Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Natasha
Maksim is discharged from the hospital the next day. There was no complications from the bullet thankfully.
“I’m going to be sore for a while,” he says as he slips his shirt on. I brought it from home since the doctors had to cut off Maksim’s shirt he was wearing when he was shot. I felt so domestic getting Maksim’s shirt. We’ve truly become a real married couple.
“But you’re all right?” I ask.
He gives me a soft smile. “I’m going to be all right. It could have been worse.”
“What about Enzo? What if he comes back?”
“Then we’ll deal with him then. But for now, I just want to go home and rest. I want to know that you’re safe with me.”
Before I can reply, my father walks into the hospital room.
“You’re alive,” Lev says, looking Maksim over with a disapproving glare. “Good. Now, Natasha, come with me. It’s time to go back to Chicago.”
“She’s my wife,” Maksim says. “She’s not leaving New York.”
“You failed to protect her. She got kidnapped by one of your enemies. That Enzo fucker was never my enemy. This was because of you. So my daughter is safer with me. Natasha, come along.”
“Is she really safer with you?”
Lev frowns. “Of course she is. I’m her father.”
“And yet, Natasha is terrified of you. That doesn’t make you a good father.”
“Why in the world would my daughter be terrified of me? I have done nothing but raise her.”
Maksim grits his teeth. He promised he wouldn’t tell my father about my theory that he killed my mother. It makes my heart warm up to Maksim even more. He’s still trying to protect me.
Lev scoffs after Maksim can’t give him an answer. “Natasha, come along. Now.”
I still don’t move. The last thing I want is to go with my dad. And I know in my gut that I don’t want to leave Maksim. Not after almost losing him.
“She’s not going with you,” Maksim says, placing himself in front of me. “She is my wife, Lev. You gave her over to me to make peace. If you take her away now, you’re asking for a war because I will fight to get her back. I mean it. Do you want a war with the New York Bratva on your doorstep?”
For a moment, my father hesitates. I’ve never seen him look so worried before.
But then his usual icy coldness covers his features.
“You don’t scare me, Maksim. You and your father and Nikolai Volkov came to me because you were afraid of going to war with me.
Which means I have power. I am taking my daughter back and I will be protecting her like you could not do. ”
“Is Natasha hurt? I’m the one who took a bullet for her. That should tell you everything. You’re nothing, Lev. Go back to Chicago and be happy that you’re going to make millions off the work me and my father do here in New York. You’re not taking Natasha from me.”
My father stands to his full height, making the room seem even smaller. Making me feel even smaller. “Get out of my way.”
“No.”
Lev storms over to Maksim and pushes him to the side and grabs my arm. “Natasha, come along.”
Maksim shoves Lev back. “Don’t touch her. She is not going with you. She is not safe with you.”
“What the fuck does that mean? Of course she’s safe with me.”
Maksim looks at me, questioning whether he should say anything. He promised he wouldn’t but now I’m seeing that the truth should come out.
“You and mom,” I whisper.
That makes Lev’s body go stiff all over. “What about your mother?”
“She disappeared.”
“Because she left you and never came back. What kind of mother does that? She wasn’t a good one. She isn’t worth mourning over.”
“She was my mother!” I scream. The shock on my father’s face is palpable. He’s never heard me scream at him in my entire life.
“And she left you.”
“Because you killed her.” There. I finally said it.
Lev stumbles back like he was hit in the chest. “Why… why would you say that?”
“Just tell me. Please. I need to know for a fact. I’ve always wondered. Did you kill her?”
“How can you ask me that?”
“Did you kill her?”
“Natasha, you are being ridiculous.”
I make myself stand up straight. “Did you kill her?”
“I will not entertain such ridiculous questions.”
“Did you kill her?”
“Natasha, you are my daughter and you are being insubordinate. I guess it’s because of your husband. He’s a bad influence on you. I never should have agreed to marry you off. Now, come along.”
“Answer the question,” Maksim says. “Did you kill your wife?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to either of you.”
Maksim stands at my side, offering me strength. “You can’t answer because you did it. Didn’t you? You killed your own wife and you left your daughter scared and terrified of the world. She is not safe with you. She is not going with you. She is staying with me.”
“You don’t have the right,” he seethes so hard that spittle flies from his mouth.
“But I do have the right. I am her husband. She’s my wife.
You gave up your rights to her the moment you agreed for us to be married.
You have no power here, Lev, and it’s eating away at you.
So go. You are not getting Natasha. If you want us to keep your secret a secret, then you will go.
Or I will tell everyone that you killed your wife and see what that happens to you.
