Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Anna
Alexander practically vanished from our lives over the next few days.
When I woke up each morning, he was already gone, leaving only a slight indentation on the other side of the bed as proof he'd even come home.
Late at night, when I caught the soft sound of footsteps in my light sleep, I knew he was back, but I pretended to stay asleep, not wanting to add to his burden at such times.
"Mommy, where did Alex go?" Sofia asked the same question every day, those bright brown eyes filled with confusion and loss. "Why won't he play with me anymore? Did I do something wrong?"
Every time I heard that question, my heart clenched. I knelt down and hugged her. "No, sweetheart. Alex is just handling very important work, but he loves you very much and he'll be back to play with you soon."
"When can he watch My Little Pony with me?" she asked sadly.
"Soon, very soon," I repeated a promise I wasn't even sure I believed myself.
I understood his pressure, understood everything he was enduring to protect us. But deep down, there was still this feeling of abandonment slowly spreading through me. We'd just made up, just said "I love you," but now he felt so distant again.
That afternoon, I was in the garden with Sofia, painting. Warm sunlight streamed down on us as Sofia focused intently on her colorful crayon drawing of an imaginary rainbow castle. These peaceful moments let me temporarily forget the unease in my heart.
Suddenly, Mark's voice carried over from nearby. "Miss Tatiana is here to visit. Natalie, prepare Earl Grey for Miss Tatiana."
The paintbrush in my hand stopped moving, and my heart suddenly started racing. Tatyana was here? What did she want? It had to be about work, right? I trusted Alexander, but I still couldn't completely let go of the unease in my heart.
Sofia looked up. "Who's here, Mommy?"
"One of Alex's... friends." I forced a smile. "Let's keep painting."
But I couldn't concentrate anymore. I told myself I should trust Alexander, trust what he'd told me. But there was still a voice in my head that wouldn't stop questioning. If they were just business partners, why meet alone? Why couldn't I know what they were discussing?
About half an hour later, I heard the sound of high heels clicking on pavement. Tatyana walked over from the villa, wearing an ivory white suit, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, looking elegant and regal.
She wore a gentle smile, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something condescending about it.
"Anna," she greeted me warmly, "so good to see you again."
Then her gaze fell on Sofia, and something complex flashed in her eyes. "This must be Sofia. Such a lovely child."
Sofia shyly hid behind me, curiously watching this strange, beautiful lady.
"Hello, Sofia," Tatyana crouched down and pulled an exquisite gift box from her handbag. "This is a little present from me."
Inside the box was a limited edition Barbie doll, beautifully packaged and obviously expensive. Sofia's eyes immediately lit up.
"This is the newest collector's edition Barbie," Tatyana said gently. "Many children can't get their hands on one."
Then she looked at me, something meaningful flashing in her eyes. "Not every mother can easily afford these things, right?"
I felt the malice in her words, but Sofia innocently accepted the gift, happily hugging the doll.
"Thank you!" Sofia said excitedly.
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Tatyana continued with her gentle smile. "Sofia really is such a smart, lovely child. Growing up in this kind of... upscale environment, she must need to adapt to many different lifestyles, doesn't she?"
She paused, then added thoughtfully, "After all, some gaps are quite obvious. When a child suddenly moves from an ordinary environment into this kind of luxury, the adjustment must take time."
My hands involuntarily clenched into fists. I knew exactly what she was implying. She was suggesting I came from nothing, that I didn't belong in this life.
"Sofia is adapting just fine," I said, trying to stay calm.
"Of course, of course," Tatyana nodded. "Everyone's upbringing is different. Sofia is so lucky to now enjoy all these things she never had the chance to experience before. Designer toys, a private manor, expensive educational resources... these are luxuries for most people, aren't they?"
Her words were like little knives, gentle on the surface but slowly cutting away at my dignity. She was implying my financial situation, suggesting that Sofia and I were both living off Alexander's charity.
"What exactly are you trying to say? Don't talk about this stuff in front of my daughter!" I finally couldn't hold back, standing up with anger in my voice.
Tatyana immediately looked innocent, even hurt. "Anna, I was just showing concern for the child, praising how lucky she is. I don't understand why you're reacting so strongly."
She paused, then continued in what seemed like a confused tone. "Alexander has always valued our family deeply. We have a long history together. I just wanted to show some kindness to the people important to him, but somehow Anna, you..."
"Enough!" My voice rose without my control. "Don't pretend I can't hear what you're really saying!"
Sofia was getting scared by our increasingly heated exchange, clutching the doll tightly as tears began welling up in her eyes.
Just then, I heard familiar footsteps. Alexander walked over from the study, frowning deeply, obviously drawn by our argument.
