𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 • 19 || ❝𝐍𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬❞

>𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃

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𝐊 𝐑 𝐈 𝐒 𝐓 𝐈 𝐀 𝐍 • 𝐏 𝐄 𝐓 𝐑 𝐎 𝐕

I read every single word, repeatedly. Even though it doesn't take long to process in my mind. As soon as Nikita's name is mentioned, my walls are up and my blood begins to boil. I slam the letter down and jog out of the stairs, telling Elias on my way down to keep me updated on what Doc says about Mila.

I'm running over several red lights, luckily there aren't any police cars around, I probably would've been pulled over by now. But there is no time. Nikita might be in danger. 'I'd keep an eye on that sister if I were you, you never know who's watching'. The words itself were enough to annoy me and get me angry, the sweat beaded on my head and my hands bull up on the steering wheel, nowhere ready to let go.

I finally make it to the dorms I once past. Racing inside, a guy nearly stopped me for coming in, but after sending him a glare he stepped away and minded his own business, which was for the best. I clench my jaw and ball up my fist, knowing on my sister's door impatiently.

She opens it up. Her curly locks are in a pile on-top of her head and her eyes look tired, revealing the dark circles under them.

"Nikita?" I enquire. But she stares at me with a questionable look.

"Do I know you?" She asks innocently. Her lips purse while she waits for my reply. But for some reason I'm struggling to find the words to form.

"Uh, no." I sigh, what can I say to her to get her to let me inside?

"There's been some problems going on around this area, we are speaking to your neighbours, double checking everything is up to standard. My colleague is down a few halls." I lie. A gleam washes on her face like I've said a magical word, a word that could transform her life.

"Oh, that's great, because I have something I need to tell someone and I'm not getting listened to." She opens her door wider, allowing me inside.

I take a moment to gather my surroundings, it's simplistic get cosy. It isn't as modern as I thought it would be, she probably has more green plants in this dorm room than she has pairs of shoes. "Take a seat." She insists I follow her into the living room, she plants herself on one side of the sofa while I sit on the other, admiring my sister's features begins to get me thinking. All the years we've missed together. But it was all for a good reason. My mother found out she was having a girl on the day she was born, not long after that she took her and ran away with her, never to be seen again. Yet she was here this whole time, right under our noses.

"My friends gone missing; her name is Mila Orlov. Here is a picture." She hands me the picture; Mila's copper strands are tucked up into a high ponytail and her freckles are easily noticeable. Her smile is clear and real, and her clothes? They didn't look like something she'd wear. But that might've been me getting too used to seeing Mila in plain t-shirts and leggings.

Nikita goes on about this friend who she thought was real, she told me how she's been searching for her but on some of her searching parties she's noticed unfamiliar people following her. "You look really familiar." She looks at me, concentrating on every single facial feature I own with pride.

"You don't." I chuckle and lie.

"No honestly, I'll be back." She gets up and scrambles through the draws in the unit which is placed perfectly in the living room. A few seconds later she examines something in her hand, confusion written all over her face when she turns around to face me.

She sits down on the sofa next to me, you'd never believe I came here to check on her, for her then to tell me about her friend and then her showing me an image I didn't know that existed. "What's this?" I question. She chuckles and hands it to be closer, pointing as she speaks.

"Well, that's my mum Vera. She's holding me." She smiles. I watch as my mother cradles my sister in her pink blanket. I look closer, next to my mother is where three other young boys stand, all lined up next to each other...

"This is my brother Kristian." She points to the little boy that's closest to my mother. I stare at myself. My floppy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. But instead of looking at my younger self and trying to remember when this photo was taken, I was mainly staring at the other boys in picture. "That's who you look like." She adds.

"Is your mother alive?" I ask. I needed to know if my mother was still around. She told Nikita about me...She probably thought I ran away.

