And then the rollercoaster took a sharp turn and spiraled downward.
Dima couldn’t move his toes.
He couldn’t feel his legs.
His paralysis could only be temporary, the doctors told us.
But it was too early to tell.
It could be permanent.
While we talked to the doctors, Dima stubbornly tried to get out of bed and fell. When we tried to help him, he lost his shit. Screaming so loud at us to get out that his machines had gone off, sending nurses rushing to him. His tirade became so violent that he had to be sedated since he was still healing.
It had shaken my siblings to their core. Mila had escaped to the gallery she managed while Aleks took Kira and Lev upstairs to get a drink.
As for me, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. So, I’d eased down into a chair by his side and remained by his bedside. Even if he didn’t want me, I needed to be there for him.
Shifting in my chair, the feel of thechotki, or prayer beads in my pocket, ground into my thigh. With a frustrated grunt, I dug them out. A volatile mix of anger and hurt swirled within me. I reached back to throw them across the room when I did a double take at the sight of my maternal grandfather standing in the doorway.
Artur Sidorov was a powerful man in his own right. He’d been anavtoritet, or captain, to my grandfather Korolov. He’d gained even more power within Bratva by brokering a marriage between my mother and father.
“D-Dedushka, what are you d-doing here?” I questioned softly so as not to disturb Dima.
I knew his appearance sure as hell wasn’t out of concern for Dima’s welfare. Just as my mother had no use for my father’s second family, my grandfather didn’t either. While he’d never voiced it to my father, he had been enraged when Dima had been chosen over me.
He eyed Dima’s sedated form with contempt before turning his gaze on me. “We need to talk.”
Furrowing my brows, I asked, “Now?”
“Da.”
Since you never argued with my grandfather, I merely nodded and rose out of my chair. To my surprise, he didn’t stop outside Dima’s door. Instead, he walked over to the elevator and jabbed the button to go up.
After I joined him, he didn’t speak until we were in the fresh air of the gardens. To my surprise, Aleksandr was waiting for us. At what must’ve been my inquisitive look, Aleks said, “Dedushka asked me to meet you two here.”
“Da, I did,” Dedushka replied.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I remarked, “Refusing to speak in your son-in-law's house seems rather sinister.”
Dedushka narrowed his eyes. “It’s smart, not sinister.”
Aleksandr glanced between us. “So what the fuck is this about?”
“Dima’s condition is very serious,” Dedushka replied.
“Da,” Aleks replied while I nodded.
Turning to me, Dedushka said, “Rumor has it he might not walk again.”
“It’s b-bullshit.”
“His medical team–”
“D-Don’t know everything,” I countered.
“Considering your father’s actions of late, the doctors are pretty clear.”
As I sucked in a ragged breath, my mind flashed back to a horrific scene last night in Father’s study. Plastered on expensive vodka, he’d gone on a tirade that his heir was now a cripple. He’d gone so far as to say Dima would be better off dead, which had enraged Mila. When she’d dared to challenge him, he’d tried to strangle her to death. It had taken both Aleks and me to pull him off her.
