Chapter 3 #2
But he survived. And thank God, because—
Shouting grabs my attention. I freeze, plates in hand as the sound of arguing echoes through the house. “What in the world?” Liliana says. I set down the stack of plates and follow the noise.
I rush into the foyer just as my father is slamming Andrei against the wall. “Do you know who I am?” he growls. “I should snap your neck—”
“Papa!” I shout. “Stop!”
He slams him against the wall again. “You think you can come into my house and threaten me?”
I grab my father’s shoulders, pulling him back. “Stop this! Please!”
He lets Andrei go and Andrei stumbles away from him, holding the back of his head with one hand and the wall with the other. I run to him, putting myself between them. “What the hell are you doing?” I shout at my father.
“He just threatened me,” my father says.
“I told him that I thought he might be acquainted with one of my family members,” Andrei says. “And he just lost it on me.”
I take Andrei by the arm and lead him to the door. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “Let me walk you out.”
I give my father an accusatory glare as I lead Andrei away. God, what a fucking animal.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to him as soon as we’re outside. “I don’t know what got into him.” He pulls his arm out of my grasp.
“No, I’m sorry, Natalya, I…” He looks at me, his brow furrowed. “Look, I have to level with you. I know who your father is.”
My skin goes icy cold. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on, Natalya.”
I know what he means. I know exactly what he means. But if he’s going to go down this road, I’m not about to lead him. I just stare back at him and he finally rolls his eyes.
“I got curious after you invited me to dinner,” he says. “You’ve been so evasive about your family and I just wanted to know what the big deal was.”
Oh… no. “What did you say to my father?”
He pauses, then, “It’s just that he started in at dinner on me about my uncle—”
“Andrei,” I say softly. I can’t believe this.
“I told him I had friends in the justice department,” he says. “He started talking to me about my aunt’s jail time and how something like that would look on you if we were to ever marry… I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.”
I’m struck silent for a moment. I stand there, hand over my mouth, trying to figure out how I’m going to convince my father that Andrei isn’t a threat to him. I don’t even know where to begin.
“I didn’t threaten him, though,” he says. “I just… I just told him that I knew people. People who would know exactly what to do with someone involved in criminal enterprises.”
“Are you insane?” I ask him. “You knew who my father was and you implied—”
“I didn’t think he’d lose it on me like that.” He touched the back of his head again and winced. “I think he might’ve given me a concussion.”
I sigh. “Listen, I’m going to need to talk him down tonight. You might want to head straight home and stay there until I call you later.”
He blinks at me, then, “I appreciate that.” He takes a beat, looking me over, his brow deeply furrowed. “After that… maybe… maybe we should call it.”
I cock my head. “What are you talking about?”
He just stares and slowly, it sinks in.
“Are you breaking up with me?”
“Natalya, baby, listen, I think you’re great. In fact, I think you’re fantastic. You’re beautiful and intelligent and I appreciate how hard you tried to make this work, but… your father is not the kind of man I can be associated with.”
“You’re talking like you’re running for president.” I can hear the hurt in my voice as it cracks under the strain of my heart breaking. “You’re going to be a surgeon. Who cares who you’re associating with if you’re good at surgery?”
“You’d be surprised,” he says. “Something like this getting out could get me prohibited from hospitals I want to work at or blocked from certain clubs. What if he’d really beaten me up tonight? I’ve got a test tomorrow. How in God’s name would I explain bruises to my peers?”
I can feel the tears coming. I don’t want him to see me crying. “Fine,” I say stiffly. “You won’t have to worry about my phone call, then.”
I turn and he asks, “Wait. What about your Dad? Is he going to come after me?”
I don’t answer him. I walk back into the house and close the door behind me. I hear my father in the kitchen.
“Natalya.”
I freeze. I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t even want to look at him. He did it again. He chased off another boyfriend.
“Natalya,” he calls, a little louder.
I turn and walk toward the kitchen, stopping at the threshold. He’s sitting at the counter, glass of whiskey in front of him. He picks up the glass and downs the liquid. “I’m going to take Liliana home. Take care of the dishes.”
I stare at him. I don’t remember the last time he’s ever asked me to do the dishes. “No,” I say to him.
He lifts his cold eyes to me. “Excuse me?”
“All I asked you to do was give him a chance,” I say. “That’s it. I didn’t ask you to be nice or kiss his ass. Just give him a fucking chance—”
“Watch how you talk to me—”
“And you couldn’t do it. Why? I don’t understand why you keep doing this to me.”
“He’s an asshole,” he says to me in Russian. “And I won’t have my daughter associating with an asshole.”
“That’s it?” I say in English. “That’s your great reason? That he’s an asshole? You can’t even give me a halfway decent response like, ‘He’s not good enough for you’ or something?”
He sneers at me and says, “I would never say anything like that to you. The truth, my dear, is that you’re not good enough for him.”
I wish he’d have hit me. It would have hurt less. The pain in my chest feels like a punch, and for a moment, I don’t breathe. I just stare at him in wounded agony.
“You are trash,” he says in slow, perfect English. “And any man that you convince to bed you is a fool. Don’t you understand that yet, Natashka?”
I clench my jaw to keep the tears back and I walk past him to the sliding doors. “I’m going to bed. Clean the dishes yourself if you want them done.”
And I walk away. I hold back my tears all the way to the pool house and once I’m there, I lock the doors and go to my bedroom.
He hates me. God, I’ve always suspected it, but…
He hates me.