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Chapter Nine
VERA
It’s been almost three weeks since Olena was found overdosed. Initially, she was taken to a local hospital, but the moment she was stable enough, I had her transferred to an outside rehabilitation center that specializes in addiction. That night I was sitting at her bedside, researching the best addiction centers in the Ukraine. Unfortunately, we don’t have many of those. There’s only one, and it’s a bit under four hours away. But I want the best for Olena, so the best she will have. Today I’ve driven myself out to Kiev to visit her. The center believes it’s important to show physical support just as much as emotional, so I will visit her as I can every couple of weeks. She’s supposed to be here for two months, completing an eight week course with the option to stay longer if they believe she needs it.
I’m a little worried coming here, to be honest, somehow thinking Olena will be angry with me. I’m not worried that she’d be mad about me sending her to rehab because we’ve been through this before. She’s relapsed two other times and always has found her way back to sobriety. But this time is different. I didn’t send her to the types of rehabs that help ease your pain with other drugs. No, I sent her to a rehabilitation facility that believes in the holistic way of things. In more or less terms, they believe in going cold turkey. I might have been awful sending her here, but I don’t regret it, or my feelings. I wanted Olena to feel all of the pain her body endures when going through withdrawal. I wanted her to feel every ounce of agony that she could through this process, all because she chose to stick a needle in her arm. She went through all of that pain because of her selfish choices, and I can guarantee after coming to this rehab she won’t ever make those same decisions ever again.
The pain won’t be worth the high. At least, that’s the way I’m hoping she’ll think. Through the years I’ve learned that you can’t make decisions for others, even if you wish you could.
The rehab it beautiful, almost looking like a home. It’s three stories tall with beige brick surrounding the building and dark chocolate roof, giving it a cozy feel. I walk in the center and check in at the lobby area, giving the receptionist my name and informing him of which patient I am here to visit. “Would it be possible to get a day pass so I can take her out for lunch?” I ask him. He gives me a concerned look before nodding.
“As long as you bring Olena back by this evening before we have dinner it should be fine. Just make sure you bring her back.”
“I wouldn’t have brought her here in the first place if I didn’t want her to get treated,” I inform him. I understand his worries though, unable to imagine the amount of people who have broken out during a day pass with their family.
“Give me a moment and I will bring her out, then you may go out to lunch.” I nod my head at the receptionist and walk towards the window, overlooking the snow covered garden. The past couple weeks it’s been snowing quite a bit. I don’t mind it though, always loving the sight of snow. As a child when I was having a bad day, or thought something may be impossible, the snow always gave me the courage I needed. If that even makes sense.
“Vera, you look different,” Olena says from behind me. I whip my body around to face my best friend and run up to her, wrapping my arms around her so tightly that she’ll have to beg me to let her go. I don’t have any siblings, but Olena has always felt like my sister.
“I could say the same about you. You look like you have eaten a few cookies while you’ve been here.” I laugh, smiling at my dear friend.
Olena narrows her eyes at me. “You just found a roundabout way of saying I’ve gained weight. Now you will buy me something sweet to repay me!”
I chuckle, linking my arm with hers and wave to the receptionist as we walk outside and down the streets of Kiev.
“So much has happened that I need to tell you about,” I say to her, looking around at the beautiful landscape of the city.
She stops suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk, her face stricken with worry. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is wrong. There have just been many changes since Rhys has come to town, things that I couldn’t tell you about before because of you being fucked up.” I never imagined myself as a woman who would get married, not even as a small girl. When most were dreaming of their beautiful white dresses, I was thinking about how I would get my next meal. Now that I am getting married, even with it being a political alliance I still want nothing more than to tell my best friend.
“Okay, well spit it out.”
“Rhys and I are getting married.” Olena starts to laugh like this is the funniest thing I’ve ever told her, and fails to stop, so I wait.
When she realizes I’m not laughing with her, she goes dead silent. “...Aren’t you joking with me?”
I shake my head from left to right, “No. I’m not joking. We aren’t getting married for love or any of that hogwash. It’s simply because the both of us can get what we truly want by being married, so we are going to do it.”
“Fuck. Don’t tell me any more until we find somenalysnyky. I need some cherry with cheese before you continue on about this madness.”
I roll my eyes and hold back the fact that this decision was made before she overdosed and instead find us both a small cafe where we can get some coffee andnalysnyky. Some sweet stuff might do us both some good.
“You have no idea how they feed us in there. Everything is either meat and salad or meat and vegetables. It’s awful. You’re a cunt for sending me there.”
I scoff, “At least you have a warm place to sleep and food in your belly every day. Don’t complain to me about the fact you’re eating healthy for once.”
We both get our hot coffee and wait for our food to be brought out to us, catching up about silly things before Olena takes a turn for seriousness. “I’m not a fan of him from what I know, but it wouldn’t kill you to actually try and give love a shot this time.”
“We remember how well love worked out for me last time,” I grumble, thinking about my ex and how he betrayed me in the very worst way possible. I said I’d never allow myself to become that vulnerable ever again, and I meant it. Heartbreak can be worse than most wounds and I would know.
“Not everyone will hurt you like he did. You’re marrying Rhys for what reason exactly?” Just as she asks that our food is brought out to us and we dig in. Both moaning at the cherry and cheese concoction. It’s better than sex!
After I’ve swallowed, I continue. “He wants trading routes back for the Clans, and I want to overthrow Glib and eradicate all drugs being sold in the Ukraine. Rhys can help with that, especially with the entire Romanian Clans backing us up. He’s also agreed to help my businesses grow in not only the Ukraine but Russia as well, and…” I start to tell Olena, but something inside me stops myself. I think it’s in this moment I realize that Rhys didn’t do it to help get me to say yes. I think he actually wanted to help the children.
“And?” Olena questions, begging me to go on.
“He’s had renovations done to a few homes around the Ukraine to be used for orphans, for children that have nowhere else to go. Rhys has even hired individuals to provide them with education and maintenance the grounds amongst other things. I thought he did it so I’d agree to the proposal, but now I don’t know.”
Olena wiggles her eyebrows at me, “Ah, so you have a bad boy who has a big heart. Is something else big?”
“Huh...I...yes. Yes, it is very big. I thought he would break me in two,” I admit, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. I’ve been with a few men, but holy shit, Rhys knows how to use his cock to pleasure a woman. Never have I been with a man who could get me off like he can. But make no mistake, I know what we had a few weeks ago was purely sex. That’s all it will ever be.
“Well damn, I wish I was getting some action, but it’s not like I have any fine pickings in that place. But tell me, what type of bridezilla will you be? When is the wedding!?”
Olena and I laugh and make jokes about what type of bride I will be, not being over the top and she continuously argues that I will be exactly that. I tell her about the wedding happening right after she’s released from rehab because I can’t imagine doing this without having her by my side.
I have no doubt that the next few weeks are going to fly by.
