Chapter 22

She had to talk to someone eventually because the silence drove her crazy. But she didn’t want them to think she had ultimately caved in, so she remained in her room.

Even when the sun rose high in the sky, and it was past the time for her to get up, she remained in bed. And as expected, Freya walked in. With food.

Katya’s stomach grumbled loudly, protesting the hunger strike she had placed herself on.

“If you don’t eat, it’s safe to say that your stomach might develop teeth, hands, and feet. Because it is obvious that you are hungry.”

Katya could not protest. She sat up in bed and stared at the dishes on the table and the woman who brought them in.
*How much bigger could she get before the baby popped out?

Freya chuckled.
“You should have seen my mom when she had my younger brother. She was so big we thought there were three of them in her. But his big head came out of her, and there was nobody else apart from him.”

Katya laughed.
She never failed to make her laugh, no matter how angry she was. Even on days when Katya did not get up from bed or when she hid beneath the covers, she could laugh silently at Freya’s attempts to get a response out of her.
The morning she tried to leave, it was Freya who finally walked into the room and talked her ears off, telling stories while Katya struggled not to break down completely.

“I’ll eat,” she said.

“Oh, she speaks.”

“I spoke to you two, three days ago?”

“You said only two words to me- ‘please leave,’ and then you cried for an hour,” Freya reminded her.

Katya laughed louder. Then she smiled.
“Those two words meant everything at that time. And I’m talking to you now, so yeah- I speak.”

“Well, this pregnant woman took the liberty to prepare your favorite meal. PS; I had to ask Michal for it.”

*Michal. The traitor.

“He told you?”

“I told him that if he did not, I would threaten him with eternal suffering. He did not like the thought and immediately fessed up.”

“Hmph.”

“He asked after you. Wanted to know if you were okay,” Freya added softly.

Katya looked annoyed. And she was. He should not pretend to care after everything he had done to her. She wanted him to rot in hell for eternity if that was possible.
“He should go to hell. I’m sure Hades would welcome him gladly. The prodigal son returns.”

Freya placed a hand on her knee, and Katya could feel the motherly affection in just a simple touch. It reminded her faintly of touch that she felt one time but could not remember when.
“It is not my place to tell you this, but Michal hasn’t had it easy either. If there was any other way to settle the scores they have with your father, I’m sure they would have done it. But this is the only way. And as much as I hate the fact that you have to be here against your will, your father will never agree on his own.”

“What scores do they have to settle? I keep asking that, but nobody is telling me anything. If I had a clue, I would understand better. Right now, all I know is I am collateral, and the prize is my father.”

“And you deserve to know the truth.” Freya nodded. She looked at the open door. “Which is why you are going to hear it from him. Michal.”

Michal walked into the room, and Katya swallowed. He looked tired. His eyes were tired, and his expression a little melancholy.
But she could not deny the jolt of attraction she felt at seeing him in a tight grey shirt and fitted jeans with a black leather jacket slung over his shoulder.

It was the annoying detail she had refused to go over. She hated him, but she could not ignore the way her body had responded when his hands touched her skin and when his teeth lightly grazed her bottom lip. She hated the fact that she wanted him.

“I’ll leave you two to it.”
She did not hear Freya’s statement or notice when she left. Her attention was on the man who betrayed her trust.

“Katya,” he said softly, going to sit on a chair.

Katya felt a slight twinge of dissatisfaction. *She wanted him on the bed. The realization made her heart thump.

“How are you?”

“Good,” she responded curtly.

“Freya said you weren’t eating much and thought making your favorite food would help.”

“Why are you here?” Katya asked him bluntly.

“She also thinks that you deserve to know the truth why we want your father.”

“Past time. I have been here, what- A month? And you have ignored my questions the whole time,” Katya pointed out.

“To be fair, you said you never want to see me ever again. The broken plates incident was enough warning for me.”

“Whatever you came to say, I suggest you hurry along and spill.”

He sighed.
“My father was a very hard man. I grew up with my mother, a woman he hated. We lived alone, and I had to take care of her every day until she passed away. When my father came to get me, I thought things would get better, but it only worsened.
But we don’t kidnap people. My family is one of the most prominent Mafia organizations in Russia. My father is a don.”

*The mafia?

Katya was even more shocked. If the mafia wanted something from her father, then it meant that her father-

“Your father is also a Mafia don. We have had clashes with him for years now, with every interaction ending in a bloodfest. The last one ended so badly that we lost ten men. My father is a proud man, but your father tried to steal his territory, and killed some of his best men.

Since then, my father has searched for yours. He wants to settle the score that he owes him.”

Katya had to process the first revelation. Her father was a mafia don? And that made her part of a mafia family? No, he was mistaken. Her father had nothing to do with drug cartels and gun trafficking.

She shook her head.
“You are mistaken. My father is not a mafia don or a boss or whatever you call it. I bet your father has him mistaken for some other person.”

“What does your father do? You know he is a billionaire, but what exactly?”

“He, uhm…he goes for business conferences and….you know, he does a lot of things. There’s no way I can pinpoint exactly,” Katya argued weakly.

“Do you know why your father goes on impromptu business trips? Why did he miss your birthday? Why did he ban you from having any contact with your relatives?” Michal asked her.

“Because-,” Katya tried to come up with a valid excuse. But all her life, she was never given one. Her father found a way to evade her questions—all the time.

“Because he has to make sure that operations are going smoothly. Although mafia bosses aren’t required to remain at base, your father’s empire is somewhat an unsteady one. He has mercenaries who will gladly do his dirty jobs for money. But with more money, they will turn against him.

And he leaves before your birthday because your father has so many enemies. One of which has a daughter who lives in New York and has the exact birthdate as you. She also goes to your school. Her father comes to see her on her birthday, and your father knows that if they ever meet, you will be in danger.

Your mother’s siblings hate your father. And they once tried to take you away, to keep you safe. But your father sent people after them to scare them off. So, he keeps you away from them because he wants you all to himself.
He keeps you from coming to Russia with him because he cannot risk anyone noticing you. You are the spitting image of your mother.”

*No. No. No! It wasn’t true! Michal had to be lying. Her father wasn’t in the mafia, and he wasn’t hiding her away from the rest of the world. He wanted to keep her safe because he was an overprotective father with just one child.

She shook her head vehemently.
“You are lying! You want me to believe you, so I don’t feel bad about you keeping me here! You want me to forgive you.”

“Katya, it is the truth.”

She would not believe him. He had too many lies that his words no longer counted as truth in her ears.

“What do you gain from torturing me!? What!? My father is a good man! And please, get out.”

As always, she waited until the door was firmly shut behind her before the tears came running down.