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Ivan put my father in the hospital. I don’t care who ordered the hit. He is ultimately responsible. I think of my father dying, and I have to stop and take a few deep breaths. They said there was no chance, but I’ve been praying. Surely God can hear me. If my father dies, he’ll never meet my child. The thought chills me to the bone, and an incredible sadness falls over me.
I compose myself and then meet back up with Aleks. “We can check these out.”
He follows me to where the librarian is, and we check out my books. I put them in my book bag and try to suppress the feeling of guilt building up inside of me.
Ivan is getting royally screwed over. I think as we walk back into the house. I instrumented that. He will lose so much, his family will lose so much, and I’ve made it look like they’re gaining a good deal. I rush to the bathroom and throw up. I don’t know if it’s the morning sickness starting or just the overwhelming emotions I feel. I flush the loo and wash my face, patting it dry with a towel.
I go to the home office and get back to work, setting the books on one side. I read the contracts carefully, wanting to make sure there was nothing that I missed. Somewhere in the house, I hear Ivan’s phone ring, and I perk up slightly, trying to hear what’s being said.
I can hear him talking excitedly, and then he goes quiet.
“Tori?” he calls, “you around?”
“In the office,” I call back, swinging my chair around to see him walk in. He smiles and holds a hand out, and I take it. I stand and look up at him. “Is something wrong?”
“Actually, something is very right,” he says to me, kissing my fingers. “I just got news from the hospital. I managed to pull some strings with the Russian specialists to look after your father again, and they’re confident he can recover fully. He’s going to be fine.”
I don’t know what I feel. Numb, I guess, and then panicked and overwhelmed. The tears begin to fall without me realizing they formed at all.
Ivan strokes my face. “I thought you’d be happy?”
“It’s your fault,” I sob, punching him in the chest. “It’s your fault he was ever there to begin with. Your men put him there, and he could have died. They said he was going to die. They said he wouldn’t make it.” I try to turn away, but he takes my hands.
“I’m so sorry, Tori. You are right, it is my fault this happened, but I’m glad he’s making a full recovery and that it brought you into my life,” his voice is soft and gentle, and I shake my head. I don’t know what to say back. Everything feels upside down, and I sob harder.
He wraps his strong arms around me and draws me against him, my head resting against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat through his chest, and the rhythm makes me feel better. I try to time my breaths with his breaths. I eventually stop sobbing, and once I’m calm enough, he lets me go, and I look up at him. His eyes are filled with regret. I can see it clear as day.
“I promise I will never let anything or anyone hurt you like that again,” he says softly. “I won’t let anyone you love get hurt.”
I swallow hard but don’t break eye contact with him because I believe him. I think he would kill anyone who broke my heart. And here I am, about to break his at any moment Alessandro decides.
“I should get back to work. The distraction will do me good,” I say quietly, and he steps back.
He looks down at me, then closes the distance again and kisses me deeply. I melt against him, returning the kiss passionately. I feel electricity charge through my body, my skin feels on fire, and there are butterflies in my belly.
Not to mention his child.
I pull away slowly and smile. “That’s also a good distraction.”
He chuckles and kisses my forehead. “I’ll leave you to work.”
We don’t talk much for the rest of the day. At dinner, I’m quiet while he and Anastasia discuss plans for her to change universities because she wants to study something different. They don’t ask my opinion, and I don’t offer it. I simply eat my food and excuse myself, going to shower.
I sit on the edge of the bed and slowly rub cream into my body, taking extra care of myself. I’m still emotional, but I can’t wait to see my father. Although I think he will flip when he finds out about our plan, he may want revenge too. I don’t know what to think.
I slide into the bed and curl up, hugging my pillow under my head. I don’t fall asleep, and Ivan is quiet as he cleans up and slides into bed. I turn over and curl up with my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and strokes my arm gently with one hand. It feels right.
This feels right.
I’ve never felt at home anywhere, constantly the odd one out. The overlooked one—the one who doesn’t matter. Here I feel treasured, as though I’ve finally found my place.
But Ivan is an evil man. There is no getting around that. Just like there is no denying Alessandro is evil, along with Katya, or Miguel.
There’s something more, though. I sense it. I think there’s more than meets the eye. More than what the families see.
Is love possible in families like ours? I mean, between enemies. I don’t know but what I do know is that right now, I feel safer than I’ve ever felt, and I close my eyes, starting to doze off to the sound of his heartbeat and the rhythm of his thumb stroking my arm.
Chapter 19 - Vittoria
