I wait outside the building where I’ve set up a meeting with the attorney to discuss Damien’s will. Dimitri told me he would come here alone to represent the family, I can’t help but harbor the fear that his mother will insist on coming with him.

Tapping my foot, I glance at my watch one more. He’s late. That makes things even worse. What if he isn’t coming at all? This isn’t something I want to face alone. I don't even want to be here anyway, never mind without any support by my side.

Just as I’m about to give up and walk away, I spot him jogging around the corner, looking completely out of breath. Fortunately, he’s by himself so my irritation fades quickly. Yes, he might be late, and yes, he might have had me in an utter emotional turmoil, but he hasn’t brought his mother with him so all is forgiven.

“Come on, hurry,” I half-joke, trying to cover up my true feelings. “We need to get inside.”

We both race up the stairs, eager to get this over with, and within practically a second we’re sitting across from a stern-looking old man ready to find out what our next move will be.

Hurry up, I think impatiently. Let’s just get this over with.

“Right,” the attorney says, sliding his glasses down to the end of his nose. “Okay, let’s see what we have here.”

I shoot a glance over to Dimitri, whose smirking face almost makes me burst out in inappropriate laughter. He has an infectious personality, one I can be myself around—so damn different from his brother. Dimitri is so much happier, so much kinder, and again I feel that pang in my heart.

“The first thing I need to tell you both is that Damien didn’t have an official will.”

What? I want to scream at that – what the hell was he thinking? This has just made things a million times worse. Now his family will have every right to get involved and to start contesting things, so I might never get them out of my life.

“Since you are his legal spouse, that means he leaves everything to you, Mrs. Novikov.”

“Right,” I try to say calmly, gulping down a massive ball of emotion. “Okay.”

This is terrible fucking news. Of course I wasn't particularly looking forward to being left penniless, but having everything is too much. I don't even know what to do with any of it.

“Okay,” I repeat, not sure what else there is to say. It’s difficult to avoid looking at Dimitri, but I don’t want to see his reaction.

“So that’s the house and his stake in the business...” Of course by this the attorney means the fake business that Damien had set up to cover up his illegal doings. I don't even understand what it’s supposed to be. “But it also means his debts. Now, as you probably know the business is doing well, but the house has a lot of debts on it. Damien took out many loans against it, so that will also need to be cleared up.”

I nod slowly, acting as if I’m totally fine, but inside I’m freaking the hell out. What the fuck am I going to do now?

“Can we have a moment alone?” Dimitri asks. “I think that we just need to process this.”

As the attorney leaves the room, I half expect him to jump down my throat and to give me a load of shit for that, but thankfully he doesn’t. Dimitri seems to understand that this isn’t my fault, and it certainly isn’t what I want. Not at all. Instead he turns to me, takes hold of my hands and gazes into my eyes.

“I know this isn’t ideal,” he tells me. “I don't think any of us were expecting this, but I think that I have a solution for you.” He pauses thoughtfully for a second before continuing. “I have a stake in that business too, and not just the one the guy was discussing. I would really like all of it, so I am willing to buy Damien’s shares from you. That would give you more than enough money to pay off the debts on the house, and it’ll give you something to live on too.”

I stare at him, wondering if he’s serious. He’s offering me exactly what I need—a way to get out of this, but it seems too good to be true. Of course I don't really want the house, I don't want to have anything that links me to the man I married, but I can sell it and buy a place of my own wherever I want. I can escape this nightmare and finally be free.

But is that the best move for me? For all of us?

“I... I... I don't know,” I admit. I want to talk to Alexi first, to see what he thinks about it all. He’s much better at this sort of thing than I am. I’ve never been in the position where I’ve needed to make this kind of decision before, and I really don't know what to do. “It might be best for me to speak to my lawyer first, to see what he thinks that I should do.”

I brace myself, again expecting the worst, but to my surprise, Dimitri sends me a calm, serene smile and tells me that he understands. “That makes sense, I just want you to know that you have choices so you don’t feel stuck. As you know, I’m well aware of what my brother was like with you, and I don't ever want you to believe that I’m the same.”

He stands up and I imitate him, wondering where the hell we go from here. “Shall I go and get that guy back in? Does he need to know what we’ve discussed?”

