Page 110 of His to Own

I know I need to face my parents sooner rather than later. “All right.”

She opens the door and Father storms into the house. “I heard about what happened. Both of your husbands left me out of it. They didn’t inform me they were planning an attack.”

“Are you here to complain or…” Lana asks.

He shoots a glare in her direction before he turns his ire onto me by sticking his finger in my face. “You. You need to get control of your husband. I don’t like that they went behind my back again.”

“They attacked Aleksander’s house to save Elena,” Lana objects. “They did the right thing.”

“They should have included me,” he hisses.

“Do you honestly care?” I ask in a soft voice.

“What?” he snaps.

“You haven’t even asked me if I’m all right and I was just kidnapped. Do you care about me at all? Or is it just your pride that’s hurt that you were left out?” It’s freedom to speak to my father like this.

He looks stunned. Clearly, he never thought I would stand up for myself. “You’re all right. Obviously. I didn’t need to be worried.”

“But do you love me… Father? Have you ever loved me?”

Mother shakes her head behind Father’s back. She doesn’t want me talking about the affair but that’s not fair to me. I remain quiet though, for my mother’s sake. I’m used to staying quiet.

“Why do you ask such ridiculous things sometimes?”

Lana crosses her arms. “Why did you come here then if not to check in on Elena? Did you just come to scold her? Like you always do?”

He looks between us before scoffing. “Get control of your husbands. Both of you. Come along, Masha.”

Mother hesitates by the door even after Father has left. “Girls. Elena. Thank you.” She knows I could have told our father what happened but I kept quiet.

“What did she mean by that?” Lana asks after our parents are gone.

My older sister deserves the truth, even though it’s not my place to say. I know Mother will never tell her though. “Mother had an affair before she had me. I might not be Father’s biological child. I think it’s why he hates me so much.”

Lana’s jaw drops. “What? I… Wow. I… that explains a lot. But…” Her eyes soften. “Are you ok? When did you find out?”

“The night of Father’s party. Mother told me then.”

“Elena… how are you feeling about all of that? I don’t even know what to make of that.”

“I’m still processing it all. I think I want to go write now. I need to write.”

She offers me a sympathetic smile and gives me one more hug. “Just stay safe. Please.”

“I promise.”

Once Lana leaves, I go to Maxim’s home library and settle in at one of the desks and write a new poem. It’s full of despair and anguish. All my dreams crushed and shattered. The things I saw Aleksander do. The way Maxim saved me and the relief I felt. The poem itself isn’t one of my best.

But it has all of my heart in it and for that, I love it.

The moment I finish writing, I know I feel more light. I’m not fully healed yet but I believe I’ll get there in time.

Maxim returns home to find me still in the library. “How are you?”

“Did you find Aleksander?”

“Not yet. He disappeared. Went into hiding. He’s probably planning something. You need to be extra careful right now. All right? I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to stifle you. I just want to keep you safe.”