Chapter 144

Elena:

“Elena,” I heard Batrov call, taking me off guard as I walked out of the bathroom. 

Having taken a shower to freshen up, needing to get out of bed for the day, knowing that it was already late. And though I knew that I had nothing to do but sit on the chair in front of the window, knitting, reading, or watching the day turn into night; I still didn’t like spending my whole day in bed.

His eyes met mine, and I couldn’t help but find myself frowning as I looked at the man, knowing that if he was here, then so was Konstantin. Seeming to notice my somewhat panicked expression, he shook his head in assurance. “Boss is still in England. He won’t be back for another few days.”

The fact that he was telling me of Konstantin’s whereabouts was new to me, especially since I rarely ever knew where the man, if I could call him a man, was, and though I didn’t care; I was just glad that he wasn’t back yet. I didn’t want to find myself dealing with him, not when I didn’t even know where Vladimir was.

The one thing that I knew was the fact that he didn’t leave with him. And I knew that he was in the house, I saw him through my window a few times. I just didn’t understand why he never bothered to look up at me or at least come and visit me.

“Yigrette told Konstantin that you’ve been ill. He sent me over to check on you,” he said, and I frowned in confusion at the fact that the woman would even bother mentioning it. It was indeed true, I was ill, but it wasn’t anything that was major for him to come for. “He said that you had an hour every day this week, out in the sun. It was what the doctor demanded. Your sheets would be changed when you leave and the room would be aired.”

I nodded, and though I knew that it wouldn’t come for free. The man was going to be sure to make me pay for it when he was back, and that wasn’t something that I looked forward to. But I knew him enough to know that he didn’t do anything for free.

He nodded at me to go, and he stood a few paces behind as I walked out of the room. It was on rare occasions that I was allowed out of the room, and it was often when he was around. I remembered when he once shot one of the maids a few years back, in front of me, outside when he took me out. It was because she was a ‘friend’ of mine. On days that he wanted to pretend that he was kind, he would bring me a flower bouquet, and I was to pay for it, physically, in a way that no woman would want to deal with. 

It was once, when he thought that I may be carrying his child because of a late period, that he was gentle to me. But when he found out that I got my period a week later, I paid the price of the kindness he offered me in his own way. 

“It’s been a while since you’ve been out of the room, hasn’t it?” Batrov asked, breaking my train of thoughts. I nodded in response, and he nodded. “You know that you can talk to me, Elena. I am willing to listen.”

I didn’t react, knowing better than to scoff at the man. I remembered a time when I had to beg him, cry on my knees, and be ignored when I asked him for non-pregnancy pills. I promised myself at the time to never trust him in my life. And though I had to admit, he was bringing them to me regularly when I needed them, and even before then. But the begging and crying that came with them told me that he was a man that was loyal to his boss. This was ONE act of kindness, but it was the only act that he was willing to offer me as he defied his boss. 

My eyes caught sight of Vladimir, who was smoking a cigarette in front of the glass door in the balcony. His eyes were fixed on the two of us, and I could swear that I saw a frown on the man’s face. And though I didn’t understand what bothered him, I knew not to care to try to find out. 

He obviously didn’t want anything to do with me, and the moment of kindness that he offered me only settled on him stopping Konstantin from approaching me. Which was more than I could ask for, I had to admit that much.

“Do you want to go back to the garden? I remember that you used to love the flowers that were there.” He asked, and I shook my head. I had enough sun as it was here, I didn’t need to cross the certain limit that I learned to follow and stay in. it was a box, but it kept me safe from Konstantin's wrath, and I wasn’t dumb to want to deal with it. “Where do you want to go?”

I nodded back to the room, and the man frowned in confusion. The fever that I had wasn’t going to be healing with the little sun that this garden offered. It was beautiful, I had to admit that much, but it was a fake atmosphere of what the reality of all this was. And I knew that I was the last one who was going to be fooled into thinking that anyone in this household knew what it was to be kind or gentle. Beauty was something that they were sure to live in, but what it cost was more than one should be willing to handle. And I knew that it wasn’t something that I planned on living through.

“Elena, the doctor said…” I turned my attention to the man, and I knew that he understood my silent plea. I didn’t want to be dealing with more punishments, and I didn’t know whether or not this was another test from Konstantin, one of whether or not I would try to run away. And though I was often tempted to do so, I was quick to learn that unless he wanted me to leave, unless my parents paid him back what they owed, I wasn’t going to go anywhere. And for their safety, I didn’t plan on trying.

“Fine, we can go back inside.” He said, and I nodded. “Come on, let’s go and see if the maids are done with their cleaning…”