratva King's Lost Bride

5 It's Not My Signature

Ivan POV

Hearing her scream I'm a cheater and saying she will f**k someone else has the anger that I denied earlier in front of our daughter flaring to life inside me. I haven't touched another woman since the first time I saw Meadow Jones. Hell, I haven't looked at another woman with an ounce of lust. I knew the night I met her she was meant to be mine.

As for someone else touching her, that will never happen. I have no problem ripping a man limb from limb for even thinking about touching what is mine. She is mine as much as I am hers. I know for certain now that she either saw or heard about me waking up in bed naked with that b**ch Danica.

I notice our raised voices are drawing attention from people passing by. If we were in Russia I wouldn't care, but I don't have a relationship with the cops in this small town. I don't have time to deal with them while I'm dealing with my fiery little wife. I need to get her back to the house they have been staying in so we can properly talk.

When I realize Meadow is making no move to get into the SUV after my threat of a spanking, I scoop her up and throw her over my shoulder. She squeals, but I stalk the few feet to the open door. I manage to place her inside before I slide in next to her. "Let me out of this car, Ivan Petrov. You have no right. This is f**king kidnapping, you ba**ard," she screams as the car lurches forward. "I have every right. You are my wife. You keep up with the name-calling, and I'm going to make good on my promise to smack your a** till its cherry red," I say through gritted teeth.

"I'll curse as much as I want to. You are not my boss. As for the marriage, I sent you the divorce papers. Surely you remember taking the time out of f**king your wh*re to sign them. I mean I set you free to be with her, your perfect Russian bride. Now I order you to drop me and Ava at our home and leave Ivan. I've moved on. At least I waited till we were no longer married to do it," she says. I crowd her until her back is pressed against the door.

"First, I never touched Danica. She disgusts me. Second, if you think for one moment that I signed those f**king papers you have lost your mind. We took vows and I meant them Meadow. We are going to talk, and you are going to understand all you thought happened was a lie. Had you stayed and fought like you are doing right now, you would already know that."

"No, we are divorced. My lawyer got the signed papers a month after they were sent. I have a copy in my safe at home. They have been filed with the court house," she says. I can feel my anger ready to boil over. Those papers were destroyed the minute they were placed on my desk. There is no way that a lawyer has my signature because I never signed them. I pull my phone from my pocket.

"Pakhan," Grigor says the minute he answers. "I want you to hack the statistical records computer system in Minden, Nebraska to see if a divorce decree was filed in mine and Meadow's name. If there was, I want a f**king copy of the divorce papers sent to me immediately." "Yes, Pakhan."

"Ivan, I know you are angry that I ran, but it's better this way. We were never going to work out. As much as I wanted us to be forever, you need a wife like Danica," she says. "Enough Meadow. If I wanted Danica, I could have had her long before I met you. She has wanted me since we were teenagers despite my being very clear I've never seen her as anything but Dimitri's sister. I never would have pursued you if I wanted her. You are the woman I love. The woman I want by my side."

"She was clear on that the moment I brought you home and placed my ring on your finger. She knew the penalty for upsetting you or trying to come between us." I look down at her bare ring finger and swallow the anger. I have never taken my ring off. I know a lot of men in the Bratva believe they don't owe their women loyalty, but I'm not them. I would never betray Meadow.

"Where is your engagement and wedding ring, Meadow?" She squirms in her seat. "At home," she says, and I know immediately there is more to what she just said. "At home, where Meadow?" "Ivan, why does it matter? I'm not wearing them because we aren't married anymore," she says. "Like hell we are not. Even if that decree exists, I never signed it, which means someone is in for a world of hurt for forging my name."

I notice her eyes dilate before she turns to look out the window. I still affect her even if she wishes I didn't. My phone dings a few minutes later and an encrypted email appears in my inbox. I immediately open it. I quickly scan the document that basically says we leave the marriage as we entered it. She wanted nothing from me. The two signatures at the bottom have me on edge. Seeing her name in her familiar handwriting confirming her agreement to the dissolution of our marriage guts me.

