I hightail it to the bathroom, sighing with relief when I have some distance separating me from Cosette. Leaning over the sink, I splash some water on my face and then dry off with some paper towels. When I glance in the mirror, I see Cosette standing behind me.
Talk about a jump scare.
She has an evil smirk on her face as she asks, “Why do you always have to be center of attention, Savina?”
Tired of putting up with her shit for one day, I finally snap. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you,Cosette, considering you’re always trying to be exactly that in every situation and every single day of your pathetic life.”
The blow comes before I can even react. Her hand connects with my cheek, and my head whips to the side. My cheek is throbbing, and my right ear is ringing as I take a stumbling step back from her. A single tear slides down my cheek against my will, and her beady eyes lock onto it, savoring every second. It’s not like my stepmother hasn’t hit me before, but never in my face. This feels more like an insult than anything considering we’re both adults.
“I know what you’re doing. I see right through you, just like I always have,” she continues as if she didn’t just try to knock me out.
I glare at her, and I can see it in her eyes that she’s begging for me to say something else so that she has an excuse to hit me again. But I clamp my mouth shut, refusing to give her the goddamn satisfaction. Turning on my heel, I stalk out of the restroom, holding the side of my face, which is screaming in agony. I think one of her rings caught my skin; and when I bring my hand down and see the crimson dotting my palm, I know that’s exactly what happened. That’s why it stings so damn bad.
I’m halfway through the narrow hallway when I suddenly see a tall, dark figure standing at the end of it. And then he’s coming straight towards me.
Shit.
I almost want to bolt, but that will draw too much attention. Instead, I simply put my head down, walk quickly, and silently pray he doesn’t try to talk to me or notice me.
“Savina,” Dimitri’s deep, familiar voice calls my name.
I try my best to just push past him, but he stops me by grabbing my arm in a gentle but firm hold. Slowly, I look up at him, hoping that the stray tear I shed has dried and that there isn’t a mark on my face. But his expression tells me everything I need to know.
His face instantly falls, and I watch as his eyes drift to my cheek, which feels like a balloon. “What happened?” he asks immediately.
“N-n-nothing,” I stammer before pinching my eyes closed.
Pulling me to the side of the hall, he gently puts his finger under my chin and tips my head up, tilting my cheek towards the dim light overhead to get a better look. “Who hurt you?” he asks, his voice deep and serious.
Before I can even open my mouth, I hear the door to the bathroom opening. Quickly, I step away from Dimitri, not wanting Cosette to catch us in a somewhat compromising position, and further adding fuel to the already raging inferno.
“Dimitri,” my stepmother acknowledges as she passes by him. “Come along, Savina,” she grumbles before grabbing my arm in a painful grip and forcing me to walk alongside her. On the way to the table, she whispers, “Don’t breathe a word of this to your father, or I will make sure you never move out of our house. Do you understand me?”
I nod and am thankful when she relinquishes her claws when we get to the table.
“Finally! We can order now,” my father announces grumpily. He stares at me for a beat when I sit down and asks, “What happened to your face?”
“Oh, just an accident,” Cosette speaks up quickly. “Savina caught the edge of the door on her face when she walked into the ladies’ room. Some old lady swung it open too fast.”
My father frowns, but he seems to believe Cosette’s account of things. “You need to be more careful, Savina,” he chides.
I close my eyes and give him a nod. I don’t want to give my stepmother an easy out; but if it will make it simpler for me to move out and get away from her, I’m willing to bite back my words just this once and keep quiet.
When I open my eyes once more, I see Dimitri taking his seat across the table from me. His blue eyes narrow as he stares at my cheek, and I can feel my cheeks burning from embarrassment. And when his gaze flickers to mine, I quickly look away, staring down at the menu.
The dinner is painfully strained and tense with Papà andDimitri’s father discussing territories and business. I quietly eat my meal, my eyes staying fixated on a burgundy wine stain on the pristine, white tablecloth. I can feel Dimitri’s eyes on me the entire time, but I don’t dare look at him.
After what happened at the engagement party, I have no idea where he and I stand. All I know is that I’ve been keeping my distance, and he’s been keeping his. He hasn’t even texted me again, which I’m thankful for. I hope this game of his that he started is over for good, because right now I just want to focus on moving as far away from my stepmother as I possibly can.
Thankfully, once brunch is over, my father announces that we’re going home. While they’re all exchanging goodbyes at the table, I hastily make my way to the front door. I’m the first one outside, and I’m thankful the rain has stopped and that the humidity isn’t unbearable. I take a deep breath. God, it felt like I had been holding my breath for the entire meal. It was so tense, and the lingering effects have my arms curling around my midsection.
“Does your stepmother do that often?” Dimitri asks from a few feet away, causing me to jump.
I had been so caught up in my own head that I didn’t even realize he had snuck outside to smoke. He’s leaning up against the brick façade of the restaurant, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Normally I don’t like when people smoke; but for some reason, he looks so damn hot when he does it.
God, what is wrong with me?
Dimitri takes a long drag, smoke billowing from his full lips before he snuffs the butt out in the ashes of a receptacle. Then, he stares at me, waiting patiently for my answer.
