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“Of course he had to,” I exclaim.
“I got up to pee at night and tripped over the dresser, that’s all.”
Narrowing my eyes, I study her face. She looks thinner, some of the roundness of her cheeks gone. “They said it was a dizzy spell. Are you eating enough?”
“The dietician is excellent.” My mom adjusts her scarf. “I’m eating more than enough, and the food is delicious. The doctor already ran a few blood tests, and everything looks fine.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, unable to shake my concern.
“These things happen,” my mom says. “I’d taken a hot bath earlier in the evening, and I might’ve undereaten a bit at dinner. It’s possible my blood pressure might’ve been a bit low. In any event, they’re monitoring me like a baby, so you can enjoy your vacation without any worries.” She gives me a bright smile. “Speaking of your vacation, how is it going?”
“Great,” Alex says. “Although, we haven’t gotten around to as much sightseeing as we’d like.”
My mom winks. “I understand. You’re not getting out of the bedroom a lot, are you?”
“Mom!”
“I still have plenty to show Katerina,” Alex says, not missing a beat at my mom’s remark. “I want her to get to know my home country.”
“Understandably.” Mom checks her watch. “I’m afraid I have to go. I have a checkup with the doctor in five minutes.”
“Let me know how it goes,” I say. “And please take care of yourself.”
“I will.” She blows us a kiss. “Thank you for checking on me. Speak to you later, kids.”
At kids, Alex chuckles. She’s my parent, but she’s only seven years older than Alex.
When the screen goes black, he leans over me to close the laptop.
“Thanks,” I say, rubbing my palms over my thighs. “You didn’t have to be here for this.” He could’ve gone back to the office to work in peace.
“It was the least I could do,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “Now I’m going to get some more work done, and then we’ll grab dinner.”
My mom texts Alex after her checkup and cheerfully informs us that she’s as healthy as a horse. Still, I worry about it all through dinner, and then I can’t fall asleep at night. Alex does his best to wear me out with mind-blowing pleasure, but for once, even that doesn’t help. So after I toss and turn for two hours straight, I get up. To my surprise and over my protests, he gets up too, and then he stays up with me, quietly working on his computer next to me while I watch some Downton Abbey in an effort to take my mind off things.
By three a.m., I’m completely exhausted, but my mind is still churning. To calm myself, I ask Alex to text my mom again, to check if she’s had any other spells and he does. Mom replies right away, assuring me that she’s perfectly fine and has had a great day.
Alex watches me with compassion. “Now that you’ve seen for yourself that there’s nothing to worry about, let’s get some sleep.”
There won’t be much sleep for him. He’s up every morning at six to work out until seven before leaving for the office at seven-thirty. Sometimes, he exercises in the gym, and at other times, he spars with his men in the barracks. My stomach is always tied in knots when he’s training with them, knowing how quickly an accident with a blade can happen.
Coming around the sofa, he sits down next to me. “Katyusha.” He waits for me to look at him before he continues. “I know this isn’t easy for you.”
“My mom…” I swallow the lump in my throat. “She has no one but me.”
“I know,” he says, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s why I’m taking you to see her for Christmas.”
“You are?” I ask with surprise.
“Yes, kiska.”
“When did you decide this?”
He simply looks at me.
Ah. He’s made a spur-of-the-moment decision to soothe my bruised feelings. He’s made it all by himself without discussing it with me—not that I’m unhappy about the prospect. My battered ego doesn’t want me to accept the olive branch he’s offering, but if it means I’ll get to see my mom, I’ll gladly lay down my pride.
“Thanks,” I say in a detached tone, pushing to my feet. “That’s very generous of you.”
The text reply from Mom has comforted me, yet something inside of me still feels broken. It feels as if I’ve been violated, which is exactly the case. My free will has been stripped away, and Alex won’t let me forget it. His actions keep on reminding me of my inferior place in his life.
He follows my progress with a dark gaze as I walk out of the room, but like earlier, he doesn’t come after me. He lets me go to bed alone. And when I wake up the next morning, he’s already gone.
