Her brows pinched together. “Yes, yes. Of course. But are you alright? It’s late. What happened? I am worried.”
“I’m fine, Mamma.” I eased my hand from her grip and started toward the stairs.
“I’ll bring you something warm,” she called after me. “You’re freezing.”
But I didn’t stop. My legs carried me up and into my room.
I lingered in the doorway, staring into the familiar space. The room looked exactly as it always had. I walked to the bed and fell onto it, not bothering to strip away the dress clinging to my skin or remove the makeup smudged across my face. My chest felt unbearably heavy.
The door cracked open. My mother’s voice was gentle. “Alessia?”
I didn’t move. She lingered a moment before she stepped back and let the door close, leaving me in the dark with only my own shattering thoughts.
Tears slipped onto the pillow. My throat burned as I whispered into the silence, “I hope he had a good reason.”
I didn’t know when I had fallen asleep, or when the tears had stopped, but voices stirred me awake. I shifted under the blanket.
“Should I wake her?” my mother whispered.
“Let her sleep, she will…” Dad paused when I sat up. “Sweetheart, you’re up.”
I blinked at both standing in my room, my mother’s face pinched with worry, my father’s arms folded tight. “What is it?”
My father cleared her throat. “It was one in the morning. Where were you coming from? Did something happen? You’ve been crying. Why didn’t you call us?”
A sigh dragged out of me. “Papa…” I looked between them. “I’m fine. Can you leave?”
“No.” His tone hardened. “I’m worried. What happened?”
Pushing the blanket aside, I slid out of the bed. “I need a shower,” I muttered, moving past them.
“We are going to talk about it,” he warned as I stepped into the bathroom.
I shut the door and leaned against it, shutting them out. Their muffled voices carried a moment longer before retreating.
Moving to the mirror, my reflection nearly scared me. The makeup had run, streaking my face with black. My dress clung awkwardly, wrinkled and shifted. I stripped it off and stepped into the shower. The hot water poured over me, and I relaxed, letting it wash the night away.
Rodion never lies; that was one truth that I hoped for. So, I had to find out what happened. And honestly, I hoped it wasn’t because of his business.
When I finally stepped out, I dressed in jeans and a hoodie. My body ached as I sat on the bed. The clutch lay on the floor where I had dropped it.
I picked it up and pulled out my phone. The screen lit, and a flood of notifications hit me all at once.
My stomach sank when I saw the screen. Carina had called me several times, along with a string of unregistered numbers. Even Viktor had tried reaching me. Why would they be calling so much? I dialed Carina back, but my phone buzzed with another unregistered number flashing across the screen.
Without hesitation, I answered. “Hello?”
“Finally.” His breath was ragged, like he’d been waiting forever. “Alessia, where the fuck are you?”
I froze. “Who is this?”
“It’s Matvet. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m at home. I was about to call Carina in case she was worried.”
“Forget Carina.” His tone snapped. “Why the hell didn’t you call Viktor yesterday when the boss failed to show up? Do youhave any idea what kind of danger you put yourself in?”
“Don’t yell at me.”