AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve stopped listening at this point. I think the other dancers want to be mad for the sake of being mad. No matter what I say, they’re not going to listen. They’ll either talk over me or call me a liar. I know deep down I would never do such a thing, but the truth doesn’t seem to have much weight in the court of public opinion.
My eyes burn with the threat of tears, my nose stuffy and my throat raw. I’m reaching a boiling point. If I have to endure another second of this, I think I might genuinely have a mental breakdown.
I can feel the first few tears slipping down my cheeks. I turn away from the crowd, unwilling to give them any more ammunition than they already have. I quickly gather my things, bare feet padding over the floor, before hastily making for the exit. The room has finally gone quiet at my mother’s order. What I really need right now is fresh air. Some space. A shoulder to cry on.
And the only shoulder I want is Leo’s.
After getting dressed in a hurry in the change rooms, I leave through the back exit of the training hall and pull out my phone. I dial his number, waiting with bated breath. I feel a little bad about interrupting his workday, but I don’t have anyone else to talk to. I don’t trust anyone else after the way my fellow dancers turned on me.
He doesn’t answer.
My heart twists. I tell myself he’s probably busy. But I desperately need to hear his voice right now. If anyone can comfort me through this awful mess, it’s him. I try again, and then one more time for good measure. Each time, the call goes to voicemail.
Feeling alone and afraid, I decide to text him instead.
I’m sorry to bother you.
I’m going through a really hard time right now.
Can I come see you?
I wait for a few minutes. Leo is normally very quick to respond. Unfortunately, today seems to be the exception. Cold and shivering, I pull my winter coat closed over my chest. I want to go home, curl up in bed, forget all this even happened. I’m sure Inessa will take care of the rest. This is the second incident in under a month. The director has to get to the bottom of it before something tragic happens.
I take the subway home, a foggy haze clouding my mind. Can this day get any worse?
When I get back to the apartment, I realize it can.
Dad is nowhere in sight. The lights are off, the air is still. At first, I’m hit with a wave of confusion, immediately followed up by a sickening sense of worry. I gave him the money to pay off his debt collectors, but I haven’t heard from him since. Just when I feel myself about to go into a full blown panic, I see an envelope on the kitchen table, Dad’s neat handwriting gracing the surface.
It’s addressed to Mom and me.
With shaky hands, I tear it open and pull out the letter from inside.
I’m sorry.
I should have been honest and upfront from the very beginning. I owe some very bad people a lot of money, and while Nikita—my darling daughter—you have given me the money to square my debts away, I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame.
I’ve made yet another mistake. I have a problem. A gambling addiction. I took the money you gave me, Nikita, and I went back to the gambling den to try and make enough to at least pay you back.
I’m pathetic. I lost it all. I’ll make this right, I swear. Until then, I need to lie low. I’ll come back once I have paid them. They shouldn’t give you any trouble.
I’m so sorry. I love you so much.
My hands are shaking with unchecked rage and disappointment by the time I finish the letter. I thought I was helping him by giving him the money to pay off his debt. And what did he do? He squandered that chance. I don’t know where he’s gone, I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. Does he not realize the danger he’s put us in by owing the Bratva? What’s to stop them from coming after Mom or me when they realize he skipped town?
My stomach twists. I’m suddenly nauseous, barely able to keep down my lunch. This can’t be happening. Maybe I was too trusting, too naive. I thought my father would do the right thing, and now he’s proven me wrong, and has taken advantage of my kindness.
I’m bitter, frightened, and fed up. I’m scared to bring this up to Inessa, but I have no choice. We’re in hot water, and I only just realized I’m boiling alive. It’s clear that I need to take matters into my own hands. I need to pay off my father’s debt —for real this time— as well as get to the bottom of whoever the saboteur is.
The dancers were right about one thing. It was only a matter of time before I snapped.
Chapter 20
Nikita
Igrip the envelope full of money tightly, my heart racing in my throat. This is the last of my savings, but at least it’s enough to square some of my father’s outstanding debt away.
I’ve heard about the Bratva in passing and always on the news. They’re a criminal organization that basically runs all of Moscow, and probably the entirety of Russia. They can get up to some pretty terrible things, but I have to swallow my fear. I need to get this over with. The sooner I do, the sooner Dad can come home.
