Page 64 of Weeping Roses

I urge you to do one thing to stay safe. Sell everything. Thorn House, Briar House and Rose Cottage. Take the money and don’t question the purchaser.

Don’t be me, Pollyanna. This is not our secret to hold, and it has ruined so many lives already, and I will not let it claim another soul.

Find Marsha Steele and load the problem onto her extremely broad shoulders. She deserves everything coming to her and I will not let her claim another victim. In short, don’t be me, Pollyanna. Walk away from the secrets and the lies and live a normal life. Fall in love with a man who is one hundred percent yours. Don’t live with lies, deceit and secrets and don’t sacrifice your soul for one dance with the devil, no matter how tempting that will be.

Don’t continue my legacy because it deserves to die with me and my soul will rest in peace knowing you walked away from the burning ashes of my shame and made it all count for something.

Good luck my darling and remember, a long life spent with an honest man is better than one of pain, knowing the man you love married someone else but couldn’t let you go. I should have walked away. I should have turned my back and I should never have trusted people I once considered my closest friends. You come into this life alone and you leave it—alone. Do what’s right for you because ultimately the one person who walks beside you every step of the way is you.

Your loving aunt

Veronica.

CHAPTER 35

VALENTIN

Iwonder what’s taking her so long. Polly has been inside those offices for two hours already. I can’t hear anything courtesy of the pendant, which tells me she is inside a room with no signal.

I am nervous, agitated and fearful at the same time. I’m not the only person looking for answers and without eyes on Polly, I can’t be certain she is safe. Nikolai Barinov may be inside. I wouldn’t put it past him and I’m surprised to find it’s Polly’s welfare that concerns me more than the secrets inside that building.

“Boss.”

Artem’s hushed whisper causes me to jerk my head in the direction of Harvey Williams and I notice Polly heading down the steps toward the waiting cab. Once again, my man is driving it because I will not compromise her safety. From our vantage point in my own car across the street, I search her expression eagerly for any clues, but I get nothing at all.

As she steps inside the cab, it pulls into the traffic and we are right behind her.

It’s probable that Nikolai already knows we are with Polly. He will have observed every move she makes as soon as he learned of her existence. I have no control over that, but I do have control over her safety and she is now closely guarded because she is worth more to me than anything else.

She is the key to this mystery, and that is what my head tells me. However, my heart is telling a different story because she has become so much more to me.

That alone scares the shit out of me because I’ve broken my golden rule. I’ve allowed myself to care for another human being outside of family and I don’t know what to do about it.

What’s inside those boxes may lead me away from Polly, and I will not let that happen. For the first time, I wonder if this is how my father felt with Veronica. Did he love her? Was she someone he couldn’t give up, no matter how hard he tried, or was it something more than that?

Am I seeing the full picture, or was she working for him in some way? There are so many questions that multiply rather than diminish and the huge ball of pain that sits heavy inside my soul is not going away anytime soon.

We make it back to the house with no problems, and I waste no time in finding Polly.

Her confused expression doesn’t help me feel any better and I’m surprised when she makes her way into my outstretched arms, as if it’s the most natural place for her to be.

My hand wraps around the back of her head and I hold her tight, my heart racing as it senses information that might change everything.

“Valentin.” Her soft voice has fast become the only one I want to hear and she whispers, “I’m so sorry.”

My heart hammers and my pulse races, but I show no emotion as I say evenly, “Tell me.”

She pulls back and smiles wryly, nodding to the garden.

“I need some fresh air. Walk with me.”

My hand finds hers as if on auto and as we head outside into the brilliant sunshine, I steel myself for news I may wish had remained in that dusty vault.

We make our way toward the small bench under the apple tree and as we sit, she takes a deep breath.

“You are probably wondering what I found.”

I say nothing and she shakes her head in obvious confusion.