The mafia may be a dark place but wife-killers are usually frowned upon.
My family here has the power to take you down and you know it. So don’t fucking mess with me.”
I stare at Maksim in awe. He’s truly standing up for me – the woman he never wanted to marry to begin with. And yet, he has chosen me. He has chosen to care for me. To protect me.
Maybe even love me.
Enzo asked if I loved Maksim and I couldn’t answer because we haven’t known each other long. There’s still so much to learn about by husband and yet, I’ve learned all the important parts of him: that when push comes to shove, he’ll stand up for me. What more could I want in a husband?
I know in this very moment that I love him.
Lev looks between me and Maksim, uncertainty in his eyes. My scary, intimidating father and yet now he looks like a small child who isn’t able to get his way. “Natasha, come with me. Now.”
Even though I love Maksim’s help, I have to stand up for myself.
“No,” I answer in as clear of a voice as I can.
“I am not going with you. If you take me back to Chicago, it will be a kidnapping. I am staying with Maksim and I will keep your secret like I’ve kept it all these years.
But just go. I never want to see you again.
Not after what you did to Mom. Not after you took her from me forever. ”
He opens his mouth and yet, he still can’t deny it. He can’t lie and say he didn’t kill her when we both know he did.
“You better not let my daughter get kidnapped again,” Lev growls at Maksim before storming out of the room.
I slump onto the bed, all my energy leaving me. It’s only when Maksim grabs my hands that I realize I’m shaking.
“Are you ok?” he asks.
“You’re the one who was shot. I should be asking you that.”
“I’m tough. I can handle a lot. You stood up to your dad. That takes guts. I haven’t been able to stand up to my dad and I’m a grown man.”
“It’s because you helped me. I wouldn’t have been able to stand up to him otherwise.” I let out a long, slow breath. “So that proves it. He did kill her. He couldn’t deny it. I saw the truth in his eyes.”
“That has to be hard. I’m so sorry, Nat.”
“I’ve known for years. I’ve come to terms with it but knowing I’m right helps give me some closure. He’ll never go to jail for what he did but as long as he’s out of my life, I’m fine with it. I just want to move on from him. I just want to be happy.”
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted too.” He pulls me into his arms. I rest my head over his heart – it’s a place where I belong. The urge to tell Maksim I love him is on the tip of my tongue but I hold it back. What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
“Can we go home now?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says with a chuckle. “I want that too.”
But things are not done for us yet. When we leave the hospital room, we run into Gregor.
“Maksim, you’re up. I was told you’re being discharged today.”
Kira is beside Gregor and she doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around her brother. “Dad didn’t tell me you were here until a few hours ago otherwise I would have come sooner.” After she’s done hugging her brother, she gives me one next. “I’m glad you’re ok. That Maksim got you back.”
“Because of you,” Maksim says. “Kira gave us the address to Enzo’s house.”
A scowl settles over Gregor’s face. “I’m not happy with you, Kira. We have a lot of things to discuss. But I wanted you to see your brother.”
Kira flushes, knowing she’s in big trouble.
“Go easy on her,” Maksim says. “We all make mistakes.”
“Lord knows you’ve made tons of them,” Gregor mutters.
Maksim’s eyes tighten. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You almost started a war with Enzo Bianchi.”
“We’re already at war with him,” Maksim fires back. A few other people walking past look over. Maksim and his dad are making a scene.
“You messed up, Maksim. You let your wife get kidnapped. You should have done a better job.”
“You’re so fucking hard on me. And now you’re icing Kira out because she made a mistake. She helped save Natasha. Don’t be angry with her.”
“Your sister betrayed me. And you, son… you disappoint me.”
I see the pain on Maksim’s face. The way his eyes seem to sink deeper and his skin turns pale. Maksim stood up to my father for me and now it’s my turn to return the favor.
“You’re too hard on him,” I say to Gregor.
“Excuse me?”
“Maksim has saved my life multiple times now. He took a bullet for me. He’s a good man.
You forced him into this marriage but he’s made the most out of it.
He’s only ever treated me with respect. And yet, you have the audacity to stand there and say that he’s a disappointment?
You’re the disappointment, sir. You hold your son to impossible standards just like my father does to me.
So I suggest you back off and tell your son that he did a good job.
And tell your daughter too. She helped save my life as well. No one is perfect. Stop expecting it.”
The shock on Gregor’s face is an understatement.
“Now, me and my husband are going home. We need some peace and quiet.” I give Kira a nod before taking Maksim’s hand and tugging him along.
Maksim and his father share a final look before Maksim follows me down the hallway and away from his father and towards a better future for the both of us.