Chapter 21 – Emika
“He’s beautiful,” Mom said, her gaze flicking toward Adrik for a moment.
That gorgeous smile on her face melted my heart, reminding me of the reason I’d gotten involved with the Tarasovs in the first place.
This was my first time coming to visit her in the hospital since the wedding. And this time, Adrik tagged along. I didn’t ask him to come with me. I simply told him that I wanted to visit my mother.
My best guess was that he’d order his men to escort me to the hospital, given the current situation of things. However, he shocked me when he offered to drive me himself.
Last night, during my outburst and complete breakdown, I’d seen something in his eyes. Something I hadn’t seen since I got married to him. Humanity. Raw. Real. Unadulterated.
And when he showed concern about my mother’s health—genuine concern—all my frustrations flew out the window. It was like looking at a whole new person. A different version of himself, one with emotions and proper feelings.
I wasn’t sure what changed him. Was it because I ran away, or something else? What exactly was behind this overnight transformation?
“Is he your boyfriend?” Mom’s soft voice sliced through my thoughts.
“Huh?” I blinked, anchoring myself back to the present.
She beamed at me. “He’s the reason you haven’t come visiting, isn’t he?”
My cheeks flushed. I didn’t know why, but they did.
She had no idea what was happening: the marriage, the drama, the war. None of it. And it was better that way. She was way too fragile right now. It would be unwise to dump all of that on her.
Hopefully, by the time she was discharged from the hospital, we’d already have taken care of the situation. When the storm was over, we’d tell her the truth. But for now, it was best that she remain in the dark.
“How’re you coping with her?” Mom asked Adrik, who stood across her bed, arms crossed. “She’s a handful, this one. Stubborn as a mule.”
“Mom!” I wore a fake scowl, my brows knitting together.
“What?” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s the truth. He needs to know what he’s getting into.”
Adrik stepped forward with a smile. An actual smile. Not his usual foreboding smirk. “You’re right. She is a handful.”
“It takes one to know one,” I chipped in, stealing a glance at him.
She laughed. Then coughed, gently tapping her chest. “Well, in that case, I guess you two are a perfect match.”
Adrik and I glanced at each other for a moment, and I felt it. The charge. The strange pull between us.
Mom was leaner than before. Almost like a shadow of herself. Her eyes were sunken, her collarbones were more visible, and her hands were trembling on their own.
Seeing her like this broke something inside me, but I was grateful that she was alive. That she had the chance to fight this illness. This was the one good thing that Richard Beaumont had done for her in a really long time.
Even though I played a huge role in moving her to a better facility, he still held up his own end of the bargain. Richard might’ve been a cruel bastard, but he’d proven to be a man of his word.
“Emi.” Mom reached out and held my hand, her voice soft and warm. “Are you happy?” She looked right into my eyes.
That question caught me off guard, and I had no idea how to respond. A lot was going on at the time, and it was hard to place my emotions or define my feelings.
I swallowed hard and said, “Yes.”
Her dry lips curved into a broad smile, her fingers curling around mine. “That’s all that matters to me.”
I felt my tear glands charging up, but I wouldn’t let her see me cry. I wasn’t going to rob her of that smile and the joy in her heart. I had so much to tell her, but now wasn’t the time.
“I can’t wait for you to get out of here,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Me too, baby. Me too.” She paused, staring at me like she’d just remembered something.
Oh, God, no.
I knew exactly what she was going to ask, and I wasn’t ready for that.
“How were you able to afford my treatment?” Her voice was laced with curiosity.
“Uh….” My brain went blank for a second.
If I told her the truth, that I made a deal with Richard Beaumont in exchange for her treatment, she’d freak out. She’d be furious.
Then an idea hit me.
I managed to squeeze out a smile, shifting my gaze toward Adrik. “I couldn’t have done it without him.” I blinked at him, a signal for him to play along.
She turned her head in his direction. “What a gentleman. Thank you.” She extended a hand toward him.
“No problem.” He took her hand. “I only assisted anyway.”
“I owe you my life,” she said, her voice tinged with gratitude. “Both of you.”
A faint, nervous grin tugged at the corners of my mouth, knowing I’d just complicated things.
On our way home, the car’s cabin was filled with an awkward silence as tension hung in the air. I was seated in the front passenger seat while he was at the wheel, eyes fixed on the road.
I was lost in my own thoughts, thinking of the various ways this whole madness could end. The last thing I wanted was to drag my mother into this.
What if she found out the truth? How would she react? How would Richard feel when he realized that I let Adrik take the glory for what he did?
Didn’t I just overcomplicate things?
“Why?” He finally broke the silence, stealing a glance at me. “Why’d you lie to her?”
I looked at him. “Because it was the only way to keep the truth from breaking her.”
His grip tightened around the steering wheel. “I hate lies.”
I frowned at his hypocrisy. “Says the man who’s guilty of worse crimes than that.”
