Never Too Late: A VA Fanfiction

Chapter Nineteen

DPOV:

I hated him. I had hardly met him and I already hated him. Adrian Ivashkov. The name in my head felt like poison, making my vision tinged with red and a metallic taste form in the back of my mouth. He had hurt my Roza, and he was going to pay. He was such a sick bastard. Just thinking about him made me want to scream out all of the anger I was feeling inside. How could anyone hurt a woman? I asked myself. And not just any woman - Roza. With her perfect, angelic features, a laugh that made you feel warm inside, and a kind of innocence that was so rare... How could anyone destroy that like he had? I growled out loud. I would keep her and our baby safe, I vowed to myself. No matter what it took. As soon as I got our living arrangements settled, as it was now decided I would be moving in with her and Lissa, I would not let her and our baby out of my sight.

RPOV

I sat in my room, with Lissa right next to me, gently stroking my hair. After talking to Alberta about moving Dimitri somewhere near me, Mom had walked me to my room. It had been decided that Dimitri would move in with us, unless I chose to move in with him. Alberta was all for me living with him, but respected my choices.

Lissa had been lounging in her bed when I walked in. Immediately, she had rushed to me, apologizing for calling me a liar. She told me that she believed me about Adrian, but I could sense her doubt through the bond, and it made my stomach hurt to think that my best friend didn't believe me. I closed my eyes and focused on taking deep breaths. I thought about Dimitri moving in with me and Liss. It made me feel so much more comfortable than me moving in with him.

But then I started thinking. How could I expect Dimitri to stay with me instead of going with Tasha when she could give him everything and I couldn't spend the night alone with him in separate beds not doing anything? I knew it was silly to be afraid. I knew that he would never touch me, let alone hurt me, unless he knew it was okay with me, 100%. But then that annoying voice in the back of my head started talking. You never know. You're a hot teenage girl and his hormones might get the better of him. There was a hiccup in my breathing as that thought ran through my mind. What if... No, I told myself harshly. How could I even think of making Dimitri give up everything when I didn't even trust him to treat me right? I thought about that for a moment.

Then I took a deep breath. I would either have to have a leap of faith, faith in my Dimitri, in my Comrade, a leap so big I wasn't sure I could clear it without hopelessly coming short and falling. Or I would have to do the right thing and let him go and experience the future that I couldn't give him. I closed my eyes, breathed in heavily through my nose, and then sat up straighter, preparing to get off of the bed.

"Rose?" Lissa questioned uncertainly. "Where are you going?"

I looked over at my best friend since forever and told her, "I need to talk to Dimitri. I'll be back soon."

She looked a little hurt, but just nodded. I groaned as I got up, being nearly five months pregnant will do that to you. I walked out of the door taking yet another deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to do.

I had made my decision.

DPOV

I was in my room getting ready to pack my stuff to move in with Rose and the Princess when I heard the door creak open behind me. I turned around to face the potential threat and was met by my Roza's nervous gaze. I automatically relaxed on the outside, hoping it would help her, but as usual, she saw right through me.

"No need to be so tense, Comrade," she said with a dry smile. I could see that she was trying to take the attention off her own tension.

"What is it, Roza?" I asked. "Is something wrong?" I mentally kicked myself. Her rapist was hunting her down and was a threat to her and our baby. What wasn't wrong?