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Before the sun had even come up, my eyes peeled open and I was wide awake. I lay in bed for hours, thinking about how I could get back to studying again, and how I might convince Nik to let that happen.
Regardless of Nik not being a boss, he still had some sort of influence. Surely, he could figure out a way to get me back in.
But that would involve convincing him of how important it was to me, and of how serious I was about it. Studying medicine was the one thing I wanted in life, and even if he had taken it from me, he had the power to give it back.
The mere thought of bringing it up to him had my stomach in knots, which only made it harder to sleep.
The moment the self-doubt would creep in, I’d tell myself that Nik owed me. He may have made me his wife despite my wishes, but I was still capable of being loud. I could still break him down like I unknowingly did before.
That seemed to be an easy thing for both of us to accomplish.
Even if my legal name was Petrov, I was still a Levov at heart. If I wanted something, I was determined to get it.
When Nik’s alarm went off and he reluctantly got out of bed, I waited until he showered and headed downstairs before I got up myself.
Reciting words of encouragement, I made my way down the steps and reminded myself of exactly why I deserved to go after what I wanted and to become a doctor.
Standing by the coffee machine wearing his uniform consisting of neat slacks, a crisp white button-down, and a tie that hadn’t been done up yet, there was no denying how good he looked in it. It seemed Erasmo wanted his guards to be well-dressed despite the job.
Regardless of how attractive he was, I had to stay focused. Even if a part of me just wanted to get him out of those clothes, I still hadn’t fully forgiven him yet, and I was feeling snippy towards him. But if I wanted to keep studying, then I needed to hold my tongue and be nice.
Nik looked surprised to see me up. “It’s early. You can sleep in, you know.”
“I know,” I said, hugging myself to brace against the morning chill. “But I wanted to talk to you about something.”
He looked curious, regardless of how early it was. “Yes?”
“I want to continue my studies. It took a lot of convincing for them to let me in the program in the first place, and I can’t lose my spot. Ever since I came back from Africa, pursuing healthcare has been my main focus. I can’t just sit around here all day,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t make me beg for it. “I did what you asked of me, and I just want to finish my program.”
Nik studied me for a moment, then he sighed and poured his coffee. “You sure they’ll let you resume after missing that much time?”
“I’ll likely have to prove to them that I can catch up, but it’ll be worth it. I’m sure if someone I know can pull some strings, I shouldn’t have much of an issue convincing my profs I’m not a lost cause,” I added, leaning into that angle with a sweet glint in my eyes.
He cocked a brow at me, then snickered. “You’re assuming I have some big influence over the medical field.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try, right?”
With a sigh, Nik absently drummed his gloved fingers against the marble countertop. “What would you need?”
Liking how promising it sounded, I sat on one of the island stools and propped my chin on the back of my hand. “Seeing as you took my things, I’ll need something to study with. A laptop, preferably.”
“And you can do this fully remotely?” He asked, lifting a brow.
“For the most part,” I murmured, aware that there would be mandatory clinical studies eventually. “We can discuss the further details when we get there.”
He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, seemingly contemplating it. In all honesty, I half expected him to shut down the idea immediately, which meant I was way further ahead than I anticipated.
“Fine,” Nik mumbled, seemingly relinquishing at least a small portion of control. “I’ll get in contact with them and come up with some sort of excuse so that you can stay remote. But I can’t have you leaving this house yet. We need to establish some trust before that can happen. Alright?”
As much as I wanted to have full autonomy again, it felt like a pretty big win at six in the morning. After being completely cut off from my normal life, the thought of hitting the books again was beyond thrilling.
“I can make that work,” I said, trying to contain how excited I really was.
Even if I was happy with the outcome, I knew exactly why he didn’t want me to leave. It wasn’t just a matter of trust, but because it would run the risk of me getting into contact with my family. That would be the worst-case scenario for him.
There was no denying how right he was to assume I’d squeal the second I could, because I would. Not because of him, necessarily, but for the chance to make my own decisions again. To break the bonds that kept me under his control.
Surprisingly, the thought of ratting on Nik didn’t come without guilt. Even if he had taken away my ability to choose, I knew he wasn’t a bad guy—not really.