He didn’t respond.
Although his expression remained flat, I still could sense his displeasure.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just frustrated.” My fingers combed through my hair.
“I said I hated lies,” he began. “I never said I didn’t understand why people lie.” He paused. “The truth can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes. And it can destroy what you invested a lot of time to build.”
Apt.
He couldn’t have been more correct.
But wait, why did it seem like he was speaking from a personal experience? It sounded a lot like he, too, was keeping a secret from someone.
Before another thought could form in my head, three cars swerved dangerously out of a corner street. The loud screech of their tires made my heart skip a beat, and my eyes widened with terror.
Adrik slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to an abrupt halt.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered as three armed men stepped out of the car in front of us.
They had their rifles aimed at our windshield, ready to open fire. When I glanced back, another vehicle had blocked our path, and two other men were climbing out, pistols in their hands.
“Fuck,” Adrik murmured.
“Adrik Tarasov!” a familiar voice thundered.
It was Richard Beaumont. He’d just stepped out of the backseat of his vehicle, flanked by two guards.
“Stay in the car,” he said to me, his voice calm and collected. “Lay low.”
He grabbed the door handle.
“Wait, what’re you doing?” I asked through gritted teeth. “Don’t go out there.”
“Stay put,” he said softly, then stepped out of the car.
Worried, I thought he was defenseless until I noticed the pistol tucked into the back of his pants. But still, he was outnumbered.
“You son of a bitch!” Richard bellowed. “I give you my granddaughter, and this is how you repay me?”
Adrik stood in front of the car, showing not an ounce of fear.
“Nickolas was like a son, and you killed him!” His voice rose even higher. “You beat him to death with your bare hands.”
Still, Adrik didn’t utter a word.
“Now, you’re gonna suffer the same fate.”
Three of his men tapped baseball bats on their palms, as if warming up for a fight.
“Boys…attack!”
They rushed at Adrik, swinging their bats violently at him. Fast like a cheetah, he dodged their advances, retaliating with bone-breaking blows. The air was filled with the thick grunts of men, swinging, kicking, and punching.
I watched him take them all down in a matter of seconds. But before he could catch his breath, another round attacked him with knives and brass knuckles. He fought back, snapping their bones like twigs and hurling them across the street like weightless objects.
He was a beast, eyes red with fury, arms moving at the speed of light. However, the more he knocked them down, the more the others came at him.
Soon, he was outnumbered, and his strength began to fail him. They forced him to his knees, beating him with their bats as he shielded his head with his arms.
I was afraid for his life because those bastards were hitting him so hard. He told me to stay in the car, but if I didn’t do something fast, they’d kill him.
Luckily for me, another pistol was discarded in the dashboard console. Without hesitation, I picked it up and stepped out of the vehicle.
“Enough!” I fired into the air.
They stopped.
All eyes turned to me.
“Emika, get back inside,” Adrik said, straining and coughing up blood.
“I don’t have time for drama,” Richard said to me. “Get over here.”
I locked my jaw, aiming the gun directly at him. “No.”
His face twisted into a frown. “Are you out of your mind?”
“You’re the one who’s out of his mind if you think I’ll let you kill my husband.”
“Husband?” He arched his brows, a disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. “You don’t even like the man!”
“Things have changed,” I said, my voice low and even. “Now, let him go.”
He paused, shocked at my response. “You fuckin’ bitch.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.” I tightened my grip around the gun.
He hesitated, watching me like he was trying to predict my next move. “You won’t shoot me,” he said. “And even if you’re stupid enough to do that, my men will put you down before you can even pull that trigger.”
“Oh, yeah?” I steadied my aim. “You wanna find out just how fast I can squeeze this thing?” I kept my finger dangerously close to the trigger.
Silence.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” I bit the inside of my cheek, then shifted my aim to the man beside him.
Less than a second later, I put a bullet in the man’s leg. He screamed and dropped to the ground.
By the time Richard faced me again, I’d returned to aiming the gun at his forehead.
“Let him go, now!” I yelled at him.
Richard signaled his men, and they all stepped away from Adrik. “You’re making a mistake,” he said to me, his voice laced with anger and disappointment.
“Adrik, let’s go,” I said, withdrawing from the scene.
We both got into the car, and he drove away, leaving the enemies stunned by what had just happened.
“Yeah, run away, you coward,” Richard bellowed. “Run away!”
My heart was hammering in my chest as I watched him and his men through the rearview mirror. I prayed they wouldn’t open fire at our vehicle or even chase after us, and they didn’t.
“That was good,” Adrik said to me, wiping blood off his mouth. “You did really good.”
My lips curled into a small grin. “Are you okay?” I asked, worried about his state of mind and body.
“I’ll live,” he answered, his expression darkening by the second. “But I can’t say the same about Richard.”
He slammed on the accelerator, the vehicle speeding through the street like a bullet.