Chapter 13 - Yulian
Standing on the upstairs balcony staring at the garden, I’m thinking about her again. It’s always her. Always that beautiful, complicated, frustrating girl on my mind.
These past three days since the gala have been difficult. I don’t understand what is going on with Katerina. She’s distant and quiet, and her usual glowing smile has disappeared completely. When I walk into a room, she finds some excuse to hurry out of it, as though she’s trying to avoid me.
When I try to talk to her, she gives short, one-worded answers and hardly even looks at me. It started as something confusing; now the way she’s treating me is making me angry.
I don’t get it. It’s pissing me off because after everything we’ve shared, I would’ve expected more from her. If I did something, why can’t she come and talk to me about it?
Why would she shut me out now? Things were going perfectly. She was opening up, letting her walls down, letting me in. We shared that incredible, cheeky, sexy moment in her studio…she wasn’t even evasive after that. We were growing closer every day and…
It was the gala. Something happened after the gala that pulled her away from me. Did I say something? Did someone else say something?
I wrack my brain, trying to remember any little thing that might have pushed her away from me that night, but I can’t figure it out.
It doesn’t make sense. I push my fingers through my hair and close my eyes for a moment. I don’t want to lose her, and I feel like that’s what’s happening.
When it first started, I thought I’d give it a day. Maybe she was moody and didn’t mean anything by it. But now it’s been three days, and it’s getting worse.
This situation isn’t changing, and I guess, instead of fuming over it, I should just confront her.
Katerina gets home from her studio just after five. She’s earlier than usual, especially this week. She’s been staying later and later—another reason I think she’s trying to avoid me.
When she gets home, I’ve just finished making dinner, and I meet her at the door with a hug.
“Hey, beautiful, are you hungry? I made Bolognese.”
“Mm, a little,” she smiles, but pulls away. “I’m just going to shower first, if that’s okay.” Her voice is subdued, and she’s looking everywhere but at me.
I can’t take it anymore.
I had planned to try to talk to her over dinner, but patience was never my strong suit.
As she tries to step around me to head upstairs to the room, I block her path.
She tilts her head to the side and furrows her brows deeply, her bright turquoise eyes piercing into me.
“Katerina, what in the world is going on with you?” I blurt out, sounding far too aggressive.
That’s not how I wanted to start this conversation. I don’t want to sound like I’m picking a fight or accusing her of anything.
Sighing, I push my fingers through my hair and close my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself down. “I mean, what’s wrong? You can talk to me.”
Katerina shifts uncomfortably. She bites her lip and turns away, looking at the floor.
Kat shakes her head. “Nothing, I’m just really busy at the studio,” she shrugs.
“Come on, kitten. I can see it’s more than that. Just tell me what’s bothering you,” I push, still blocking her path.
She scowls, glaring at me for a moment again.
There are shadows under her eyes, dark patches that look like pale bruises.
Has she been sleeping? She looks exhausted.
My heart clenches. Is she just tired from work?
Is that really all that’s going on? She’s been at it non-stop since she opened her studio.
“I just need a shower. Sorry I’ve been distant,” she mutters.
Then she hurries away from me, leaving me feeling bad for not noticing how tired she’s been until now.
Of course she would seem distant. She’s exhausted.
This whole business is new to her. I should have known better. I should have been offering more help.
While she’s showering, I set the table and get everything ready. We eat in comfortable silence, me not pushing her or trying to force her to talk to me. I feel so much better now that I know what’s going on. I was worried I was losing her, but this I can deal with. This is something I can fix.
After dinner, she stands up to clear the plates, and I do the same, following her to the kitchen, where she starts tidying up.
“You can leave this for the housekeeper,” I tell her, gently running my hand down her back.
“No, it’s okay. It helps me clear my head a bit,” she says.
I pick up a towel, and as she washes the dishes, I dry them and pack them away.
We work together like we’ve known each other for years, moving easily through each other’s space. I even get her to smile once or twice, even though her eyes are heavy and her movements sluggish.
After the kitchen is clean, I scoop her into my arms. She giggles and tries to wiggle free, but I don’t let her.
Holding her close to me, I carry her upstairs to the bedroom, where I tuck her in and slip beneath the covers next to her. My hands reach for her beneath the blankets, pulling her back against my chest, letting her curl up against me as I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.