“No, not at all. I’ll just grab him and tell him that we’re leaving and we’ll be in touch. Beyond reading the will to us, he doesn’t need to know anything.” He looks at me for a second, a curious expression on his face which I can’t quite read. “Would you like to go for some lunch after this? It feels like forever since I’ve seen you.”

I’m touched by the fact that someone in Damien’s family is still being nice to me. Dimitri doesn’t seem at all affected by what his mother thinks of me and that warms my heart. He has no reason to want to keep in touch with me now, and I’m pleased that he does.

“That sounds lovely, thank you,” I tell him, smilingly.

Outside, I wait on the sidewalk while Dimitri says goodbye to the attorney, feeling surprisingly positive considering how that turned out. Yes, I’ve been left in something of a mess by Damien—almost as if it’s his final fuck you—but thanks to Dimitri there are ways around it. Perhaps I’ll be able to have that nice, quiet anonymous life after all.

I follow Dimitri to a nearby café for lunch. When we arrive, he opens the door for me chivalrously and I can’t help but revel in more of this newfound male attention that has recently come my way in droves. Sitting in the cafe with Dimitri eating lunch doesn’t feel as strange as it should. Considering he’s my husband’s brother and he’s always had a thing for me, he’s really easy to just get along with. He’s like a breath of fresh air in the complicated world that I’ve managed to find myself in, and there’s a small part of me that still can’t seem to stop myself from thinking things would have been better if I’d met him before I met Damien.

I try to picture the life that I could have had with him—an easy-going, happy marriage, complete with laughter and children. I guess for someone like me who has never really had a solid family unit before, it’s tempting to contemplate because it’s all that I’ve ever wanted. I even start to wonder what it would be like if we got together now. Of course it would be very complex, and we would have a whole lot to navigate around not least the opinions of others, and his deplorable parents.

If I hadn’t met Alexi, I might be considering it.

But I have met Alexi.

The thought of him has me reaching inadvertently for the chain hanging around my neck. It’s so delicate that it can’t really be seen, which makes it even better. It’s a gift that’s just for me, not for the rest of the world to see. Then there’s the adorable heart that hangs over my chest, which makes me feel like we’re always together, even when we aren’t.

I have Alexi now, and I like to think he’s all I’ll ever need.

“So, if you want to get away from it all, do let me know.”

I suddenly zone back in to Dimitri’s words, and realize that I’ve clearly missed something vital along the way. My face flushes red when I have to ask him to repeat himself—I hate acting so rude to someone who’s been nothing but nice to me.

“I said don’t forget I have a villa outside of the city, if you ever need a break from it all. I know how stressful things have been, and I’m sure you don't want to be back at that house with all those memories. I can take a few days off work, and we can just relax if you like.”

There’s an undertone to his voice that I’m trying not to think about. In all of my daydreams about Dimitri—not that there have been many–—I’ve never actually imagined having sex with him. It’s always been about how well he would treat me. I suppose that tells me something, it strongly suggests that there isn’t much chemistry between us, and now that I actually have that with someone else, I know how good it can feel.

“Thank you for the offer,” I smile, wanting to let him down as gently as possible. “But right now I just have so much to do. You know how it is with paperwork and stuff.” But when his face falls, I can’t stop the next sentence from rolling off my tongue. “But maybe sometime soon, okay?”

“Sure,” he nods, instantly perking up at my suggestion.

Luckily, he changes the subject to something else, giving me time to think. I contribute to the conversation now and again, but my thoughts are off on another planet entirely, and I find myself comparing Alexi to Dimitri. There’s really no competition.

In some ways one seems a safer option, but there are a lot of complications there too. Plus... Dimitri doesn’t excite me like that, and I really don't think that I could ever survive another unsatisfactory relationship again.

No, the man who gave me my silver heart is the one that has my beating heart too.

I can tell that there’s still some tension there as I say goodbye to Dimitri, but I do my best not to let it bother me. I can’t help it if I don't share his feelings, he must understand that. I tell myself that in the end it’ll all be fine anyway. Dimitri is much more rational than his brother, more level-headed. There isn’t a damn thing about Dimitri’s personality that suggests he will snap the way Damien did, I reassure myself.