Page 46 of Bound By You

I hear a noise to the right and look to see Damian and Sergi sitting there, watching me. Both have unshed tears in their eyes that are full of pain. Despite my leaving for five months, they still care deeply about me and my family.

I break the ice, wanting to make them smile. I rasp, "Well, isn't this a little creepy?"

They don't smile, instead, Sergi's tears fall, while Damian fights his, so I rasp again, "I'm okay."

Damian shakes his head and stands, walking over to me on the other side of my bed, while Sergi stays where he is, tryingto get a grip on his emotions. Sergi looks like a wreck; his usual slicked back hair is messy on top, a little longer on the sides than normal, and he's now sporting a beard.

I look away from him as Damian comes into view. He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead, looks at me as tears start to slip from his eyes, and my heart breaks. Our leader shows me his vulnerability.

He whispers, "Losing you would have destroyed us all, but it and would have killed him; I wouldn't have just lost my sister, I would have lost my brother, too."

My tears fall, and I rasp, "I'm okay."

He nods, grips the back of my head, and holds it against his shoulder, hugging me. I grab him tightly.

The movement wakes up Alex, and his hold on me tightens. He looks up at me, his eyes watering again.

"I wasn't dreaming," he whispers as Damian pulls back and places a hand on his shoulder.

I place my hand over Alex’s on my cheek, and I repeat, "I'm okay."

He just shakes his head and looks to his brother, who does a subtle head tilt toward Sergi. I look and notice how he's gripping the arms of the chair so tight that his knuckles have gone white. Alex gets up and goes to him, while I feel useless for being unable to move.

Alex leans over him, gripping his neck, and whispers something in his ear, making him nod as more tears fall from his eyes. Damian stands near me, arms crossed over his chest, worry and concern for his family showing through his eyes.

Alex moves out of Sergi's way, and he finally gets up, coming to me. My tears fall faster as he leans over me and holds me tight. I feel wetness on my neck as he sobs silently, and I hold him tighter. After a few minutes, he calms down, and I whisperso only he can hear me, "I'm okay, and I'm going to help you get your girl back."

He shakes his head, lifting it as tears run down his cheeks.

He rasps, "I was hurting, so I pushed her away before she found out the truth, and then she walked away when she did because I was a dick about it. I fucked up even more when I slept with Mindy."

I lean away from him and narrow my eyes. I hear Damian clear his throat while Alex snorts, obviously happy I haven't lost my killer glare. Sergi keeps eye contact and braces himself, knowing what's about to happen—something he probably prayed I'd be able to do.

You can hear the echo of my slap in the room. Sergi straightens and rubs his cheek, and I shout, not caring about the pain it causes me in my chest, side, and throat.

"Mindy?! FuckingMindy! Are youkiddingme, Sergi, you fuckingmoron!”

Damian bursts out in laughter while Alex's face turns red, trying to hold his in. I narrow my eyes at him, and he lifts his hands in surrender, then walks over to me while Sergi looks at me sheepishly.

"Moya Lyubov, he was struggling; your father was trying to get power of attorney for you, and his girl had just left him, and he was drunk."

I nod, making him think I understand, but then I grab the cup from the bedside table and lob it at his head.

He ducks just in time, again trying to hold in his laughter, his eyes shining with love, amusement, and hope, now that I'm awake and his worst nightmares are gone. This is probably the most he's smiled since I nearly died. I try not to show my amusement, and keep my mask in place.

This idiot needs a good kick in the balls, fucking Mindy.

"I don't give a fuck if I haddied, that is no fucking excuse." I look back at Sergi, who is staring at me in shock.

"You fucking moron, all she needed was a little time; if I wasn't in this bed, I'd kick your ass, then go and blow Mindy's fucking head off," I growled. "She wants a high-ranking husband. Please fucking tell me you wore protection." Alex can't hold his laughter in any longer, while Damian is literally on the floor in tears, and I must admit, I'm so fucking glad they're laughing. Seeing and hearing their pain was heartbreaking, especially Alex's.

"I only fucked her ass with a condom on, and took the condom with me. It's all on CCTV." He clears his throat while I gag, not wanting that visual.

I state, "I swear to fucking God, Sergi, when I'm at my full health, I'm kicking your ass!"

Chuckling, Alex walks over to me and sits on my bed. He leans down and presses a kiss on my head. "Calm down,malen'kaya ptitsa. I can see the pain in your eyes. Please, you've only just woken up. I don't want you to have a setback, please."

My eyes soften, and I nod, leaning into him as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. I look at Sergi; he looks like a fucking mess.

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