It’s in this moment that I know I don’t want to die. I want to live a life I’ve always dreamed of. I want happiness. Freedom from my past.
I want more than just my tiny old room back at Dimitri’s house.
As soon as I have that thought, I feel hands grab me and hoist me out of the pool. The second water is no longer invading my senses, I cough up all the water inside of me.
“You’re ok.” It’s Alek. He runs his hand over my back as I lurch forward, spitting up all the water. “You’re ok. You’re alive.”
I tremble and sputter until I can finally breathe again. My body slumps onto the cold tile surrounding the pool. A glance in Alek’s direction tells me that he’s soaking wet. His suit is drenched. His leather shoes are still on.
He didn’t care about this things when he saved me. He saved me.
How can my kidnapper be the man to make me happy? To give me all the things I’ve ever wanted in life? I’m not sure but it’s happening.
I grab his jacket and bring my face to his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. I feel safe in his arms. There’s no point in denying it now.
Alek holds me to him for a moment before letting go and setting his eyes onto Nina and Susanna who are frozen in place. “What the fuck happened?”
“She just jumped in,” Susanna says. “It’s not my fault she doesn’t know how to swim.”
“It’s a good thing I was walking by and heard Katya struggling. If I hadn’t been, would you two have stood back and watched her die? Are you that fucking cruel?”
“It was an accident,” Susanna snaps. “Nina and I were frozen. It’s not our fault.”
Alek turns to Nina. “Was it an accident?”
Nina hangs her head low, unable to look him in the eye.
“Katya, what happened?” he asks in a soft voice.
“She pushed me in,” I whisper. I am done hiding. Done trying to be nice. If Susanna is going to try and hurt me again, thenAlek needs to know about it. He’s the only one here who seems to want me alive.
Alek gently lets me go and storms over to Susanna. “I have had enough from you.”
“You just believe her?”
“Of course I do. Katya has no reason to lie. She can’t swim. Why in the fucking world would she just jump into a pool?”
“It was an accident,” Nina says. “Susanna didn’t mean to push her into the pool.”
“But you did push her?” he asks.
Susanna glares back at him as tears well in her eyes.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, you’re both coming with me.” He grabs their arms and tugs them along. I get to my feet and follow them even though I’m unsteady.
Alek brings the girls to one of the guest bedrooms and nudges them inside. “You two are going to stay in there for now. As a punishment. So think about what you have fucking done and how you should act.”
“You can’t lock us in here,” Susanna screams right before Alek shuts the door on them and locks it from the outside. I can hear both of them pounding on the door.
“Alek?” I ask.
“I’m just going to keep them in there for a few hours. Until they learn their lesson. That they don’t get to mess with you. You are in my life now.” He cups my face. “And I don’t want to lose you.”
I ignore the screams of Nina and Susanna from the other side of the door and focus on Alek. His eyes are fully consuming. I could sink into them forever.
And it’s right in this moment that I know what I want. I could have died today but I don’t want to die before I know what it’s like to truly be a woman. I know I will be breaking my brother’sheart if he were to ever find out about this but I want this moment for me.
I need it.
