Chapter 24
twenty-four
Phoebe
I don't know how long I sleep, but when I wake up, the sun is setting. At some point, we must have moved because now Alex is holding me tightly, his head in the crook of my neck. I can feel the warmth of his breath as I run my fingers through his hair.
Hearing his pain on and off while I was in a coma destroyed me. I meant what I said—he has a lot to make up for, but I cannot live without him; I need him, and losing me would end him, and that would destroy me.
I hear a noise to the right and look to see Damian and Sergi sitting there, watching me. Both have unshed tears in their eyes that are full of pain. Despite my leaving for five months, they still care deeply about me and my family.
I break the ice, wanting to make them smile. I rasp, "Well, isn't this a little creepy?"
They don't smile, instead, Sergi's tears fall, while Damian fights his, so I rasp again, "I'm okay."
Damian shakes his head and stands, walking over to me on the other side of my bed, while Sergi stays where he is, trying to get a grip on his emotions. Sergi looks like a wreck; his usual slicked back hair is messy on top, a little longer on the sides than normal, and he's now sporting a beard.
I look away from him as Damian comes into view. He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead, looks at me as tears start to slip from his eyes, and my heart breaks. Our leader shows me his vulnerability.
He whispers, "Losing you would have destroyed us all, but it and would have killed him; I wouldn't have just lost my sister, I would have lost my brother, too."
My tears fall, and I rasp, "I'm okay."
He nods, grips the back of my head, and holds it against his shoulder, hugging me. I grab him tightly.
The movement wakes up Alex, and his hold on me tightens. He looks up at me, his eyes watering again.
"I wasn't dreaming," he whispers as Damian pulls back and places a hand on his shoulder.
I place my hand over Alex’s on my cheek, and I repeat, "I'm okay."
He just shakes his head and looks to his brother, who does a subtle head tilt toward Sergi. I look and notice how he's gripping the arms of the chair so tight that his knuckles have gone white. Alex gets up and goes to him, while I feel useless for being unable to move.
Alex leans over him, gripping his neck, and whispers something in his ear, making him nod as more tears fall from his eyes. Damian stands near me, arms crossed over his chest, worry and concern for his family showing through his eyes.
Alex moves out of Sergi's way, and he finally gets up, coming to me. My tears fall faster as he leans over me and holds me tight. I feel wetness on my neck as he sobs silently, and I hold him tighter. After a few minutes, he calms down, and I whisper so only he can hear me, "I'm okay, and I'm going to help you get your girl back."
He shakes his head, lifting it as tears run down his cheeks.
He rasps, "I was hurting, so I pushed her away before she found out the truth, and then she walked away when she did because I was a dick about it. I fucked up even more when I slept with Mindy."
I lean away from him and narrow my eyes. I hear Damian clear his throat while Alex snorts, obviously happy I haven't lost my killer glare. Sergi keeps eye contact and braces himself, knowing what's about to happen—something he probably prayed I'd be able to do.
You can hear the echo of my slap in the room. Sergi straightens and rubs his cheek, and I shout, not caring about the pain it causes me in my chest, side, and throat.
"Mindy?! Fucking Mindy ! Are you kidding me, Sergi, you fucking moron !”
Damian bursts out in laughter while Alex's face turns red, trying to hold his in. I narrow my eyes at him, and he lifts his hands in surrender, then walks over to me while Sergi looks at me sheepishly.
" Moya Lyubov , he was struggling; your father was trying to get power of attorney for you, and his girl had just left him, and he was drunk."
I nod, making him think I understand, but then I grab the cup from the bedside table and lob it at his head.
He ducks just in time, again trying to hold in his laughter, his eyes shining with love, amusement, and hope, now that I'm awake and his worst nightmares are gone. This is probably the most he's smiled since I nearly died. I try not to show my amusement, and keep my mask in place.
This idiot needs a good kick in the balls, fucking Mindy.
"I don't give a fuck if I had died , that is no fucking excuse." I look back at Sergi, who is staring at me in shock.
"You fucking moron, all she needed was a little time; if I wasn't in this bed, I'd kick your ass, then go and blow Mindy's fucking head off," I growled. "She wants a high-ranking husband. Please fucking tell me you wore protection." Alex can't hold his laughter in any longer, while Damian is literally on the floor in tears, and I must admit, I'm so fucking glad they're laughing. Seeing and hearing their pain was heartbreaking, especially Alex's.
