Page 119 of Sinful Wrath

27

LUCIA

I don’t knowhow long I’ve been sitting at my father’s bedside.

Elle came by to drop off some clothes, so I’m no longer wearing my wedding dress, but I still smell the coppery twang of his blood on my skin.

I’ve never seen my father look so weak, sosmall.

“Please don’t die.”

My eyes go to the tattoo of my name on his neck, and my heart breaks in two. We might have our differences but despite it all, he’s still my father, and he’s the only parent I have left.

I can’t lose him.

Mikhail eventually returns, dressed in a fresh shirt and pants and smelling of sandalwood and mint.

I don’t ask him where he went because I’m not sure I want to know, and I’m not sure he’d tell me even if I did.

“I’m taking you home,kisa.Elle is going to stay with your father so you can get some sleep.”

“I can’t?—”

“I’ll call you if anything changes.” My cousin looks justas tired as I do, but I appreciate her offering to stay with my father.

He’s the closest thing she has left to a parent, so I know she’ll be hurting just as much as I am.

I glance at Mikhail, and I know that this is a fight I won’t be able to win, so I reluctantly follow him out of the room.

I barely register the drive back to Alexei’s mansion. I keep my eyes down, trying not to wince as the gravel crunches beneath the tires, reminding me of the sound of the ambulance as it raced down the drive toward my father’s bleeding body?—

A sob escapes me as Mikhail parks the car and darts around to my side and opens up the door.

“I’ve got you.” He lifts me out of the car, and I bury my face in his shirt, keeping my eyes screwed shut as he carries me upstairs.

I feel like a child as Mikhail sets me down on the bed while he runs me a bath.

I’m so exhausted that I don’t even have the energy to undress myself.

Mikhail does it all without complaint, and the combination of the scalding hot water followed by the feeling of the silk sheets against my skin soon pulls me into a deep sleep.

By the time I wake,the sky outside is clear. My limbs feel stiff, and there’s a dull ache in my temples, but I feel marginally better after getting some rest.

I find my phone on the bedside table, and I quickly reach for it and scan through my messages.

There’s at least ten from Elle giving me updates on my father, but it seems his condition hasn’t changed.

There’s also several from Bianca and Zara wishing me well and letting me know I can call them at any time if I need anything.

And there’s not a single message from Kara or Macy, not that I’m surprised or even annoyed. If anything, their silence only makes me more grateful for the new friends I’ve made in Zara and Bianca.

My phone tells me it’s almost three in the afternoon, and I groan as my stomach cramps.

I’m not hungry in the slightest, but I know I should probably force something down seeing as I’ve not eaten in over twenty-four hours, so I quickly get dressed and head downstairs into the kitchen where I find Mikhail busy by the stove.

The moment he sees me, he crosses the kitchen and wraps his arms around me, pulling me tight against his chest.

I sink my fingers into the soft material of his black T-shirt that shows off his tattooed arms. “Where is everyone?”