Page 151 of His to Own

“Hopefully. I would rather her be pouting than be afraid. But Adriana will be eighteen next year. Father might marry her off then.”

“Surely my husband and yours can find her before then. If they do, she’ll come live with me. I’ll take care of her. I won’t let Father get close to her. Not after what he did to you. He doesn’t deserve to be our father.”

“He tried to kill me,” I whisper.

Lana squeezes my hand. “I know that’s a hard thing to process. I’m always here for you. Whenever you need me. You know that.”

“I do. Thank you.”

After Lana leaves, I get more rest. I’m asleep when Maxim returns home. I only know because he wakes me when I feel arms around me. Maxim holds me close to his body and we just remain there, not saying a word. I ease into his body, feeling like this is right where I belong.

Fortunately, the school semester is over. I pass all of my classes. I’ll be able to continue next year.

On the last day of my last class, I remain behind after the other students leave. It’s hard to walk without a cane since my abdomen is still healing and I don’t like other people giving me pitying looks.

Professor Burgov sits behind the desk at the front of the class. “Do you need help?”

“No. I got this.” I push myself up with the cane.

“Elena. Before you go, I wanted to tell you why you didn’t get my internship.”

“Oh. I just figured it was because you thought Alexei was a better writer.”

“He’s not. But my internship is for a student to help me with my own book. But for you, I want you to focus on getting your own book published. A book of poetry. I can help you with it. You’re a gifted writer. More people should read it.”

I suck in a fast breath. “Publish… myself?”

“How does that sound? You’re talented. Now, I can’t say you’ll earn much from a book of poetry. But that really isn’t the point, is it? The pride you’ll get at being published is worth more than money.”

To be published… to put my writing out there for the world to see. It’s a terrifying thought. But it’s also incredibly freeing.

No more hiding.

“I’d like that.”

Professor Burgov smiles. “Great. I’ll send you an email. We can get started on it this summer.”

I walk out of class and run into Alexei. He’s waiting outside the room. “Elena.”

I try moving past him but I’m too slow and he easily gets in my way. “What?”

“I heard about what happened to you.” He nods at my cane. “How you got hurt. I wanted to say… I’m sorry. For being rude to you. I never should have treated you like I did.”

“You mean, when you admitted that we were only friends because you thought you could sleep with me?” After everything that has happened, I feel no more fear. I can just say what’s on my mind.

Alexei flushes. “Yes. I am sorry for that. I don’t want things to end like this.”

“We’re both in the writing program at this school. Most likely, we’ll see each other next semester. We can’t completely avoid one another. So I want to put things behind us too. But I don’t think we can be friends anymore. We should say goodbye here.”

“All right.” The disappointment in his eyes is evident but it’s not my job to make Alexei feel better.

“You just saved your own life, you know. My husband isn’t happy that you got the internship over me but I told him to let it go. That you didn’t deserve to die over that. Just leave me alone from now on, Alexei. We were once friends and now we’re not. I never wanted you to die. So take comfort knowing you will live and you won’t have to deal with my husband again.”

He swallows hard. “All right. Your husband is terrifying.”

Because he’s a mafia man and I’m sure Alexei knows that. But I still don’t say it out loud. Some things are better left unspoken.

“Goodbye,” I say.