The Romanoffs

Chapter 25.

Nadei body tenses up, I knew he was hiding something from me. All the color has drained from his face as he stares at me.

"Nicole, you don't know what you're talking about. Just come back to bed please baby"

"Oh no don't fucking baby me. I want the truth! Ivan's wife is still alive and Viktor lost Alexandra. So that means...NADEI WERE YOU MARRIED!"

"Nicole. Please, we can discuss this another time. Just come back to bed I promise, please baby"

The sorrow has washed over him and all his anger has disappeared. But I'm so tired of this, I'm tired of the secrets and deceit. Nadei hand reaches forward for me but instead, I grab my cell phone.

"Nadei" I fight back the tears as I watch his heartbreak a little knowing I'm walking away from him. "Until you can tell me the truth I'm going to sleep somewhere else"

"Baby, please don't leave me"

I swiftly turn my back to him, I know if I look at him I'll just fall back into his arms. But I need to put my foot down and get answers.

"I love you angel" he whispers as I begin to make my exit.

"I know Nadei"

I shut the door behind me and wander down the hall, I stop at the only door that I know will protect me. The only person that won't talk me into going back to Nadei. I quietly knock hoping not to alert anyone else.

"Hey....so. I'm pretty sure you heard everything that just went down. I just need some time to clear my head and....well if I go to Jillian right now she would probably punch me for waking her up. Nikolai would laugh and throw me back into my bedroom.....Alek. I just don't want to bother him with this mess right now and I need real answers. So can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course malishka. Come on in"

I slowly ascend into Gerald's perfectly neat and orderly room. His bed barely looks slept in, not a speck of dust in sight, and all his clothes are either neatly folded or hung in his closet.

"Do you want to talk about it" Gerald holds his hand out guiding me to the small couch placed against his floor-to-ceiling windows. I smile before plopping myself down still wrapped in my blanket from my bed.

"The thing Misha said to me isn't sitting right with me."

"Babe. I told you he was just trying to get into your head-" I take a second to notice Gerald in a white T-shirt and gray sweats.

"Was Nadei ever married? BE HONEST WITH ME GERALD! I mean I don't care obviously, but why wouldn't he tell me. Did she die?"

"Malishka. I swear to you, you are the only woman Nadei has ever loved. He has never had eyes for anyone else as he does for you"

Well, that doesn't answer my question but I'll take what I can get. At least Gerald is always honest with me. There's never any second-guessing or blurred lines, out of all the men he's always been straightforward with me.

"Can you tell me about your tattoos?" I quickly try to switch the conversation. Maybe I don't want the real answer anyway, I'm just sick of being treated like a child. Gerald gives me a raised brow knowing what I'm trying to do.

"Ok pick one."

I look over both his arms, unlike Nikolai and Aleksander, Gerald isn't covered in tattoos but a few large ones and a matching tattoo I assume all of Nadei's men have. I spot a letter "P" on his right arm that seems to be the base of a tree and 5 "branches " each leading to a different flower with some script.