Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mr Wright called that evening to inform Aliannah that she could take a week off of work to recuperate from her ordeal and that he expected her to return to work in time for the December showcase. Aliannah thanked him for his kindness and hung up the phone. Michelle arrived soon after; her arms loaded with junk food treats.
“Right, Mr. you need to clear out; it is girl time!” Michelle ordered. Ivan was reluctant to leave, but Aliannah convinced him to take a couple of hours to go deal with his work. She promised him she would not leave the apartment.
“On my life, I will not let her leave through that door.” Michelle saluted like a soldier. Ivan raised a brow while Aliannah doubled over laughing.
“See, I am in good hands. I know you will post a detail outside somewhere anyway, so we will be fine. Go! Do what you need to do; I need to talk girl stuff with Michelle. I need this.” She kissed him on the cheek before pushing him off the couch.
“Okay, fine. I will be gone for two hours at most. I have an idea I want to speak with you about when I return.” He kissed Aliannah on the head and then turned to Michelle. “You. Behave.” Michelle rolled her eyes and saluted again.
Ivan wasn’t even out the door before the girls burst into the giggles again. He shook his head and shut the door behind him as he left.
“So….” Michelle turned to face Aliannah, “Viktor, ay?”
Aliannah swallowed and hung her head. Despite knowing Viktor was dead, Aliannah’s stomach was knotted with fear, as if he could somehow still reach her from beyond the grave.
“I should have trusted my instincts, Mich….Jasper was too good to be true,” Aliannah said. Michelle reached out to hold her hand.
“Oh, honey! This is not your fault. None of it is” Michelle said soothingly
“I knew something was off, Mich… I just didn’t want to see it.”
Michelle looked at her inquisitively.
“The first day we met? He chose the tearooms and sat at my favourite table when I got there. Coincidence? Knowing pumpkin spice latte is my favourite drink, coincidence? Was the photo of him and Ivan as children camping a coincidence, too?” She took a breath, “He knew who I was the entire time. I was the fool!” Aliannah burst into tears. Michelle put her arm around her friend to comfort her.
“If you are the fool, then Gavin and I are fools too. We all fell for his charm, Ali, not just you.” She tried to make Aliannah feel better, but her cries were harder.
“He will be with me for the rest of my life. He scarred me physically, mentally and emotionally. He may be dead, but I will forever be haunted by him.” Aliannah was shaking violently from her cries. She buried her face in Michelle’s shoulder.
“Let it out, honey, let it all out.” She rubbed Aliannah’s back in a soothing motion. Aliannah was asleep on Michelle’s lap when Ivan returned.
“I got back as soon as I-….. What happened?” Ivan looked worried.
“She’s fine. We talked a lot, and she cried a lot. She cried until she fell asleep. This is going to be a tough recovery for her on all accounts. Ivan, are you sure you are up to doing this? I can move back in for a while if not,” Michelle whispered in a very matter-of-fact tone.
“I will be here for her completely. Michelle, I am in it for the long haul. I left to give you two some privacy. You are her best friend; she needs us both. I am glad you are here for her, too. Someone should be with her at all times for the next little while.” Ivan was sincere in his words.
Michelle shook Aliannah's shoulder. “Honey, Ivan’s back. I am going to go and give you two some space. Call me if you need me, okay?” Aliannah nodded.
“Thanks for being here, Mich. I really needed that tonight.” She hugged her friend tight before Michelle bid farewell and left. Ivan took her seat on the couch.
“What did you want to talk to me about before?” Aliannah raised her brow as she spoke.
“I was going to ask if you wanted me to stay here with you for a while. I could sleep in Michelle’s old room if that made you more comfortable, and I could use it for office space during the day too so I would be near if you needed me….Or I could go back to living with Igor if you prefer?” Ivan sounded wary in his voice. Aliannah took a few minutes to contemplate his offer.
“Stay… with me…” her voice was quiet and shaky.