She wiggles into me, snuggling closer as we lie together. The heat from our bodies merges. The world goes quiet and peaceful. I breathe a heavy sigh of contentment and relief. I’m so relieved I talked to her about it instead of leaving it to fester.
Neither of us speaks much, and I listen to her breathing changing, feel her body relaxing, and her heartbeat slowing down until she’s fast asleep. This is what she needed from me. Support. Comfort. It’s the smallest gestures that mean the most to people.
I don’t let go of her, keeping her close to my heart, as I fall asleep as well.
All she needed was support. Not my doubt, not my worry. She just needed me to be there for her.
***
It’s late in the morning when I wake up. I haven’t slept that well in a long time, and I wake up so comfortable and warm that I wish I could just fall right back asleep again.
Kat isn’t next to me, but that isn’t a surprise. She leaves early for the studio. She would have snuck out quietly without waking me. I wish I could have snuggled against her now. In fact, she should have taken the day off and stayed in bed with me.
It would’ve been good for her.
I stretch my legs out beneath the blankets and groan as my muscles flex, easing the last remnants of sleep from my body.
Outside, I can see the sun glowing warmly over the garden.
It’s going to be a beautiful day; it already is.
Glancing at my watch, I see it’s half past nine. Wow, I really did sleep well.
The blankets fall off me as I slip out of bed, stretching again when I stand up.
The house is quiet but bright with morning light as I make my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I’m smiling, thinking about how intimate last night was. Of course, I wanted to make love to her. I wanted to touch her, to taste her. But last night was special in its own way. It was deeper.
Flicking the coffee machine on, I fuss around the kitchen, grabbing a mug and fetching the milk from the fridge while I wait for it to warm up.
When I spot my phone on the kitchen counter, I pick it up, with the intention of sending her a sweet good morning text to brighten her day. I wake up thinking about her, and she should know that. It’s time I start really showing her what she means to me.
But there are a few notifications on my phone from the security guards at the studio that immediately grab my attention, piquing my anxiety.
Katerina did not arrive at the studio this morning.
They are just checking in with me to see if she is coming in today and if they need to be there.
I press the button to call back, my hands almost shaking while I wait for the head of security to answer.
“It’s me, is she there?” I blurt out.
“No, sir. She isn’t at the studio, that’s why we…”
“Did she get there and then leave, maybe? To grab a breakfast or something?”
“No, sir, we’ve been here since six this morning because she usually arrives between half past six and seven. She hasn’t been in at all today. It’s almost ten now.”
“What in the world….” I mutter to myself, my stomach churning with anxiety. If she isn’t there, where is she?
“What do you want us to do?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I need to try and figure out where she is. Leave one guy on duty there just to keep an eye out for her. The rest of you scout the building, the parking lot…”
“Alright, sir. Will do.”
I end the call with the knot in my stomach tightening.
What time did she leave the house? Where did she go? It could be something so simple—it could be that she only woke up a little while before me and left much later than I thought. She was exhausted. Maybe she also slept late?
I pull up the mansion security footage on my phone and scroll to the front door feed, clinging onto any hope that I’m right. My fingers brush over the trackpad, scrolling back in time until I see Katerina leaving.
My heart sinks.
Six in the morning. Hours ago. She gets into her car and drives off the property, turning left towards the city.
She’s been out there since six this morning. Anything could have happened. She might be in trouble. She might be hurt. Someone might have taken her. Fuck. I have to find her.
With rising panic, I call my team of private guards and tell them to hunt her down. They can track the vehicle. They can track her phone. I don’t give a shit what they need to do. They have to locate her. Now.
Forgetting about the coffee, I run upstairs to get dressed.
A few hours later, my men have hacked into security footage around the city. Random cameras on random street corners. We could only track her so far, but what they’ve shown me is enough to confirm something I’d rather not believe.
Katerina left home this morning and drove through the city towards her family’s territory. We lost track of her after she drove past the industrial sectors that divided our territories. But there’s no mistaking her destination.
“Do you want us to keep searching, sir?” my head of security asks.
“No, it’s pointless. I know where she’s going,” I snap, agitated and disappointed.
Why did she leave me?
Why didn’t she tell me or write me a note?
What is her plan? What was her plan all along? Was any of this real?
I can’t stop pacing or the racing speed of my heart. Betrayal is a difficult thing to deal with. It eats at you, making you question everything.
What am I supposed to do now?