"I only fucked her ass with a condom on, and took the condom with me. It's all on CCTV." He clears his throat while I gag, not wanting that visual.
I state, "I swear to fucking God, Sergi, when I'm at my full health, I'm kicking your ass!"
Chuckling, Alex walks over to me and sits on my bed. He leans down and presses a kiss on my head. "Calm down, malen'kaya ptitsa . I can see the pain in your eyes. Please, you've only just woken up. I don't want you to have a setback, please."
My eyes soften, and I nod, leaning into him as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. I look at Sergi; he looks like a fucking mess.
"I will help as much as I can, but you being with another woman…." I shake my head and rasp, "If the way she looked at you was anything to go by, you destroyed her; she looked at you like you were her whole world. If you want her back, you need to fight." He nods, and I can see the pain and a lot of determination in his eyes.
Alex clears his throat. "Just don't go about it the way we did, because watching your whole life bleed out in front of you and then waste away in a coma for months, I don't recommend it." I can hear the pain in his voice, and I place my hand on his cheek, and he looks down at me.
"I'm okay," I murmur, and he nods as a tear slips down his cheek.
I wipe it away, my big badass brigadier .
We spent the next half an hour brainstorming, before my uncle storms in. Sergi doesn't even look his way, and my heart breaks for him. I was hoping they'd have talked by now, with me being in a coma.
"I've given you enough time with her; now it's my turn." He looks at Sergi for a second. Pain enters his eyes, then he looks at me and narrows them. "You ever fucking do this to us again, and I'll kill you myself." The men chuckle and, despite not wanting to, Sergi can't help but laugh with them.
I shake my head at Uncle Juan as he walks toward me. He leans down and places a kiss on my head.
"Don't fucking scare me like this again; your men, your family, they need you, especially Alexandr. I've never seen someone go off the deep end as badly as he did. And your aunt, she was distraught. We can't lose you."
I nod and hug him.
"I'm sorry, Tio ."
He nods, then turns to Sergi, who isn't looking at him. He sighs before sitting in the chair near him, making me smile. He's not giving up. Alex strokes his fingers through my hair, and I look at him and smile. We have a long way to go, but it's safe to say that nearly dying puts things into perspective. I just wouldn't recommend it.
He still has a lot of groveling to do.
My smile quickly vanishes when the door opens again, and my father walks in with Selene, the Volkov clan, coming right behind them, with Abby trailing. My eyes soften at the sight of her, and then a heavily pregnant Sofia with Mila holding her hand enters the room.
When Mila sees I'm awake, she screams out, "Phe-Phe!" and she runs toward me.
Alex helps her up, and she wraps her arms around my neck, starting to cry, her little body shaking. My tears fall as I hold her close. I look up at Abby and Sofia as they come over, too, and Alex moves to stand next to his parents as they wrap themselves around me, crying.
When they pull back, Mila keeps hold of me, and I place my hand on the baby growing in Sofia's belly. The baby kicks me, and I smile while Maria, Alex's mother, comes forward with Maksim, and he starts to push away from her to get to me. I look at her in surprise as Dimitri walks up behind his wife, before she places the beautiful boy on me, and he hugs me tight, too. He's a chunky little nine-month-old, and a spitting image of his dad.
I hold him just as tight.
"Did you really think we wouldn't bring him to see you or show him pictures? You are his aunt, and we missed you," Maria whispers with tears in her eyes.
I reach over and grab hold of her hand, overwhelmed by everyone, and I rasp, repeating myself, "I'm okay."
They both nod, and Dimitri bends down, kissing my forehead.
He whispers, "I can't take seeing you like that again, Phoebe. No parent should see their daughter like that, and you are my daughter; you hear me." I sniffle and nod, giving him a small smile as he runs his hand down the back of my head. I've never felt so grateful to have these people as part of my family.
After a few minutes, they both take the children. Mila cries, not wanting to leave me, so Alex walks over to her, picking her up from his mother's arms. "I promise, sweet girl, you can see your tetya again in a few days; she just needs to rest, okay?" He kisses her forehead. She nods and goes back to her grandmother, and my heart feels ready to burst at the love they're all showing me, and the fact he's calling me her aunt in Russian—so much love.
