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I scowled at her, realizing that Reina became as brave as any of us in her short time with the family.
Not backing down, she continued, pointing a sharp finger at me. “If you have any feelings for Mila at all, you shouldn’t leave her alone at a time like this.”
“It’s not—”
“No,” Reina snapped, shaking her head at me with disappointment. “Be with her. Ivan and the others are taking care of the rest. Be the husband she needs you to be.”
Without another word, Reina glided down the hall and out of sight.
Overwhelmed by it all, I dropped into the nearest armchair and dropped my head into my hands.
What were my feelings for Mila?
It was a loaded question, and one I struggled with the most. Our history was interesting, to say the least, filled to the brim with attraction, yet injected with resentment and anger. Heartbreak.
Mila was the mother of my newly discovered daughter that I already loved more than life itself, and I would be a fool to think I could live without her for Kat’s sake.
Beneath that, I didn’t want to be without Mila. At the start of it all, I had been crazy about her. After our night together, I spent years wondering if I’d see her again. Sharing a bed with anyone else meant nothing after that, and I could never forget her.
Even my bitterness toward her upon seeing her again, knowing she hid Kat from me, couldn’t compare to how much I needed her.
My heart sank with the realization that Mila could’ve been as easily killed by her father as the guard was. It could’ve been her laying in a puddle of her blood, wounds deeply stitched into her belly.
But she was still alive against all odds, and Mila needed me.
My skin went cold, yet I couldn’t bring myself to get out of the chair. It felt like being paralyzed from knowing there were so many issues tearing my world apart like open sores, and I didn’t have the power to heal them yet.
While I was unharmed and able to help search, I was just as stuck as Mila.
Some time passed before I grew restless again, and I pulled my cell back out. I started by calling Ivan, then Aleksei, Yuri, and even Dmitri. That familiar rage bloomed within me again after not one of them could provide me with an update. They had nothing, even after searching for several hours.
I hung up on my cousin when the anger became too much, and the moment there was silence all around me again, I ran a frustrated hand over my face.
Huffing, I tried to convince myself that we’d find her. Soon enough, I’d get a call from Ivan telling me they found her, and Kat was on her way home again. Mila and I would be reunited with her, and there’d be nothing left to stew about. We would be a real family.
But the fantasizing wasn’t enough to convince me.
Pushing away from the chair, I tried to pull myself together and wandered over to the wide staircase. With each step, I let the usual words of encouragement circulate through my mind.
We’re going to find her.
She is safe.
Everything will work out.
With each passing moment she remained lost, the more those phrases sounded like mere words.
Even if I was torn up about it, there was one woman in the house with me who needed my reassurance. If I couldn’t offer it to myself, I would give it to her.
I needed to sit with Mila and apologize for ever suspecting her of any wrongdoing. She was Kat’s parent too and feeling the same anguish as me. She wasn’t the problem. I couldn’t let her think that I was working against her.
Reaching for the door, I pushed it open, only to be met with slight resistance. Furrowing my brows, I leaned into it and peered around the door.
From the floor, a heeled foot blocked the way, but with enough force, the leg moved.
Quicker then, I shoved my way inside to find the nurse on the floor next to the bed, unconscious. But the bed was empty.
My heart dropped, and my skin froze over.