"Yeah, she's recently been treated for pneumonia. But, she's back on her feet." I sigh, staring further at the picture of my mother. She's alive. Relief washed over me that I may get a chance to see my mother again, after all, I got to meet my sister properly today.

"Where does she live?" I enquire, asking too many questions. But Nikita doesn't seem to notice, she looks like she's enjoying the company and speaking about her family.

"Here." She smiles. My mother is so close, yet so far away...

We both look back at the picture. She points at the picture, the dark-haired boy with blue eyes. "That's our family friend, Jace." She chuckles. "She's told me lots of stories about her and my brother Kristian, all the trouble they used to cause." The comment causes me to laugh. Of course, she told her that.

"What about him?" I point at the other boy with a boyish grin on his face, his hair and eyes were both dark, but his smile was so bright.

"Oh, that's my other brother, Leonid." My eyes dart up to her, Leonid? Didn't mum tell her that he came from an amazing family, not from a family like ours. The only good that came from my family was a loving mother and a younger sister, that was until that got ripped away from me.

"Are you sure?" I enquire further, pushing her.

"Yeah, that's definitely my brother Leonid."

𝐌 𝐈 𝐋 𝐀 • 𝐎 𝐑 𝐋 𝐎 𝐕

My eyes have been open for a while, although they're still sensitive to light I'm desperate to get back onto my feet. They're itching to touch regular flooring instead of be pushed up on the bed, feeling the air hit the arch of my feet causes further frustration.

I attempt to stand but watch as Elias bursts through the doors of my room. "I thought I heard rustling." He complains. "Get back into bed Mila." He demands, I sigh. "At least let me get the Doc." I nod and get back into bed comfortably while I wait for Elias to get back. I could run away now downstairs and do what I want to do, but Elias would soon snitch on me and tell Kristian.

The grey-haired doctor comes in with circular glasses, I try my best not to laugh at him. But he looks like the classic doctor in all TV shows and movies. "Mila here wants to move around." Elias says, the doctor comes up to me, flashes a light in my eyes, checks my body and gives me a nod.

"She can walk around, but she must take it easy." He glares at me as if I don't do as I'm told. "Don't over-do it." He adds and walks back out.

I take this opportunity to give into my cravings and walk to the kitchen and grab myself an orange juice. I watch as Elias stands near me, arms folded and eyes glued to me. I finish my drink and suddenly the pressure on my bladder begins to go crazy. I haven't been able to wee in a while, which is causing my body irritation no doubt.

I make my way to the bathroom and hear heavy footsteps behind me. I open the bathroom door and head inside, watching Elias' feet shadow under the door. "Stop standing outside of the toilet, you're going to hear me wee." I shout, he laughs and I watch his shadow disappear and feel grateful for the release. My bladder was so full I could've burst any moment, how I made it to the toilet I don't know.

I walk to the living room after my toilet session and sit on the sofa, getting myself comfy as Elias walks into the living room. "Ah crap." I sigh and attempt to get out of the comfy chair.

"Stay." He orders, "What do you need?"

"Could I please have a bottle of water?" He nods and walks over to the fridge, I can see in my view that he walks steadily to the fridge, fetching my water and walking back towards me.

"You shouldn't keep getting up and down, you're never going to get better." He clearly doesn't know how stubborn I am.

"Have you heard much about my father?" I ask with a hopeful smile. I try not to get myself too excited...I have no idea if I had killed him or not. I passed out too quick afterwards. It was never the plan to kill my father, but kill Kristian Petrov. Now we're married and I have no dad, again.

"He's dead." He states emotionlessly. I sigh, but I'm unsure if it is with pain, annoyance, or relief. But for some reason my shoulders don't feel tense and my mind finally feels clear and free.

"Then it's to new beginnings." I smile, repeating the same phrase Kristian and I have said before. But now I can fend for myself, I don't need anyone or anything. And I won't let anything get in my way of achieving what I want from this life. Not my father, not this mafia and not Kristian Petrov.

This is my new beginning. Just for me.