Chapter 46 Petyr
PETYR
I’m halfway through my coffee when I hear the sharp tap of heels against the kitchen tile.
“Petyr,” Kira greets with a pleasant smile. “You’re up early.”
I don’t sigh, but I want to. I’ve been avoiding her since the night of the shooting. The way she clung to me still makes me uncomfortable. I blamed it on shock, but that doesn’t make the wrongness go away.
She’s my sister-in-law. That means I have to take care of her. But it also means limits. Hard limits. Boundaries that must not be crossed.
She stops across from me and pours herself a cup. She’s dressed for the day already: dark skirt, silk blouse, every hair pinned into place. Always composed.
But she’s leaning too close again, and I don’t like it.
“I have work.” My tone is even, polite. “What do you need?”
“Just wanted to chat,” she says casually enough. “How’s fatherhood treating you?”
I’m tempted to smile, but I don’t. “Good.”
“Just good?”
“Lilia’s perfect. Things couldn’t be better.”
Kira raps her manicured nails against her cup. The happy curve of her lips feels forced. I’m not sure why I think that. Maybe being around so much joy lately has made me a keener observer. “And Sima?”
“What about her?”
Kira hesitates. “Have you noticed anything… off with her lately?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Off how?”
“Not sure.” She bites her lip. “She just seemed a little… jumpy to me. She’s always quiet when I visit the nursery. Like she can’t wait to see me out of the room.”
“She’s tired.” I try to suppress my irritation. “She probably just wants to rest.”
“Maybe.” Kira doesn’t look convinced. “I guess I’m just scared.”
“Scared?” My brow knits harder. “I don’t see what there is to be scared of. She’s a new mother with a baby.”
“Of course,” she says quickly. “I don’t mean I’m scared of her.
Just…” She exhales, like she can’t find the right words.
“She’s tried to run in the past. And she’s got free rein now.
” Her hand stretches across the counter and lands next to mine.
“I just don’t want you to wake up one day and find out she’s gone. With your daughter. It would be—”
“Impossible,” I interrupt.
My tone must be harsh, because she blinks, taken aback. “You think so?”
“I know so.” I keep my face still, but my jaw tightens. My grip on the mug turns white-knuckled before I force myself to let go. “She’d never do that.”
Kira frowns. “You sound sure.”
“I am.” I don’t raise my voice, but the edge in it is clear. “Things are different now.”
She shifts her weight, her nails brushing the counter. “People don’t change overnight, Petyr.”
Her words feed the rage already simmering inside me.
Kira doesn’t get it. Sima and I aren’t in the same place we were two months ago, when I dragged her back to a house she didn’t want to be in. We’ve talked, changed, evolved. Worked painstakingly on ourselves and each other to fix our messes.
I was a different man then. I couldn’t see how badly I was fucking up, not until Sima pointed it out to me. After that, I took a good look at myself and loathed the man staring back at me.
I vowed to change. To earn her forgiveness by any means necessary.
And Sima—she didn’t make me suffer for it.
She could have. She had every right to demand impossible things, make my life as miserable as I’d made hers, but she didn’t. All she ever wanted was my love and my respect.
Just that. Nothing more.
If she tried to run in the past, it was because she didn’t want to be trapped with a man like her father. But I’m not that man anymore. And she’s not that scared little girl with one foot already out the door either. We’ve grown, both of us.
For our daughter’s sake.
And I won’t have Kira making insinuations about my wife. Not under my roof, and certainly not to my goddamn face.
“I fail to see how any of this is your business, Kira.” I rise from the counter. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
Kira’s mouth tightens. “I didn’t mean to imply anything.”
“I hope that’s the case,” I say. “I appreciate your concern. But Sima and I can sort ourselves out.”
Her lips press together. She’s smart enough to know when to stop, but her fingers twitch against her arm. There’s a restless, frustrated energy about her that I don’t know what to make of.
I take a breath, roll my shoulders back, and change the subject before either of us says something we’ll regret. “I went to see Dimitri.”
That pulls her attention back fast. Her eyes lift. “And?”
“He’s getting stronger.”
Her expression turns softer. Sadder. “It’s a long road ahead.”
“I don’t doubt it. But he’s already improved by leaps and bounds.” I fix my cufflinks. “I think it’s time he came home. He should finish recovering here.”
Suddenly, Kira’s face falls. “What?”
It’s not the reaction I was expecting. “I thought you’d be happy”
“I—I am,” she stammers. “Of course I am. But it’s too early, Petyr.”
“He can get around on his own. He talks, feeds himself, and even plays chess. Though I’m not sure he’s any less shit at it than he was while we were growing up.”
Kira’s frown doesn’t ease. She’s paler now. “I don’t know, Petyr. He’s still confused.”
“I know.” My chest aches when I remember our last conversation.
How he forgot Kira even came to visit him every day.
The holes in Dimitri’s memory are no joke, but there’s no way to know when they’ll get better.
And I don’t want him to spend his days playing against some octogenarian named Igor when he could be here, with his family, watching his niece grow. “But it’s time.”
Kira starts chewing on her nails. “You really think that’s a good idea? Bringing him back into this chaos?”
“He belongs here,” I say simply. “He needs his family. His people. That’s how he gets better.”
“And if he’s not ready?”
“Then we help him until he is.” I finish the last of my coffee and rinse the mug in the sink. “He’s earned that much.”
“Petyr, you can’t be serious.” She shakes her head and quickly moves around the counter to face me. “Dimitri still needs medical assistance. I can’t give him what he needs.”
“You don’t have to worry. I won’t have this all fall on you.”
“But—”
“I’m not saying we move him tomorrow,” I clarify. “I’m saying it’s time to start preparing for it. He’s stable enough that we can plan the transition without rushing.”
She exhales. Her shoulders sag with relief, but she still looks worried. “You have no idea how hard it’s been to keep up with the doctors, the medication schedules, the physical therapy. It’ll be a full-time job.”
“Which is why, when the time comes, I’ll bring in whoever you need.” I pat her shoulder once. “You won’t carry this alone. I promise.”
Hesitation flares in Kira’s eyes. “You’ve thought this through.”
“I have.” I pause, then add, “And Sima wants to help, too. She’s good with logistics. You’ll have both of us to lean on.”
Kira nods slowly. I can tell she still isn’t convinced, but I don’t blame her. The enormity of what Dimitri is facing would scare anyone. “Thank you. That’s… good to know.”
When I turn to leave, she steps forward, as if she wants to stop me. Her hand twitches like she’s about to touch my arm but thinks better of it.
“Petyr,” she says quietly, “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just worry. About all of us.”
I glance back at her. “I know.”
As I walk out, I feel her watching me. She means well, but she doesn’t understand. Not about Sima or what we’ve built.
It started out rocky, but we clawed our way out of that mess. For Lilia’s sake and ours.
And I’ll be damned if anyone—even Kira—makes me doubt it.