"SHE CAN'T STAND me," Natasha complained to her brother as he cooked. He was only half-listening to her as he was far too focused on the classical music playing in the house's speakers. If anything, he yearned for her to stop talking because he wished for nothing to interrupt a Beethoven masterpiece, but it was like the more he ignored her, the more she spoke.
"I miss that small moment in time when we were actual friends. I mean, I get I shouldn't have lied, but I was truly and authentically myself around her. The only thing I really lied about was my name," Natasha ranted. "Is it really so bad for me to want a good relationship with someone who is carrying my niece or nephew—someone my brother loves—someone who could possibly end up becoming my sister-in-law? I just wanted to meet her and the baby. I just wanted to be present."
Adrik continued to ignore her, focusing on flipping over a pancake—a dish that he wasn't entirely fond of, but it was something he learned Avelina loved. Ever since her pregnancy, it was the only thing she ever asked for. It didn't matter if it was early in the morning, deep in the afternoon, or late at night... she always wanted pancakes.
"I know what you're thinking... why didn't I just do everything the right way, right?" she asked no one in particular. "Well, I couldn't. I knew the moment she found out I was Natasha Zolotov, she would forbid me from ever seeing your baby. She would hate me forever just like Vincent. God! Don't even get me started on him!" she exclaimed.
Natasha began to pace up and down the kitchen, sometimes ruffling her hair with her fingers in frustration.
"Vincent has changed so much. This whole vendetta thing he has going on is literally killing any personality he ever had. He's so emotionless now, and so hung up on revenge. You should see the way he is with his own sister—he's ice cold. The Vincent I know would never treat her that way. And even with me, he locked me up in a room, threatened to sell me as a slave. He—" her voice cracked, grasping Adrik's attention.
She looked up at the ceiling before shutting her eyes for a moment or two.
"He's just so different now," she whispered. "It's a miracle I made it out, you know? If I wasn't trained for that kind of thing, I don't think I would've."
"I would have liked to help—"
"No. You need to stop prioritizing me, Adrik. I put myself in this mess... I did this! Not you! You have a family now with a beautiful woman that loves you. Stop ruining your life to fix mine," she stated. "It just doesn't even feel right anymore."
"I am sorry," Adrik expressed, never truly understanding the reason behind the words. However, he knew, based on social interactions that he observed, it was the perfect time to say the three words that would somehow heal invisible wounds 'I. Am. Sorry.'
"Don't be. You made the right call. You had to get her out before you lost her forever," Natasha said.
"I do not understand," Adrik said, turning back to the breakfast he was making.
"Sorry. I meant that you had to do all you could to keep her and your baby safe," she elaborated.
"Yes," Adrik agreed.
Adrik loved his sister. She was there for him since the very beginning. Even when the rest of the world gave up on him, Natasha remained by his side, doing what she needed to do in order to keep them afloat. He loved her, but he also loved Avelina.
He wished it wasn't always a choice between them. They were the only two people in his life that he cared about. He wanted nothing to happen to either of them, but it was like the more he held onto one, the likelihood of the other slipping away increased.
If only things could be less difficult, he could give Avelina and the baby the life they deserved. They didn't need the drama, or to be stuck in the crossfires of a war that had absolutely nothing to do with them. It wasn't fair, but there was nothing he could do to change it.
"Have you talked to Mom?" Natasha asked. At the mentioning of his mother, Adrik visibly froze. He hated that woman so much that he was paying her to stay out of his life.
"No," he answered.
"Yeah, me either. I'm not going to lie, it's starting to creep me out a bit. Typically, around this time she would be teaching out for money or a place to stay. I haven't heard from her in months, though," Natasha muttered.
Adrik was grateful to not have heard anything from his mother. She brought nothing but heartache every time she was around. He hated her outstretched hand, always expecting something to fill it when she least deserved it.
Instead of occupying his thoughts with his mother, he decided to change the subject entirely.
"Talk to her," Adrik said.
Natasha's brows pulled together as she looked at her brother. "What?"
"Avelina is understanding. If you communicate, and if you are honest... she will forgive you," Adrik advised.
"I tried, but she doesn't want to hear me. I wish I could just explain everything to her, but she won't even believe me if I do. I don't blame her, and who knows? Maybe I don't even deserve to have a conversation with her. I just... I don't know," she muttered.
"Sometimes, she wants to be alone first," Adrik explained. They both turned to look out the windows to see her walking toward the beach.
While at the island, Adrik learned that anytime she began to feel overwhelmed, she would go outside with only nature as company. He never got the chance to see that side of her back in New York because busy streets and loud commotion probably wouldn't aid her frustrations. If only they could stay so that Avelina would always have a place to run to anytime her emotions began to get the best of her.
All he wanted was to make her happy, and there was no sacrifice too big to make it happen.
"Okay, I really appreciate the advic—"
"I no longer wish to hear you speak," Adrik interrupted as he tried to listen to his music again.
Natasha quickly shut her mouth and settled with a nod as she decided on taking a seat near the kitchen island.
Just as she sat down, Avelina was making her way back into the house. Adrik was almost done making her breakfast. All he had left to do was turn off the stove and place her pancakes on a plate so he could serve them to her.
"It smells so good," Avelina complimented.
Adrik placed the plate down on the kitchen island beside Natasha. Avelina seemed hesitate to join, but she still wobbled over to the stool and sat down. After drizzling some syrup on her pancakes, she began to eat.
With her food out the way, he was able to begin cooking a dish for both him and Natasha.
"You really like pancakes, huh?" Natasha chuckled, trying her best to lighten the mood, but it only seemed to make things more awkward. Avelina wasn't acknowledging her at all. She only continued to eat, pretending as though Natasha didn't exist.
"Look, I'm really sorry about the whole Lucia thing. It was creepy and weird, and I'm so so sorry. I promise I just really wanted to meet you. I heard about you in the tabloids and I saw how beautiful you were with my brother, and I just had to see it for myself. I knew that if you were aware that I was Natasha Zolotov, you'd hate me and never think about a possible friendship. My only intention was just to meet you and then never see you again, but then I saw you were pregnant and I just... I just really want to be in the baby's life. The truth is, I'm very stupid and I shouldn't have lied to you," Natasha apologized.
Adrik glanced over at Avelina to see her side-eye his sister. She placed her fork down on her plate and turned to Natasha with a look in her eye that he hadn't quite seen before.
Just in case, Adrik took a couple of steps back.
"Listen, you don't know me. You had no right doing what you did. Had you come to be and be an actual adult about everything, maybe I wouldn't be so uncomfortable with the thought of forgiving you. Just like you don't know me, I didn't know you. Now, I am aware of the exact kind of person you are. You're a liar... a two-faced liar who uses people to get what they want, and for that, I want nothing to do with you because I won't ever trust you. So, save your apologies and excuses because I honestly don't care," Avelina said, narrowing her eyes.
Natasha stood up from her seat with tears beginning to collect in her eyes and stormed out of the kitchen.
Adrik sighed, turning back to the stove so he could cook his food.
—
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