Page 150 of Caged

“You should see Elena. She’s a firecracker, just like you.” Clenching my jaw, I fight back the swell of emotion. “I can still catch glimpses of you, in her. That crooked grin, the cocky hip when she’s mad.”

My fist tightens on my thigh as the pain surges through my chest. “I wish you were here.” My voice cracks. “But, you’d like Mila. She killed for Elena, just like I know you would have.”

Flipping through the few glimpses of memories, I find the one of Elena dropping the rose into the ocean for Katerina’s funeral.

Elena was barely two.

There wasn’t a body to bury, so we went to the sea, Katerina’s favorite place to visit.

The red of the flower is a contrast to the deep blue of the water.

But it blurs as a tear sneaks out and falls onto the print.

Dammit.

Sniffling, I push down the grief.

I know the pain will never go away, but it doesn’t stab as sharply.

Healing always leaves a scar, but it makes the skin tougher.

I’m just glad I didn’t get so armored that I never let Mila in.

“Daddy!” Elena yells from down the hall. “I can’t reach my fairy wings!”

“I’ll be right there,” I call back.

Beneath the last snapshot, her passport sits next to a folded scrap of notebook paper.

I recognize Katerina’s flowery script as soon as I open it.

A message I forgot existed, like it’s coming from the past to remind me.

Be happy she scrawled with a small smiley face doodle.

“Thank you, Kat. I am.”

SIXTY-FIVE

MILA

Song- Fall for me, Sleep Token.

“What about this one?” Elena asks, pulling out another white dress from the rack.

I must have tried on close to twenty. I hate every single one.

“It’s pretty.” I tell her, but I’m still not feeling it.

We’ve already bought her outfit, so I can see why she’s starting to get bored.

Nikolai is back at the villa Enzo sent us to with Daniil. I have to say, it’s beautiful. Right on the Amalfi Coast. A picturesque backdrop of the ocean, a perfect warm breeze and sunshine.

And the best part, it is just the four of us.

I’m not sure how that will go down with the rest of Nikolai’s pack, but it felt right for us. Time away as a family and we’ll arrive home an official unit.

I will become Mrs. Volkov.

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