The Bratva King's Lost Bride

11 Plane Confessions Part 2

Ivan POV

"I don't know malyshka, but I intend to find out. I know you don't trust me yet, but they will suffer for what they have done." "Ivan, I don't expect you to," she starts to say, but I cut her off. "I know you don't, but as the leader of our family, it was my job to protect you and I didn't. I failed the most important person in my life. It is now my job to make sure that those that caused you pain are punished. Can you tell me about the night you found me in our bed?"

She nods, but I can see the pain in her eyes. It guts me that she truly believed I would betray her, but how could she not? She saw it with her own eyes. "I hadn't been feeling well for a few days before we found you with Danica. You had been gone by the time I woke up in the mornings, and you fell into bed at night for the entire week, so I had no time to tell you that I was feeling sick. So when Ivana returned from her trip from Milan, I told her. She squealed insisting I was pregnant" she says.

My chest aches as I realize just how much I failed my wife. No wonder she left me. She was suffering, and I couldn't be arsed to even check in with her because I was dealing with f**king family business. "She sent one of the maids to the pharmacy to buy tests. After she returned, I took three of them. They were all positive. I never thought you could feel so many emotions at once, but I did. I was terrified and elated. I didn't know how you were going to feel but all I ever wanted was to have a family of my own."

"I knew I had to tell you and Ivana insisted you would be ecstatic to become a papa. I believed that too, but we hadn't really talked about babies yet. So I had planned to tell you that night when you came to bed. I had just stepped into the kitchen to make myself lunch when Dimitri and Danica cornered me. They told me that you and Danica had been together for months, and she was carrying your true heir. Dimitri threatened that if I didn't leave he would find a way to make sure Ava was never born, and I disappeared," she says.

I can feel the rage bubbling below the surface of my skin. He threatened to kill my daughter and wife. He will pray for death by the time I'm done with him. I need to speak with Alexi about being my second. Even if he doesn't agree, Dimitri's existence is over. I focus my attention back on Meadow, who I can tell is struggling to tell me the next part. I reach out and take her hand in mine. I'm thankful when she doesn't pull it away.

"I immediately went to find Ivana, who insisted that she would stay with me until you got home. Actually, she was going to take her weapon and shoot Dimitri in the face, but I wouldn't let her. I thought it was better for you to handle the situation. I truly believed you would pick him over me. I mean we were only married a year," she says. "Meadow, I promise you that it wouldn't have mattered if we were married one day. I love you Meadow. No one is more important than you."

She nods and takes a deep breath. "It was later in the evening when one of the maids told us that you were home but that you had asked not to be disturbed because you were exhausted," she says. I tighten the grip of my free hand on the arm of the chair, realizing just how much I need to clean house when we get home. "Ivana didn't give two sh*ts and neither did I at that point. We stomped up the stairs and when she threw the door open, I felt like my heart was ripped in two. She was wrapped around you. You were both naked. Her head resting on your chest like mine had done so many times after we had made love. I puked in the garbage can before I thought about bludgeoning you both to death," she says.

"Instead, I thought about everything that Dimitri and Danica had said to me earlier. I decided that the baby growing inside me deserved better than a cheating ba**ard who didn't care about her mother for a father. I convinced Ivana to help me and the rest, you know," she says. "You will never know how sorry I am that you saw such a thing that was a complete lie. I have never touched that b**ch. Had there not been drugs in both our systems she wouldn't be breathing right now, Meadow. I promise you I never touched her willingly and nothing happened between us."

"Ivana has hinted at that over the years, but I didn't want to hear it because then I had to admit to myself that I left without fighting. That I was wrong, and I kept Ava from you when you did nothing wrong," she says, tears streaming down her cheeks. Without a second thought, I lift her, placing her on my lap. Thankfully, she doesn't fight me. "No, you did what you had to in order to protect our daughter. I'm proud of you, Meadow. The blame is on me. I should have seen what was happening in our home. The fact that you are willing to give me this chance is more than I deserve."