Page 104 of Capuleto

"My brother didn't die, he's alive and well, and I think he's behind everything that's happening, even though he tells me he isn't."

"What?!" he exclaimed. It was the first time I had seen Andrey so surprised.

"Let's talk outside, I don't want anyone to overhear us, it's dangerous."

I took him out to the garden; the conversation was going to be long. I didn't want to skip anything so that he would fully understand the predicament I was in. Andrey listened attentively, as he always did when the matter was complex. By the end of my story, his face looked as if he had attended my own funeral.

His expression was very serious when he asked:

"Do you want to accept your brother’s proposal?"

His tone was clinical, soulless, I was sure all he intended was to not show his opinion on the matter, which was exactly what I wanted. I had no friends, Andrey was the closest thing to one.

"What I want is your honest opinion."

"Don't take offense, boss, but it seems to me that your brother has put your neck on the chopping block. You don’t have many options; either dance to Yuri's tune or betray him and ally with your husband."

"I needed to hear that from someone other than myself. At another time, I wouldn’t have doubted for a second, I would have gone to the death with Yuri, the idea of being a traitor to my family does not thrill me."

"But you've fallen in love." There was no judgment in his gaze, only understanding.

"I'd like to say that what causes me not to want to get out of bed, the pain in my chest, and the knots in my stomach is the flu, but no, it's my husband."

"I understand."

"I know you do, that's why I called you to come back with Aleksa."

"Let me tell you something. You are like the wind, free, independent, you have the power to extinguish the candle or fan the flames."

"That's very nice, but in this case, with that pair of torches, the only thing I can provoke is a firestorm, no matter which way I blow. Neither my brother nor my husband will give in. Yuri is too clear about what he wants and won't hesitate to run over whoever he needs to achieve his goal. And if I expose to Romeo what I've been keeping silent these weeks, when he has stood up to his entire family for my honor, I don't know if he can forgive me. In fact, I wouldn't."

Andrey stroked his neatly trimmed beard.

"Your husband will be angry, no one likes to have things of that magnitude hidden from them. You have to be prepared for his reaction, but if you explain it to him the same way you did with me, with the love Romeo has for you, I’d say he might come to understand. It was about your brother, it wasn’t an easy decision, considering you married him as part of a pact. Their worlds are very similar, both know what it means to betray family, and if you had told him from the beginning, we both know what your husband would have done."

"Kill Yuri," I exhaled.

"Exactly. You could tell him tied to the bed, after sex, so if he doesn't react well, you can work your magic until he calms down." I offered him a restrained smile. "Still, you can’t let another day go by without telling him, unless your decision is to accept your brother’s proposal."

"I’ve thought about it a lot, and even though at another time Yuri’s proposal would have been a cause for celebration, I now know it wouldn’t fulfill me. I thought I could regain the happiness I felt with him by staying by his side, but I’ve realized that you can’t regain something you’ve lost. My happiness is with Romeo."

"Then you have no choice but to forge an alliance with your husband and put your brother against the ropes."

"Are you talking about subduing him?"

"For example."

"Impossible, he won’t want to sacrifice his empire and come under the Capulet yoke," I sighed. "I swear, right now I’d rather he was dead," I growled in frustration.

"If you want..." he suggested.

"No, I wasn’t asking you to kill him. I’m trying to think of an alternative, but I can’t come up with one."

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes; it’s a tough situation."

"And to top it off, my husband’s family is convinced that I’m behind the Mentium distribution. According to them, there are videos showing me that Jonás Sánchez leaked to the press."

"Do they exist?" he asked, doubtful.