Tatyana immediately became natural again, as if nothing had happened, gracefully tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alexander, I... I just wanted to give Sofia a little gift to show how much I care about her. But for some reason, Anna got so angry..."
"She was deliberately provoking me!" I urgently tried to explain to Alexander. "She was saying that Sofia and I are only here because of your charity—"
"Anna," Tatyana interrupted me with an aggrieved tone, "I really was just trying to express my care for Sofia. Isn't that the truth? I completely don't understand how I offended you..."
Tears began flowing down her cheeks, making her look like an innocent victim being unreasonably accused.
Alexander frowned as he listened to both our stories. He looked exhausted, and I could see an impatience in his eyes that I didn't want to see.
"Enough," he said in a tired voice. "I still have important matters to handle. Anna, could you take Sofia back to the room?"
His tone revealed impatience with my emotional reaction, as if I were some unreasonable child throwing a tantrum in front of adults.
My heart broke watching this scene. He believed Tatyana, or at least, he thought I was being unreasonable. In his eyes, I was just an oversensitive woman picking fights with his important business partner.
"Come on, Sofia," I said, holding back tears as I led my confused daughter away.
Before leaving, I heard Tatyana say softly to Alexander, "Maybe she's just not used to these kinds of complex social relationships."
Back in the room, I helped Sofia wash up and put her down for a nap. But I couldn't sleep myself, just sat by the bed staring into space. Everything that had just happened replayed in my mind, every detail making me feel humiliated and angry.
My phone suddenly chimed with a message.
"Anna, heard you've been having some trouble lately. You okay? If you need help, call me anytime."
The message was from Jeff, my former colleague. He was a talented photographer who'd pursued me before, but I'd always kept things friendly between us.
Normally, I would have sent a brief reply and ended the conversation. But right now I had all this anger bottled up inside and needed someone to listen.
"Thanks for caring. I'm fine. Life's just complicated," I replied.
"Complicated? Let me guess - you ran into one of those women who's sweet on the surface but totally scheming underneath?" Jeff quickly replied with an eye-roll emoji.
His response made me smile despite myself. Jeff was always like this, able to defuse tension with humor.
"How did you know?" I texted back.
"Because I've seen too many women like that. They always use the sweetest voice to say the most vicious things, then act like nothing happened."
"That's way too accurate." I actually laughed - the first genuine smile I'd had all day.
"Exactly. To deal with women like that, you need to learn to—"
As I was typing a reply, the room door suddenly burst open. Alexander stood in the doorway, and seeing me laughing while chatting with someone, his face instantly darkened.
"Who are you texting?" He walked over, his voice full of possessiveness and suspicion.
The anger in my heart instantly ignited. He'd just defended Tatyana, and now he was questioning me.
"Does it matter?" I looked at him coldly. "Since you can have private meetings with your ex-girlfriend to discuss business, why can't I chat with friends?"
"That's not the same—"
"How is it different?" I stood up and looked directly into his eyes. "Because she's Tatyana Romanova, so she can come find you anytime, can humiliate me in front of you, and I just have to take it?"
"Anna, you're being ridiculous—"
"Ridiculous?" I laughed bitterly. "You think I'm being ridiculous? Fine, then let's clarify exactly what our relationship is. Since you don't trust me, since you think I'm being ridiculous, what right do you have to control my social life?"
Our voices got louder and louder, but I couldn't control my emotions anymore. Three days of pent-up frustration, today's humiliation, and this moment's fury all exploded out of me.
"Do you know how much I've sacrificed to protect you?" Alexander was angry now too. "Do you know how much I've given up for your safety, how much pressure I've endured? And this is how you treat me?"
"I never asked for your protection!" I shouted back. "You decided on your own to trap me here, you decided how I should live! And now you won't even let me be dissatisfied?"
"Trap you here?" Hurt flashed in his eyes. "Is that how you see our relationship?"
"Then tell me how I should see it?" Tears started streaming down my face. "You can meet with any woman you want, you don't have to tell me anything, you can defend someone else when I'm being humiliated. And me? I can't even chat with a friend without being questioned!"
"That wasn't humiliation, that was—"
"What was it?" I cut him off. "Her concern? Alexander, do you really believe that?"
We glared at each other, the air thick with tension.
"Anna, I thought you would understand me." He finally said coldly. "You've really disappointed me."
With that, he turned toward the door.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I called after him.
But he didn't answer, just slammed the door hard, the sound hitting my heart like a hammer blow.
I collapsed onto the bed as tears finally broke free. I felt like a complete outsider in this house, an unwelcome guest.
Did I really belong here?