Page 109 of His to Own

The moment I’m alone, I slump onto the park bench. Now, if only I could fight and get my spot back at school. I have to trust Maxim to help me with that. I have to be all right with him doing something very bad to get what I want.

Can I let him kill Professor Romanov? That’s what he implied yesterday. He’ll have to kill her to fully remove her as a problem. What kind of person am I if I just stand back and let that happen?

But have I ever truly been a good person? I was raised in a mafia family. The mafia is my life now, whether I want it to be or not. As someone who never felt powerful before, the power Maxim possesses due to being in the mafia is no small thing. I can see why people fight for it so much.

I call Lana since I know she’ll be wondering if I’m all right after everything.

“Elena? I’m coming over.” She hangs up and doesn’t let me get in another word.

I return home and wait for Lana to arrive. The moment she does, she wraps me in a tight hug. It’s the most warmth I have ever felt from my older sister.

“How are you?” she asks, pulling back.

“I survived. Isn’t that what matters?”

“I know what it’s like to deal with trauma after being kidnapped. You can talk to me.”

“I saw Aleksander…” I shake my head and back away from her.

“What? Tell me.”

“I saw him stomp a man to death,” I whisper. “And then I saw him cut that man’s head off.”

Lana’s hands cover her mouth in horror. “I am so sorry, Elena. I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“I want to get it out of my head but I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do.”

“Only time,” she says. “Or… or you can see someone for help.”

“A therapist? Our parents never believed in therapy. It’s shameful.”

She sighs and takes my hands, even when I try to pull away, and holds on tighter. “I didn’t get help after the things I saw. But you don’t have to be me. You can be better than me. Get help, Elena. See a therapist. You don’t have to be so ashamed.”

“I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I can help you.”

“Maybe I just need to write it down,” I whisper.

“Don’t pull away. You always do that. Please.”

My lips quirk. “You sound exactly like Maxim.”

She huffs. “I don’t like that comparison.”

“He’s not so bad, Lana. He did save my life. For a mafia man… I’m starting to see that he’s not a complete monster. That I… that I might care for him.”

She lets out a shaky exhale and nods. “All right. I know what it’s like to care for a man who maybe you shouldn’t care for. I’m not going to judge. I just want you to be safe. I just want you to be happy.”

“Thank you.”

A knock at the front door makes me tense.

Lana looks through the peephole. “It’s our parents.”

“Oh.”

“Should I let them in?”