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“I’ll go find him, Mrs. Andreyva,” Levin says firmly. “You stay with Anika in case she needs you.” He hesitates. “Should I have Sasha or Olga bring Yelena up?”
I hesitate for a moment, but shake my head. “Let’s go slowly. Anika only just woke up. I don’t want to overtire her. Let her see Viktor this time, and the next time she’s awake, we’ll bring Yelena up too.”
Levin nods. “Of course, Mrs. Andreyva. Whatever you say. I’ll go and find Viktor.”
I sag against the door as he leaves, my heart still beating hard. Viktor will be up any moment, and that knowledge both makes my stomach twist all over again and sends a tingle of anticipation through me all at once. I shouldn’twantto see him, and part of me doesn’t—part of me is terrified to see him again after what happened last night. But another part, maybe the masochistic part that also enjoys the punishments he inflicts on me, can’t wait to see him walk into the room.
Forget it,I tell myself, pushing open the door.Focus on Anika. Focus on the reason you’ve decided to stay. Forgethim.
It’s easier said than done, though.
“Your father is on his way,” I tell Anika as I sit down by the bed again. “He’ll be up in a minute, just as soon as Levin finds him.”
“Is he angry with me?” Anika’s voice is very small as she asks the question, her blue eyes looking up at me. I blink at her, startled.
“Of course not, sweetheart. Why would he be mad at you?”
She swallows, blinking rapidly as if fighting back the tears. “I wasn’t supposed to be downstairs. Papa told me to stay upstairs with Yelena, but I was curious. I wanted to know what was happening—and I was scared. So I left her and tried to find him and—” Anika bites her lower lip, her face paling a little as she remembers. “It was so loud, and then there was this burning in my stomach, and everything went woozy—”
“Oh, sweetheart.” I move to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching for her, and to my surprise, she leans into my embrace. “Your father isn’t angry with you. He wants you to listen to him, and there was a reason for him to tell you that. But he’s just going to be happy that you’re awake and that you’re okay.”
“I thought he would blame me for, for—”
“No.” I shake my head, stroking her hair. “He’s not going to blame you for anything. You’re safe now, and that’s all that matters.”
Anika nods, sniffling. For a moment, I think she’s going to stay where she is, letting me hold her. But then the door opens, and Viktor walks in, and all her attention is instantly on her father.
My heart drops the moment he walks into the room, mingled dread and desire filling me until I feel as if I’m vibrating from the inside out with it. He looks as handsome as ever, tall and stern, dressed in tailored black slacks and a dark red button-down shirt open at the collar, as if he were going to the office instead of working from a safe house deep in the Russian mountains. He doesn’t look at me, his expression as hard as if it were carved from stone, until the moment he sets eyes on his daughter.
I move away as he makes a beeline for the bed, his face going slack with relief as he drops to his knees next to the bed, reaching for Anika and cradling her in his arms.
“Oh, thank god,” he murmurs, his broad hand on her hair as her small arms go around his neck, her face burying against his shoulder as Viktor clutches his daughter to him. “Thank god you’re awake,malen’kiy. You’re okay.”
“I’m sorry, papa,” Anika cries, her voice muffled against his shirt. “I’m sorry I got in the way.”
“No.” He shakes his head, and I can hear the tightness in Viktor’s voice, the emotion. I realize with a start that he’s struggling not to cry, and it shocks me just as much as the first time I heard it, when we thought there was a possibility that Anika might not make it. “You don’t need to say you’re sorry,” he tells her firmly. “But youmustlisten to me in the future,malen’kiy. It’s very important. Your sister needed you, and you’re the eldest. It’s important that you protect her and listen to your father.” He leans back, smoothing her blonde hair away from her face as he looks into her eyes. “Okay?”
Anika nods, looking tearfully at her father. “I promise, papa,” she murmurs, and Viktor nods.
“Just focus on getting better,malishka.” He hugs her again and then helps her lie back down, adjusting the covers so that she’s tucked in. “You’re safe here. Just focus on getting well, and we’ll be home soon, I promise.”
Anika nods, her eyelids already fluttering tiredly. It’s clear that she’s exhausted, and Viktor stands up, bending to give her a kiss on the forehead before retreating. He walks past me without so much as a glance, striding out of the door, and I hesitate a moment before turning quickly, giving Anika one more glimpse before following him out as well.
“Viktor!”
He’s halfway to the stairs before he stops, his shoulders instantly tensing at the sound of my voice.
“What is it, Caterina?” My voice sounds brittle on his lips, and he doesn’t turn around.
“I just—” I take a breath, suddenly feeling shaky and uncertain. “The way we left things last night—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He doesn’t turn around, but I can see the tension spreading through him. “There’s nothing more to say, Caterina. You made your position clear and left me with no choice but to acquiesce to your wishes. So. If you want distance, I am giving you that.”
“If we’re going to parent the girls, though—”
“Weare not parenting anyone.” His voice is so cold that it sends chills through me. “I am their father, and you will do your best to act as their mother. There’s no need for us to act in tandem.”
“I—” I don’t know what it is that I’m trying to say. I want to tell him that it’s not good for them to see so much tension between us, to never see any affection or warmth, but I can’t ask for that after what I’d insisted on and said last night. Sofia’s words float back to me,these aren’t men who tolerate games, and I feel my stomach clench.
