Chapter 34 Yana stands on my Persian rug like an avenging angel from hell. Her gaze bounces back and forth between Vesper and me with pure venom, teeth bared like the rabid bitch she is. "So this is the whore?" "Some people start with hello," I say calmly. "Vesper, meet Yana. Luka's mother." "Oh, you remember that, do you?" Yana's vulture eyes are thin, furious slits. "How generous of you." "I remember everything, Yana. All the times you left him at school, with the nanny, in attics and locked cars and on park benches. All the times you or your husband sent him to the hospital. I remember everything. Every. Last. Thing." "You think you're so perfect? With your guns and shady business deals and revolving door of women?" She turns to Vesper and her lip curls. "I hope you don't think you're special, sweetheart. All you are to him is another warm body with spread legs. The second he's bored, you'll be thrown out like the white trash garbage you are." Vesper stares with her mouth open, color draining from her face. I step between them. "What are you doing here, Yana?" "Seeing my son. I had visitation today. Something else you conveniently forgot." "He didn't forget!" Luka's small voice cuts through her rage as he and Waylen step in through the French doors. "Uncle Kovan brought me to see you this morning, Mama." Yana's eyes land on Luka, and he immediately shrinks, cowering behind Waylen, who's glaring at her with surprising intensity. "Who the hell is this mudak?" she cries out. He holds out a hand. "Waylen Fairfax. Luka's tutor." Yana's sneer only deepens as she stares at his hand like it's fungal. "He doesn't need a tutor." "Then you haven't been paying attention," I chime in. "He struggles in school. He needs individual help." "And let me guess-you 'need' alone time with your latest toy, so you foist off the boy on this fucking hui s'gory." Vesper starts to speak, but I step in front of her again and tuck her behind me. "Waylen, take Luka upstairs for his math lesson, please." "Of course." For once, Waylen doesn't argue. He takes Luka's hand and they disappear up the stairs. As soon as they're gone, Yana whirls on me. "You're turning him against me!" she shrieks, waving a manicured nail in my face. "Why would I need to intervene? You're doing that just fine on your own." "You bastard!" She rocks forward, fists rising. Before I can react, Vesper jumps between us, grabbing Yana's hand and shoving her stumbling backward. "Are you insane?" Vesper hisses in my sister-in-law's face. "Kovan is taking care of your son. He deserves respect. You ought to be kissing his feet in gratitude." Yana focuses on Vesper. I don't like the way she pauses or licks her lips. "Well, well. It talks." Vesper doesn't look cowed in the least. She turns up her nose at Yana. "Leave the high school bullshit for the girls thirty years younger than you, yeah? We're both adults who both want what's best for Luka. Let's have a real conversation. Think you can manage that?" Yana looks like she's been hit by a truck. She's used to escalation. Dramatics. She's used to fist fights and flying tables. She's used to screaming matches in Bergdorf Goodman's and confrontations on private jets. Being confronted with calm, unfazed maturity is foreign territory. As expected, she does not handle it well. "'Conversation'? What would I say to a cheap, gold-digging whore who⁠-" "That's enough," I snarl, my low tone cutting her high-pitched squeal in half. "You will not speak to her like that." An irate laugh bursts from her ruby red lips. "Oh, that's good, Kovan. Very good. I almost believe you care about this trailer park tramp." "Do you even care what you're doing to your son?" Vesper's voice shakes with controlled fury. "You saw his face. He was terrified. Children shouldn't be scared of their parents." "What do you know about being a parent?" "I had a great one. So I know more than you think. I'm not sure Luka can say the same." "You fucking bitch!" "I'm not the one who stormed in here looking for a fight. You want your son back? Start acting like a grown-up. Better yet, start acting like his mother." Yana's face turns purple. Two veins in her forehead become visibly blue, throbbing like they might burst. "How dare you⁠-" "Yana, calm down," I interrupt. "I brought Luka to your place at the agreed time. We waited thirty minutes. You were a no-show. That's on you." She doesn't hear me or doesn't care. "I won't let you steal my son, you son of a bitch! I'm his mother, you hear me?! His fucking mother!" I hold up a hand and point toward the door. "You need to leave. Now." "I'll leave when I'm good and ready." Her eyes zip to Vesper. "Why does this bitch get more time with my son than I do?" To my surprise, Vesper steps forward, shoulders squared like a boxer. "Call me a bitch one more time, you fucking junkie." "I'll call you worse, you cunt. I will destroy you!" Vesper snorts. "How? You barely come up to my waist." Yana lunges. For a split second, I consider stepping back and watching this play out. The moment passes. I grab Yana around the waist and hurl her back before she can lay a hand on Vesper. She stumbles but manages not to fall, eyes blazing, nails outstretched like talons. "I told you to get out once already," I repeat. "I won't say it a third time." "You can't keep this up forever, Kovan. Luka belongs with me. You're just using him to punish me." "Why would I give a damn about punishing you?" "For remarrying so fast. For not mourning Vitalii the way you wanted." I shake my head slowly. "I don't care about your choices, Yana. I care about how you treat my nephew." "Look at you on your high horse." She sneers again. Her face has never been more hideous. "We both know you don't have time for anyone but yourself. Vitalii said so all the time." I don't let her see how deep that cut goes. I know her tactics too well to fall for them. But Vesper doesn't. "How dare you cast Kovan as the villain to excuse your failures?!" Vesper's face burns with outrage. "He's done everything to make Luka feel at home. Everything. And guess what? Luka does feel at home here. No one pushes him down the stairs. No one here stubs out their cigarettes on his fucking neck." "Don't pretend you know my son!" "I know more than you do. Do you know what games he likes? What countries he wants to visit? What he wants to be when he grows up? Do you even care? Are you even capable of caring?" I feel an unusual kind of glow in my chest. Pride, perhaps. No one outside my family has ever defended me like this. The fierce protection in her voice does things to me I don't want to examine. But this isn't her fight. "Vesper." My voice is sharp, undeniable. She turns to me, eyes wide and I say, "That's enough." Her face crumples. She presses her lips together and turns away from both of us. "That's right, Kovan," taunts Yana. "Put the skank in her place before she gets ideas. A woman like her only wants⁠-" "You don't know any women like her. Leave before I throw you out myself." "Fuck you, Kovan Krayev." She flips me off and storms toward the door. "This isn't over! I'm getting my son back one way or another!" The front door slams with enough force to rattle the windows. Unfortunately, that's the only thing she said that I believe. This is definitely not over.