“Of course, darling, thank God! Igor is a total slob! He is a domestic nightmare!” The two of them laughed until their cheeks hurt.
“Thanks Ivan… for being here…” Aliannah kissed his cheek
“There is nowhere else I would rather be, darling,” Ivan cupped her chin and kissed her softly. Aliannah leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ivan fought the urge to make any noise at all. He knew Aliannah was not ready for anything yet. He stood and picked her up as he went. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her to her bedroom. He lay her down on the bed and pulled the cover over her. She pouted.
“None of that tonight, darling. You need more time to recover.” He stood up to leave, and Aliannah reached for his hand.
“Stay…here… please,” she whispered. Ivan took off his jumper and jeans and climbed in next to her. He put his arm around her, and Aliannah snuggled into him. His smell brought her an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace again.
Aliannah was disappointed when she woke the next morning to find him gone. She sat up to find her phone on the nightstand, with a note on top of it.
Had a last-minute meeting this morning, I’ll be back soon, darling – I
Aliannah shrugged and headed for a shower. It was challenging. Her range of movement was still reduced due to her injuries, and showering after what Viktor did to her with the knife was extremely sensitive. She felt somewhat human again when she got out of the shower. Her hair was no longer disgusting. Aliannah wrapped a towel around her body and headed back to her room. She was halfway across the hallway when she heard the front door being unlocked. She froze and flattened herself against the wall.
“Darling, you up?” Ivan called from the entryway. Aliannah let out a breath and a nervous laugh. Of course, it was Ivan returning. Who else could it have been? Aliannah continued to her room to get dressed. Today's choice was an oversized hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, comfy yet loose. Ivan was waiting in the kitchen for her with fresh coffee from down the street and a huge Cheshire cat like smile on his face.
“What has you smiling like that?” Aliannah eyed him up and down as she took her coffee and sat at the table.
“My meeting that I had to run off to this morning? It went very well indeed,” Ivan said, rubbing his hands together.
“Oh yeah?” Aliannah knew he was holding back something.
“I had a meeting with the board of management for this building,” Aliannah's brows rose as Ivan continued, “and…. I bought the penthouse for us.” Ivan was bursting with pride.
“You…what???” Aliannah was in shock
“Yes, darling!” Ivan reached into his pocket and pulled out two key cards. “We can move in whenever we want!”
Aliannah’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe it. Ivan was so impulsive.
“Look darling, you have your internship here; I can be based anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter to me; the penthouse has better security, a built-in office, a gym and even a heated roof terrace with a hot tub.” He winked at her. “And, of course, plenty of space to store all your clothes and a spare room for when Michelle wants to stay for your girl's nights.”
“You did this for…me?” she pointed to herself.
“I would do anything for you, darling; you need only ask,” he leaned over and kissed her.
“Come on, throw on some shoes, and we'll go take a peek.” Ivan stood up, bouncing on his feet. He was like a child in a toy shop; he was that excited.
A few minutes later, Ivan swiped the key card into the penthouse.
“Welcome to our new home, darling.” He held the door open so that Aliannah could go first. She gasped as she took it all in. The interior was white and light grey. It was huge. Each room was the size of her entire apartment.
“Come, I want to show you the best bit.” Ivan took her by the hand and led her to a door off the kitchen. There was a set of stairs going up on the other side. Ivan opened the door at the top.
“Ta-da!” he said as he waved across the terrace. It was beautiful wooden decking with fairy lights overhead and some plants dotted around. There was the hot tub by the door, a patio set in the centre of the terrace, and a swing bench in the far corner. Aliannah stepped out and took in her surroundings. She walked over to the wall and looked out. The view was like something you see out of a movie. It was magical.
“This is amazing, Ivan… thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him.
“And on the warmer nights, we can sit out here and look at the stars, darling; it is all ours. No one else has access to this terrace, not even Harry.” He held her close, both of them soaking up the moment.