Page 85 of His to Own

“I’m sorry,” Ekaterina says. “That’s no fun. You are pretty but… a little plain. You could probably work on that.”

“I know a good doctor,” Sofiya offers. “Got my nose done. My husband finally wanted to touch me after I did it.”

The walls feel like they’re caving in. My chest refuses to stop squeezing. Just stop squeezing. It hurts so much.

My chair squeaks on the floor as I push it back and stand up. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

“Go where?” Alisa asks. “We haven’t even eaten yet.”

“Just… go.” I rush out of the café and hurry to my car. I wish I had my driver, Sasha, here with me. He always offered me advice when I was struggling. I haven’t seen him much since Maxim and I got married. My father wanted him back to work for him.

My father. My mother. My sisters. My husband.

My knees give out and I fall to the ground. I cry out when the skin of my knee gets cut, drawing blood. A man walking by rushes over and offers me his hand.

I quickly take it and tell him my thanks before hurrying away. I need Lana. She’ll know how to help me. She’s the only one who could ever help me.

I drive to hers and Nikolai’s house. The memory of what I saw inside that basement hits me in the gut once more. Does Lana know that her husband tortures people inside their house? Do I even know my sister at all anymore?

I pound on the front door and a maid answers. “Is Lana here?”

She motions me inside and leads me to the living room. After a moment, Lana appears and rushes to my side. “Elena?”

I sink onto the couch and let myself cry. Lana looks so startled by it. I held myself back growing up. All my emotions. Not even Lana saw me cry much when we were children. Even as our father praised her and scolded me.

“Elena, what’s wrong?” She sits beside me and reaches out but hesitates. We were never a touchy-feely family.

“I feel like I’m drowning,” I whisper, burying my head in my hands.

“Did Maxim hurt you?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“I can talk to Nikolai. Maybe he can do something.”

“Maxim didn’t physically hurt me,” I say, wiping at my tears. “I just found out that he had an affair with this woman who I thought could be a friend.”

“Maxim cheated on you?”

“No.”

Lana frowns. “I’m not following.”

“He was with her before we were married. But he never told me about it. I spent some time with her and he never told me about it. I don’t understand why he didn’t. He likes to keep things from me and yet, he expects me to open up to him. He’s a hypocrite.”

“I’m sorry, Elena. I wish there was a way I could help you. Do you want to stay here today? We could get our nails done. Go to the spa. Have a girls’ day. We’ve never had that together.”

“Father never would have allowed it.”

“We only ever went to the spa with Mother. She would pick apart our faces and say we needed Botox in certain areas. Sometimes I hated her. And other times I miss her.”

My tears have fully stopped now. Looking at my older sister, all I can see is how alike we look and yet, how different our faces are at the same time. I can see our mother in both of us but not our father. I got my father’s looks. Not Lana.

“Me too,” I admit. “But not Father. I don’t miss him.”

“I don’t blame you. I don’t really miss him either. Poor Adriana. Stuck in that house without us. Have you gone to see her since you and Maxim married?”

“No. I don’t think Father would let me through the front door. And besides, I’m not the one Adriana would want to see. We were never close.”