They continued to hash out the details of the bridge, but Nadia had heard enough.
Cold and shaking, she began to back away from the men, back toward the door out of the room.
Just as she reached the door and began to pull it open, the same mustached waiter tried to enter, bearing a fresh tray of drinks. Nadia knocked into him and he stumbled backward, miraculously saving the dinks, but giving a startled yelp, and clattering the tray against the door.
Nadia pushed past him, hurrying away down the hallway as quickly as possible.
Her head was spinning. It was true, all her worst fears were true.
She had trusted Nikolai. She’d made herself vulnerable to him, as she never had to another living soul. They had talked and laughed, and even fucked each other like two people who were entirely open and honest, without a shred of deceit.
But Nikolai was a liar and a schemer, just like Rashel had said.
He’d been using her to close this deal, the contract for the bridge.
He’d proposed to her and brought her to this party so he could show her off to the Ministers, leveraging her name to improve his own standing. And using his magnanimity in dating her to show how forgiving the Markovs could be.
It made her so sick that she wanted to run to the bathroom and vomit. But she couldn’t allow herself to do that. She needed to get out of the theater before she broke down in tears in front of everyone.
She ran all the way down the hallway to the stairs, dashing down them as quickly as she could in her impractical heels. She ran across the grand lobby, deserted now that everyone was inside the theater watching the ballet. She intended to hail a cab and leave as quickly as possible, but before she had taken a dozen steps across the lobby, she was intercepted by Maxim.
He must have seen her leave the box and gone prowling around looking for her. He looked flustered and out of breath, as if he’d been running all around the theater.
With his flushed face, disheveled hair, and angry expression, he didn’t look handsome in the slightest. His eyes were bloodshot and his face puffy, as if he’d been drinking. He looked as if he’d gained weight since she’d seen him last.
She hadn’t spoken to him a single time since she’d sent back the ring. She tried to bypass him now, but he stepped firmly into her path and grabbed her by the arm.
“Nadia!” he hissed, yanking her close to him. “You think you can just show up here with that fucking thug Markov, parading around on his arm like his little whore? You think you can embarrass me in front of the whole of Moscow?”
“Let go of me, Maxim!” Nadia cried, trying to twist her arm out of his grip.
But Maxim hung doggedly on.
“You’re engaged to me!” he said, his face so close to hers that she could feel his saliva hitting her skin as he spat each word. “It’s not over between us until I say it’s over...”
He had her by the left arm, squeezing so hard that his fingertips had disappeared into the flesh of her upper arm. So, Nadia drew back her right fist and hit him square in the jaw, as hard as she could.
Maxim let go of her and stumbled backward. Nadia thought of shouting for help—there must be waiters and ushers and valets around. But she was already so humiliated, she didn’t want to draw any more attention to herself.
She tried to turn and leave, but Maxim was already lunging at her again. He slapped her across the face, a sharp blow that rocked her head back and nearly knocked her off her feet with the full force of his much greater mass behind it.
Dazed and tasting blood in her mouth, Nadia was confused by the roar of rage coming from behind her.
Nikolai barreled down the staircase like an enraged grizzly bear. He drove his shoulder into Maxim’s chest, smashing him down to the floor. The two men skidded across the polished marble of the lobby, with Nikolai easily gaining the advantage in the scuffle. He rolled on top of Maxim and pinned him down with his superior strength and size. He easily batted away Maxim’s fists as Maxim tried to punch up at him.
Nikolai drew back his own fist, massive and heavy, and brought it crashing down in the center of Maxim’s face. Nadia heard the crunch of bone as Maxim’s nose shattered. But Nikolai wasn’t satisfied in the slightest. He brought his fist back again and again, his face contorted with fury, and hit Maxim over and over until Nadia thought that Nikolai would kill him.
“Stop!” she screamed. “Stop it, Nik!”
He stopped and looked up at her, his fist still cocked back, his knuckles covered in Maxim’s blood. Maxim lay motionless on the floor, his face battered and swollen beyond recognition.
People were running into the lobby now, both employees and concert goers who had heard the commotion from the back of the hall. Nadia could feel their stares and hear their shocked murmurs.
Nadia turned and fled from the lobby, running through the doors and down the front steps.
Within moments, she could hear Nikolai chasing after her, shouting, “Wait, Nadia, please!”
She had already hailed a cab and pulled open the back door, but Nikolai caught up with her, closing the door with his large hand.
