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“Yes, just pretend to be one of the staff.”
I walk down the hallway and reaching my mom’s room, I pause in the doorway and stare at her where’s she’s sitting in a chair in front of the window.
Hey, Mom. Sorry I haven’t been around.
I walk inside, and stopping next to her chair, I crouch down. She doesn’t look at me, and I force my voice to sound lighthearted. “Hi.”
Mom just keeps staring out the window. I reach a hand out and softly place it on her knee, but I don’t get a reaction from her.
Staring at the shell of my mother, I realize this might be my future. Just like her, I met the love of my life, and I had to let him go. At least she had me, but I don’t even have a child to keep the memory of Demitri alive.
Is this what her heartache did to her? She couldn’t go on without my dad and slowly just died on the inside?
Sitting down by her feet, I rest my cheek against her leg. “I met the most amazing man, Mom.” My shoulders begin to jerk. “I had to let him go, and it’s killing me.”
Suddenly I feel my mom’s hand brush over my hair and my eyes dart up to her. She looks down at me with sympathy, her own eyes tearing up.
“I miss him so much,” I admit to her, the moment overwhelming me.
She nods, brushing her palm over my hair again.
“I miss you too,” I whimper on a sob.
A tear spirals over her face, and then she goes back to staring out the window.
Unable to reign in the tears, I get up and press a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.” Rushing out of the room, I dart past Nikhil and head to the SUV.
Nikhil’s right behind me, and opening the passenger door, he asks, “Everything okay?”
I nod, wiping at my cheeks. “Yeah, it’s just hard to see her like that.”
To see what will become of me without Demitri.
DEMITRI
In the past two weeks, Ariana only left her apartment once, and it was to visit her mom. Nikhil said it didn’t go well and that her mom keeps getting worse.
Ariana moves from the bed to the couch, and all she does is stare. She only eats once a day when Nikhil checks in on her.
Watching her fade before my eyes is pushing me to my limit. I’ve given her the time she asked for, and I regret it every day.
I’m planning on fucking kidnapping her again, and this time I have everything ready. I don’t know why I’m waiting.
Tell me to come to you, Malyshka.
It’s the middle of the night, and Ariana’s sitting in the living room. She lifts her head and glances around the room. Her eyes drift shut, and she shakes her head. ‘I can’t do this anymore. How am I supposed to live without him?’ She shoots up, and grabbing hold of the coffee table, she shoves it to the side. ‘I can’t…’ her breathing catches in her throat, and then it bursts over her lips as she begins to tear the apartment apart.
My heart cracks in two, and shoving the car door open, I get out and run across the street. I take the stairs two at a time, and using the key I had made for myself, I unlock the door and dart inside.
I come up behind Ariana and wrap my arms around her to keep her from destroying anything else. Heartbreaking sobs tear from her as she sinks back against me, not even putting up a fight. I crouch down with her, and taking hold of her face, I turn her to me. There’s no recognition in her eyes that looks feverish, as if she’s lost her mind.
Pulling the injection out of my pocket, I use my teeth to remove the cap, and then I inject her with a sedative. I put the cap back on and pocket the empty syringe. Pushing my arms beneath her back and knees, I lift her to my chest as I rise to my feet.
Walking to the front door, I press a kiss to her clammy forehead and whisper, “Shh, Malyshka. Sleep. I’ve got you.”
I shut the front door behind me and carry her down to the SUV. After laying her down on the back seat and slipping behind the steering wheel, I pull out my phone and dial Alexei’s number.
He answers within seconds. “Everything okay?”
“I’m taking Ariana back to the island. Tell Nikhil.”
“Okay. So you’re working things out?”
“We will,” I mutter, and then I end the call.
Come hell or high water, we will. This madness ends now.
I drive to the private airfield and carry Ariana onto the plane. After getting her settled in a seat, I strap her in and press another kiss on her forehead. I take a deep breath of her soft scent and then close the door before settling behind the controls.
