Page 96 of Nikola
“He’ll live,” he vowed, his fingers trembling slightly as did his lips. “I can’t promise you that his legs will be intact, but he’ll be alive.”
My eyes flicked to Vasili and Isabella who stood with the doctor, the argument still ongoing. “Why is she still mad at the doctor?”
“She wants them to do reconstructive knee surgery, but the surgeon thinks it’s too soon.” My brows furrowed, and Papa explained. “He might never be able to use his left leg again.”
Whether he walked or not didn’t matter, as long as he woke up. I could endure anything, help him throughanything, but only if we were together.
“I’m sorry.” Emotions knotted in my throat and choked me as I stared at my papa. “This is all my fault.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?” he demanded. But that was just it. Papa would never lay the blame at my feet. He always took my side, and if only I’d kept my promise, none of this would be happening. “Now tell me what is going on in your head, princess.”
But I couldn’t find the strength to say those words. Instead, a sob tore through me, and Papa pulled me close to his chest. I cried and cried, staining his three-piece suit, letting out all my tears until none remained. Until I felt like an empty shell with only a throbbing, dull pain left behind.
He took my chin between his fingers and forced me to meet his eyes. “Tell me why you are blaming yourself.”
I hiccupped, and then signed with my red-stained fingers. “I promised you I would always tell you when something is bothering me, and I didn’t.” His dark eyebrows scrunched, not following my jumbled thoughts. “Remember when I first came to live with you? You made me promise to always be honest.” Recognition flickered in his eyes. “I found that marriage contract on your desk while you were in Rome two weeks ago. Instead of telling you I wouldn’t stand for it, I just went ahead and made my own plans.”
Papa cupped my face, his killer hands gentle. That was the thing with men like Papa. He could be ruthless, but never to the ones he loved. Never to me.
“And you know what?” I shook my head with a hiccup. “I’m proud that you did.” Surprise washed over me, mixed with disbelief. “It shows me you’re strong enough to stand up to any man, including Nikola. Now, it’s my turn to confess mymistakes. Nikola suggested, more than once, that I let you marry him.”
I blinked. “But you refused.”
“Yes, I refused. I was blind, princess, and if anyone is to blame for this clusterfuck, it’s your papa.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Yes, I am. I’ve noticed for a long time that you had a little crush on him.” My cheeks heated. “But I didn’t give my daughter enough credit. I should have known it was more than just a crush. You’re a strong, independent woman like your mama. You see, I was scared Nikola would hurt you, but I see now… My daughter would never allow any man to push her around.”
“I love you so much, Papa, and I promise you… Nikola treats me better than I could’ve ever hoped for myself.” My eyes darted to the window, seeing his reflection, his body still in the same position, but his heartbeat strong and steady on the monitor. “He’s always stood up for me, just like you do for Mama.”
“Then you have my approval,” he stated slowly. “It’s hard for me to see you love someone more than your papa, because to me, you’ll always be my little girl, and my job is to protect you. But I can see he makes you happy, and as long as he continues to do so, he has my approval.”
I slapped my palm to my mouth, the mixture of emotions—happiness to have my papa’s approval and sadness that it was while Nikola lay unconscious—making a mess out of me.
“But if he hurts you, Skye, he’s a dead man,” he added, only half joking.
“He won’t, Papa. Nikola would never hurt me.”
Papa nodded. “I already told Marchetti the contract is off. Apparently Amadeo gave him as much grief as you did me. You just beat him to the punch with your… tape.”
I shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t ideal to talk about something like that with your papa, but there was no going back, and ultimately, I brought it on myself.
Mama appeared carrying a tray of coffees for all of us, her hands trembling as she set it down. I shook my head and Papa drank mine before discarding the paper cup and taking his own.
“This is a nightmare,” she signed, her face a teary mess. “How could Grandma do this? After all these years.”
“The woman ispazza,Nix.We should have ended her the moment we learned what she’d done to separate us twenty years ago.”
I shook my head, fury unlike any I’d ever felt before burning in my chest and needing to lash out. But I didn’t know how, so the only thing I could find the words for was, “I didn’t even know that your grandma was alive.”
Mama sighed. “We parted on bad terms a long time ago, and I made your aunt Reina promise never to tell me anything about her. Honestly, I thought she died. She’s in her eighties.”
“And just out of the blue, the old woman decided to shoot someone?”
“Not someone. Your papa. Maybe she was trying to hurt you too—my daughter.”
“The boy shouldn’t have put himself in front of me and Skye,” Papa grumbled, his expression harsh, his fingers clenching and unclenching. “I was her target.”