I take a deep breath before I look at my signature line. I immediately knew it's not mine. Not that I thought it would be. A smile spreads across my face. I look up in time to catch my little wife staring at me. "Why the hell are you smiling," she asks. "I'm smiling, little wife, because that is not my signature. This document isn't legal, which means that we are still married. Which means you are still my wife." "No, we can't be," she says, the fire gone from her voice for a moment.

"I know you are upset about whatever you saw or heard but none of it was true. You are my forever. I have tried to show you that every day that we spent together before you ran from me." She rolls her eyes and my palm twitches. No man or woman alive would dare roll their eyes at me but this woman. "You don't agree." "You think" she says sarcastically. "No more talking until we reach our home."

"It is not our home. It is my home. You are not welcome in it," she says. I swear if we were standing she would be stomping her foot. God, how I have missed her sassy mouth. Most men in my family want quiet, obedient wives, but I find them boring. That was part of the reason Danica never interested me. Meadow was this bright, loud, passionate woman that knocked me on my a** the minute I saw her.

That's why I still don't understand why she didn't rage about what happened with Danica. I need her to understand that the woman makes my skin crawl. I have tolerated her for Dimitri’s sake. She is also good with strategy and numbers, but I feel more for my socks than I do for her. Twenty minutes later, we pull into the long driveway of a quaint farm house. I smile when I see Ava waving at us from the front porch.

Meadow POV

This can't be happening. It's bad enough that Ivan found us, but now he is telling me that our divorce isn't valid. Why is he doing this to me? I stepped aside so he could be with that raging a**hole. I saw them with my own eyes. I know Ivana said he was drugged, but how did she get him into our bedroom? No, they had to be there together by choice. As soon as the SUV comes to a stop, I hop out.

"Mama, what took you so long? I want to show papa my room and my stuffies," she says. My heart clenches in my chest. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Now that she knows that Ivan is her papa. No, I can't focus on that right now. I need to call my lawyer. I had no idea the signature wasn't his, but that can't make the divorce void. It's been three years. I pull my phone from my pocket, grateful that Ivan followed Ava toward her room.

I know he wants to talk more, but I need a minute to regroup. Jerry picks up on the second ring. "Meadow, what can I do for you?" He was a nice older man I met when we first moved here. I gave him the short version without the whole Russian mob thing, and he offered to help me for half his normal price.

He told me he had a daughter my age, and he hoped someone would help her if she was in need. "Jerry, I have a question. If my ex-husband wasn't the one that signed the divorce decree, what happens?" There is a long pause before he finally speaks. "It means that you are still married, kiddo. Do you think it wasn't his actual signature, Meadow," he asks. "He says it was not. He is here and insists we are still married, and he didn't cheat, which is bulls*t."

"Are you safe, Meadow," he asks, just as Ivan steps back into the room. "I'm safe, Jerry. I'm just freaking out a little, but I'm safe." Before he can say a word, the phone is pulled out of my hand. "Who is this and how do you know my wife," Ivan asks in his thick Russian accent. I glare at Ivan but he ignores me.

"I'm glad to know that you were kind to my wife when she arrived in town, but she will no longer be needing your services as there will be no divorce. I want the divorce decree that was filed with my forged signature destroyed immediately" he says. A few seconds later, he hands me back the phone.

He crosses his arms as I press the phone against my ear. "Jerry, I'm sorry about that." "Meadow, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to petition the court since he is insisting he didn't sign the divorce agreement. He also sounds pretty scary. Are you sure you aren't in danger," he asks. "I'm sure Jerry. I'm sorry that I got you involved in my mess."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm here if you need me. I told you that you reminded me of my daughter and I meant it. I may not be a fighter, but I'm a damn good lawyer," he says and I smile. I look at Ivan expecting to see irritation in his features, but find none. "Thank you, Jerry. I'll let you know, but for now I'm fine."

I notice Ava moving toward the door. "Where are you going, princess?" "Auntie and Uncle Alexi are taking me for icecream mama. Papa said that you needed to talk about grown-up things that aren't for little ears." I want to scream he has no right, but I won't do it in front of my daughter. I step around him and crouch down in front of her. "You be a good girl and bring mama back a big scoop of triple chocolate." She smiles and rushes out the door leaving us alone. Time to put on my big girl panties and face the past.