Bogdan's villa is enormous—all modern glass and steel. As we pull up the long driveway, I see cars parked everywhere and hear the distant sound of music and laughter. This is clearly a huge party.
My stomach tightens with nerves. Agafon and I may be married, but we're still learning each other's boundaries. Will he be angry that I came? Or worse, embarrassed? Especially considering he didn’t invite me?
Too late to turn back now. I smooth my hair and adjust my dress, stepping out of the car into the warm afternoon sun.
One of the guards directs me to the back lawn. When I walk into the garden through the archway, I realize just how big the party is. There must be sixty people out here!
I stand there, looking around, and then I notice Tatiana catch my gaze. She waves and bounces over in her flowing yellow sundress. Her dark hair, so much like Agafon's, is piled loosely on top of her head.
“Lilibeth! You came!” She pulls me into a hug. “I wasn't sure if you would.”
“You invited me,” I say simply. “Of course I came.”
“Come on, everyone's here.”
She links her arm through mine and leads me past the massive infinity pool that stretches toward carefully landscapedgardens where at least another fifty people I hadn’t noticed before mill about in summer dresses and polos.
“Agafon didn't mention this party at all!” I say, trying to sound casual.
Tatiana waves a dismissive hand. “My brother is terrible at social niceties.” She leans closer, lowering her voice. “Or he didn't want to pressure you to come. He finds these parties overwhelming and probably didn’t want to put you through that.”
So he was being considerate the whole time. How…unexpected. He knew I might come if asked, and to prevent me from derailing my own plans, he simply kept it from me. His kindness touches my heart.
We step out onto the terrace, and I scan the crowd for my husband's tall figure. Instead, Katya spots us and hurries over.
“You brought her! Good job, Tati.” Katya gives me a quick hug. “We were just saying you should be here.”
“We?” I ask.
“Family,” Katya says with a shrug. “Well, except Agafon. He's been distracted all afternoon.”
Before I can ask what's distracting him, my question is answered. A delighted shriek cuts through the air, and my gaze is drawn to the far side of the pool. There, surrounded by a swarm of small children, is my husband.
Agafon is on his hands and knees on the grass with a toddler on his back and two more hanging off his arms. He looks different, having swapped his usual suit for a pair of chinos and a white button-down with the sleeves, get this, rolled up to his elbows. I’ve never seen him look this casual, this …joyful.
As I watch, he lets out a theatrical roar and collapses to the ground, sending the children into fits of giggles.
“Those are Bogdan's business partner's kids,” Tatiana explains, following my gaze. “Plus a couple of distant nieces and nephews. Agafon's always been their favorite.”
I can't stop staring at this laughing, playful. The sun catches in his black hair as he sits up with a small girl perched on his shoulders, her tiny hands covering his eyes as he pretends to stumble around blindly.
I feel a warmth creep through me at the sight, find myself thinking of my husband in an entirely new light. I don’t know just yet what this sight of him makes me feel, but something’s shifted.
Katya turns to me with a bright smile. “Come on, let's get you a drink!”
I tear my gaze away from my husband, who still hasn't noticed my arrival. Maybe it's better that way. Let him enjoy himself without having to put his guard up around me.
The sisters lead me straight to the bar. From a distance, I spot Faddey. He notices me and raises a glass in my direction. I wave back with a smile. I don’t know where the rest of Agafon’s brothers are, but in this huge party, I’m sure I’ll bump into them at some point.
To my surprise, we see Bogdan standing at the bar, getting a refill for himself. He looks positively surprised when he sees me and breaks into a smile.
“You came!” he roars with exuberance and pulls me into a bear hug, much like Nikolai did earlier, lifting me off my feet. The similarity makes me smile. “Welcome, welcome!”
“Thanks for having me,” I say when he sets me down. “It's quite a party.”
“Some of us like to live it up,” Bogdan winks. He turns to the bartender. “Get these ladies whatever they want, Rury.” He squeezes my shoulder before moving away to greet someone calling his name from across the terrace.
“Three mimosas,” Tatiana tells the bartender.
