Betrayed

☾Chapter Twenty-Eight☽

Dmitri's P.O.V

I take a swig of the the strong alcohol, relishing the burn it leaves in my throat.

Xavier pushes at our bond once again in a desperate attempt to get out, to roam free with no injunctions.

"Not only are you going to be sad but you'll also have a hangover if you keep drinking like that," Jared comments as he stares at me.

My shoulders shrug carelessly. "Doesn't matter. I failed as a father; that's what matters," I growl.

He laughs. "Don't pity yourself, My King, because, no offense, it's all your fault that she's gone."

Don't you think I know it's my fault, Jared?

"How do you connect with Lilly so well?" I ask, truly curious.

Jared shrugs as he flips through some of the dusting books sitting on the shelves in my office. "She's my all, along with Rhea," He pauses. "Also, if she were in Vladimira's position, stressed and pregnant, I would try to help her instead of antagonizing her."

Xavier once again pushes at our bond stronger than ever, but I fight him off because I know he'll take over and kill everything in sight until he gets Vladimira back.

Going into a bloodlust isn't exactly the best idea.

"I didn't antagonize her," I mutter.

The look that Jared gives me makes Xavier push even harder, angered that someone would question his motives.

Yeah, well I'm question them too, Xavier.

"The hell you didn't!" Jared yells. "Don't you see how much your judgement means to Vladimira? She wants you to tell her she is special in your eyes, not that she's a disgraceful whore," He continues.

Regret swells in my chest as I think about how I treated my own flesh and blood.

Why didn't I stop Xavier from hurting her? Now every time I close my eyes I see her blood on my hands, I see the shock and hurt in her eyes when I slapped her.

I had never laid my hands on her like that until she told me she was pregnant. I had choked her because she got pregnant.

No wonder she doesn't want to share anything with me.

"Saffron would be so disappointed." I take another swig of my drink.

Sure, I had hurt Vladimira emotionally before, but I had never meant to call her a mistake or a disgrace.

To be honest, I would never ask for another daughter. My love for Vladimira is true and she was the only thing that kept me going after Saffron's death.

My leg starts to bounce unconsciously. "What if she gets hurt? What if my grandson is hurt?" I question to no one in particular, my fury with myself growing.

I would never be able to forgive myself if she got hurt because she left. I would never forgive myself if either of them were hurt because of my silly mistakes.

Dropping my head into my hands, I release a groan. "She said we shouldn't stay in contact, that I'm really good at forgetting she exists in the first place," I continue incredulously.