His parents leave with the kids, and Sofia sits down on her husband's knee as Abby sits on the other chair, while Sergi stands near the back wall with Juan sitting next to him. I withhold a chuckle, and he narrows his eyes at me, but I give him the most innocent smile. He just shakes his head. Alex sits near me on the bed.
My father comes into view, tears shining in his eyes, eyes that hold pain, regret, and love. I'm glad he gave the Volkovs the space they needed to see me. It was probably hard for him, but he knows they're more of my family than he has been. Selene follows behind him; she has the biggest scowl on her face, clearly pissed she couldn't get the inheritance. Even though it would have gone to Sergi anyway, I fucking made sure of it when I left.
"How are you feeling, Mikrí prinkípissa ?" A tear leaks down his cheek, and I lift my arm a little as he walks over, grabbing my hand. I pull him toward me and hug him tight.
"I promise I'm okay, Daddy." He sobs, and my heart breaks. He's made many mistakes and let himself be manipulated by my sister, but he meant the best for me.
Plus, he's still my father.
When he pulls away, I wipe his tears, and he whispers, "I'm sorry for everything."
I nod and wipe my tears as I rasp, "It's okay."
He just shakes his head, and then sits on the edge of the bed, keeping his hand in mine.
Selene walks forward and leans down like she's going to hug me but sneers instead, "The slut lives. Shame father couldn't take over your care; you'd be gone, and I'd get what was owed to me." She obviously hasn’t considered that everyone can hear her.
Every person in the room tenses except me. I chuckle. "A bit hypocritical, aren't we, Selene? A slut…really? How many people have you fucked?"
My father's face is red, and just when I think he's about to bite my head off, he gets up and twists toward Selene, shocking the shit out of me when he points at her.
"How fucking dare you? She nearly died. I tried getting power of attorney because I couldn't stand the thought of seeing my daughter on life support, not for the fucking money. And if she had died, the money was still going to Sergi; he has more rights to it than your spoiled ass. You weren't seeing a penny of it, and you're not owed a thing!
I have been blinded by your disgusting behavior for too fucking long, and I have had enough. You should feel grateful your sister allowed us to stay in our family home, considering it's in her name."
Selene's mouth hangs openly in shock, and her eyes hold panic when she realizes she didn't whisper what she said.
My father shouts, “Marco, Colin, Peter!” The three guards enter the room. When they see me awake, they visibly relax and release a relieved breath, and I smile at them so they know I'm good. Marco was always kind to me growing up, Peter was like a father figure, and Colin, well, he's my trusty spy and pseudo uncle. Colin and Peter tears in their eyes, while Marco smiles widely, and I place my hand on my heart, tapping it twice to Colin, and he does the same, as Peter walks over and kisses my head.
I smile at him, and then look at Colin again. You can see the guilt in his eyes. Blaming himself for Mihai getting to me. I tilt my head and give him a little head shake. He smiles, knowing I'm telling him not to blame himself. Alex squeezes my shoulder, and I look at him smiling, and he chuckles silently when he realizes Colin is my informant.
He looks at Colin and mouths, 'Thank you. ' Colin nods slightly, a bit of guilt still in his eyes, making me scowl at him, and he chuckles a little.
Damian sees the exchange and smirks, shaking his head. Neither of them will say anything, so our secret is safe. What he has been doing would label him a traitor, but I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm him.
My father gains my attention again when he says, "Take Selene home and make sure you take her car keys and all the cards and cash in her purse; she's cut off. She can get a fucking job." Then he looks at Selene, who looks like she's about to protest, and pales when he says, "You have thirty days to find another place to live. The only reason I'm not gutting you is because you're my daughter, but you fucking disgust me. When you learn to grow a fucking conscience, you will be welcomed back to the family. Until then, fuck off out of my sight."
Marco and Colin carry Selene out of my hospital room while she protests, apologizing over and over, stating she just needs a little fix, and I can afford it. My father ignores her and leans down, kissing my head and saying, "Get some rest, sweetheart; I'll be back tomorrow. I have to change all the bank passwords." He leaves with Peter following him.
The door shuts, and I look around. Everyone is holding back their laughter.
I state, stunned, "Did that just happen?"
Alex chuckles. "Yeah, baby, it did."
I shake my head. "What fucking universe did I wake up in?"
Everyone laughs their asses off.