Chapter Twenty-Six
There was a strange smell, not the smell Aliannah had been surrounded by for however long Viktor and his men had held her for; no, this was sterile, clinical and clean. She could hear a beeping sound every few seconds. Aliannah stirred. Her entire body was in agony. She groaned with the pain.
“Hey… you’re okay, darling…I’m here…I’ve got you.” Ivan rubbed her hand soothingly. Aliannah opened her eyes. Momentarily blinded by the brightness of the room, she adjusted her eyes quickly. She looked around her in a panic.
“You are in the hospital, darling. The doctors said you have some injuries but will heal,” Ivan moved from the chair he had been sitting in, to the edge of the bed. He stroked the hair off her face.
“You came…. You came for me….” Aliannah’s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
“Of course, I did, darling, I came as soon as I knew where you were.” He lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss across her knuckles. Aliannah’s eyes went wide.
“Vi…Viktor… Jasp…Jasper…” The monitor started beeping erratically as her fear took over.
“He’s gone, darling. He will never touch you again. I’m sorry for what he did to you. Truly, I am.” Ivan looked into Aliannah’s eyes. She could see how troubled he was. She could see how dishevelled he looked. This was not Ivan’s usual image.
“I killed him, Aliannah, and he is never coming back; that bastard got the death he deserved for everything he did to you.” Ivan’s tone had turned angry, but his anger was not directed towards Aliannah but at Viktor.
“How long was I gone…. How long have I been here…. Oh my god, Michelle and Gavin….” Tears were flowing down Aliannah’s face. Ivan cupped her cheek and wiped them away.
“Viktor had you three days; you have been here for four days. Michelle and Gavin have been here every day to visit. They should be back soon; I sent them off to get some dinner.”
Aliannah let out a breath of relief; hearing her friends were fine lifted a massive weight off her heart.
There was a knock on the door, and a man stepped in. Aliannah’s jaw dropped. She rubbed her eyes. She swore she was seeing things.
“What the fuck….. Who are you?” her voice was still hoarse.
“Glad to see you have re-joined the land of the living,” the man smiled and nodded to her before taking up a stance at the end of her bed.
“Darling, this is my brother Igor” Ivan smiled.
“You… You’re…. Twins?!?” Aliannah gasped as she looked between the two men. They were almost identical. The main difference is that Igor had a scar running through his left eyebrow. The men laughed. Igor took his jacket off and folded it over the end of the bed.
“You… You even have the same tattoo?” she asked, raising her brows in confusion.
“Yes darling, brothers by blood and brothers for life.” Ivan smiled.
Aliannah’s head was spinning. Ivan had never mentioned any siblings during their summer together, let alone that he had a twin. She suddenly realised; No wonder Ivan hadn’t known what she was talking about.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You were there that night!” Aliannah looked at Igor. Igor looked confused and held his hands up in a defensive move. Ivan looked between Aliannah and Igor.
“Ivan always claimed it wasn’t him, but I was sure it was. Now I think it was you…” Igor still looked confused. Aliannah could see Ivan putting the pieces together.
“Igor, it was you fucking Milena in the office on the Serenity the night I left,” Aliannah tried to shout, but her voice was reduced to just a whisper. Igor nodded, looking sheepish.
“You fucker! You told me you didn’t arrive until Saturday. Aliannah left on Thursday!” Ivan shouted at Igor.
“I wanted to keep things quiet between Milena and me, and I’m glad I did since it didn’t work out! I’m sorry I am the reason you left, Aliannah. I had no idea that anyone had seen us.” Igor looked guilty.
“You cost me Aliannah, Igor.” Ivan was angry
“You never mentioned you had siblings or a twin!” Aliannah was angry at Ivan for this omission. Ivan held her hand tighter and looked into her eyes.
“It’s time you know the truth. Igor has always lived a silent life. Very few people outside of our world know that Igor exists. He prefers it this way. This makes it easy for him to step in and out of my role for business when I am needed elsewhere. I am sorry I didn’t tell you about him sooner. I was going to the night you left because I knew he would be arriving two days later.” Aliannah sniffed as more tears fell from her eyes.
“So all this pain could have been avoided if you hadhave told me sooner!” Aliannah was still in shock
“I am so sorry, darling… I wish I could take away all the pain.” Ivan looked heartbroken. Ivan leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
Aliannah tried to sit up and winced with the pain. She remembered all that Viktor had done. The bruises on her arms were only the introduction to seeing the aftermath. She dreaded to think what horrors lay under the hospital gown and covers.
Voices could be heard as the door to Aliannah’s room opened again. Michelle and Gavin walked in. Michelle shrieked and ran to throw her arms around Aliannah.
“Oh my God, thank God you are awake.” She released Aliannah from the hug and held her at arm's length to look her over. “You scared the hell out of me! Thank God you are okay. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. Mr Bossy Boots here insisted we get something to eat.” Michelle was now sobbing.
“It’s okay, Mich. Ivan told me you have been here daily and that he had sent you off to dinner.” She rubbed her friend’s arm reassuringly. Michelle nodded.
“Aliannah would have probably killed me if her best friend wasted away watching her sleep.” Ivan chucked. Aliannah giggled in agreement.
“Speaking of Ivan, or should I say IVANS! You never told me he had a brother! No fair to gate-keep that little nugget of information!” Michelle playfully hit Aliannah on the shoulder
“Hey! I’m standing right here!!” Gavin said in protest.
“Oh, pipe down, babe.” Michelle laughed. “I’m only joking,” she continued. Gavin pouted, and everyone laughed.
“Rather it is you than me, pal. She is too feisty for me,” Igor joked. Michelle’s jaw dropped. Gavin puffed his chest out and stood proudly.
Aliannah burst into a fit of laughter. Seeing the people she cared about, all happy and well, brought out a wave of warmth in her chest. She felt calm. She felt at peace. Ivan smiled at her.