Hola! I decided to update early, cause the last one was short.

stardreamer26086: I'm glad you love it, really.

Irina C: Ha Ha Ha. Of course, you do, great minds think alike.

Inkpoint2: You're really lucky I know french, dude. I don't have a translater at the current time. *grins* Hmm... another guess about the parents. I just love reading the things you guys suspect. :-)

lovesmesomedanilalol: I hope you're talking about Dimitri. God can't help him now, amigo, only I can... *smiles crookedly*

LIZZIE85: Don't worry, I plan on making our dear Comrade burst with jealousy. I hope you enjoyed your tea.

deliriumintheheavens: I'm sorry for that, but I hope this helps.

Peggy: Parents. Parents. Parents. As if I'll reveal, but I appreciate the efforts. Ha ha ha...

With this, I give you the chapter...

6

Why the Guilt?

Roza, my Roza, had children with Adrien Ivashkov?!

That's messed up. Shit.

I never expected her to stay single and wait for me, of course. But seriously? Children?! What in the world were they thinking?!

It suddenly dawned on me. That is why Rose left the court. Neglected the title of a guardian, she worked so hard to earn. And ran away with Ivashkov.

She was pregnant.

She was carrying another man's child when we made love the last time. Or he got her pregnant after I went away. Not that it mattered much. I felt confused between kicking Adrien or punching him in the jaw. Both were appealing at that time. And I would have. If it hadn't hit me again. Harder this time.

Adrien was the father of Roza's children.

Adrien was the father of Roza's children.

Adrien was the father of Roza's children.

Damn. it was hard not to go there and break every one of his weak, moroi bones in half.

Thankfully, I was distracted by the conversation, I had forgotten, was being carried on by the family in front of us.

"I'm not writing love letters to anyone, you jerk!" Sally growled at Mase.

"Good. And you're never going to." Adrien stated, with a meaningful glare in his daughter's direction.

Rose shook her head slowly and stepped up to Mase. She held out her hand, palm upwards.

"Give it."

Mase did as he was told. Rose read it and snorted out loud. Curious, Adrien peered over her shoulder.

"What is this?" she grinned.

"My diary entry for yesterday."

"'He is sooooooooo cute. I'm sure I'd have melted if-'" Adrien read out loud from the page. "Hell! I'll make sure Mr. Cute will melt if I ever get my hands on him. We're going to talk about this, young lady."

"Tiiiiaaaa!" his daughter whined, looking at Rose for help. What the freaking hell is tia? I thought mothers were called Anne in Turkish. Maybe it's another language. It, sure as hell, didn't sound too Turkish. God, are they polyglots or what?

"Adrien," Rose said. "Let it go. It's just a crush."

"She's too young to have crushes."

"She's eight."

"Exactly my point."

Rose rolled her eyes and that was the first time she realized they weren't alone in the shop.

"Oh no! Dammit. We've been bickering in front of customers!"

The rest of the heads too snapped in our direction.

"We're so sorry!" Adrien said with an apologetic smile. "Mase, take the orders."

Then, he picked up the bags he was carrying when he'd entered and walked into the kitchen behind Rose and Sally, whispering animatedly. Rose's shoulders were shaking as she was trying very hard not to laugh outright. Watching them like this, happy with each other and their children, something in my gut twisted. I refused to admit that I was jealous. However, I kept thinking that I could've been the one in the place of Adrien. I could have been the one making her laugh. I understand we couldn't have biological children, but I could have been the one she looked at with admiration, the way she looked at him like she would trust him with her life.

Of course, I'd been the one at a time. But not now. Not after I'd left. God! I'd been so stupid! Why did I leave? What, in the freaking world, was I thinking? Actually, I know what I was thinking. I'd thought I'd be able to move on. She too. But God knows I didn't. And now when I found out that she did, and I was feeling like shooting myself (and Adrien) in the head.

Mase gestured us all to sit down. We quickly filled the nearest table and opened the menu card.

"I'm really sorry about earlier," he said, slowly shaking his head. "My sister is more disappointing than an unsalted pretzel. Seriously, if Mr. Rogers was our neighbor, he'd move. I swear, sometimes I think she's adopted. She's nothing like my awesome self."

Despite my mood earlier, this comment made it hard for me to control my smile. Notwithstanding my hardest efforts, I couldn't stop my lips from twitching.

"Anyways, orders? I suggest cheese sandwiches. My father makes them, and they're totally awesome."

At the mention of the word father, my spirits returned to their previous somber self. Can anyone die by drowning in disappointment? I was sure I would soon. And yes I still refused to label it as jealousy. I was disappointed in myself. I was not jealous of Adrien Ivashkov. Nor would I ever be. Not in a million years.

I looked at the other two and took in the fact that they looked pale, I mean paler than usual, and beads of sweat were forming on their foreheads. I think I was imagining it, but they both looked a little... guilty.

How had I not noticed it before? Simple. I wasn't paying attention to my charge. Goodness, I'd been distracted the whole time we were in the cafe. In my defense, these things tend to happen when you see the love of your life after ten years as the mother of the children of another man! They shouldn't, but they do, so sue me.

Vasilisa cleared her throat and said, "An affogato and two grilled cheese sandwiches for me, please."

At the names of foods, Christian's stomach grumbled, making our baristo laugh in amusement. "An iced latte and four steaked sandwiches."

When it was my turn, I didn't know what to order. I glanced at the menu again and was thankful for a familiar dish. "An iced mocha and a plate of pelmeni."

Mase's head snapped up from the notepad in which he was noting down the order to my face. He looked at me strangely. I was confused for a while, but then I got it. The ring didn't change my voice. He must have recognized it. He shook his head as if clearing his mind and walked away.

"Tio! Anne!" Mase called his parents. There it was again; tio. The last time it was tia, wasn't it? Why isn't he calling his father baba like a typical Turk? God, I am fluent in both Russian and English, but it gave me a headache too.

When she appeared at the doorway, tying her hair, which had grown longer over the years, in a bun, she looked so breathtakingly beautiful that my heart did a flutter. Then out came a certain somebody, and it all went back to hell.

"Where's Sydney?" he asked. "Haven't seen her all day."

"Uh. Yeah. Didn't I tell you? She went to pick baba up from the airport.

"Abe's comin'?!" He looked at her wide-eyed. "When?! Today?!"

"Dede's coming?" Mase asked excitedly.

My suspicions were correct. Abe did know where they were. Not only that, according to what little Mase had told me about him, they used to live with him in Turkey until a few years back.

Why didn't he tell Vasilisa, then?

Vasilisa.

She'd looked like she knew where we were. She'd whispered something to Christian, which made him propose going further. And they looked uncomfortable.

They knew.

They both had known. All those years, they'd known and they never told me a shit! And I, like a damned idiot, believed them. How could she not know? Vasilisa was the freaking best friend of Rose!

I looked at them with my eyes narrowed. I think my distrust was visible clearly on my face as they both avoided my eyes. We could cut the tension with a knife right then. Finally, Vasilisa stood up and said, "I think we'll wait in the car. Can you bring our food? Thank you." And just like that, without waiting for an answer, they both left the cafe.