His voice sounded panicked for the first time in years. I felt his hand reach for me desperately.
But he missed. The world spun violently.
Then came the impact.
Pain exploded through my body as I crashed onto the lawn below the hospital building. Something sharp pierced my palm.
The silver locket had shattered beside me. Tiny metal pieces and broken glass scattered across the grass, stained red with my blood.
But somehow...
That wasn't what hurt most.
My vision blurred badly. Far away, I heard screaming. Then footsteps. Fast. Desperate.
The next thing I knew, Dimitri dropped to his knees beside me so hard it looked painful.
"Annika!" His hands trembled while lifting me carefully into his arms. "Look at me. Open your eyes. Fuck... Annika!"
I stared at him weakly. His face looked pale. Terrified. The same expression he used to make years ago whenever I got hurt.
For a second, my chest tightened painfully. Was he... worried about me? Did he still care? Even a little?
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Dimitri roared at the hospital staff around us. "CALL THE DOCTORS NOW!"
Then darkness swallowed me again.
...
When I woke up, pain hit me everywhere at once. It felt like every bone inside my body had been shattered and rebuilt wrong. I could barely breathe without hurting.
Voices came from nearby.
"Mrs. Romanov suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries," the doctor said quietly. "She needs complete rest after this. If she doesn't recover properly, there could be permanent complications later."
Dimitri answered immediately. "Use the best medicine available. I don't care about the cost."
My heart trembled weakly.
The doctor nodded before leaving the room.
A few seconds later, Dimitri turned around and noticed I was awake. Our eyes met. For one brief second, I saw worry there. Real worry. But it disappeared so fast I almost thought I imagined it.
His expression turned cold again instantly.
"Don't misunderstand," he said flatly while walking closer to the bed. "I'm not doing this because I care about you."
I stared at him silently.
Dimitri looked down at me with those familiar cruel eyes again.
"I just don't want you dying too soon," he continued coldly. "If you die now, then all this suffering would've been pointless."
My chest hurts. Not physically this time. Something worse.
"From the moment your parents killed my family, our ending was already decided."
His eyes darkened completely.
"One of us was always going to destroy the other."
Tears slipped silently down my face.
I felt stupid. So stupid. For believing his panic downstairs meant something. For hoping there was still love hidden somewhere inside him.
It wasn't love. It was guilt. Or habit. Or maybe nothing at all.
I slowly closed my eyes. Then whispered softly, "Fine." My voice cracked badly. "Then I'll die.”
The room fell silent.
A few seconds later, Dimitri frowned slightly.
"What did you just say?"
He leaned closer to hear me properly.
I opened my mouth slowly. But before I could answer, the hospital room door suddenly burst open.
A nurse rushed inside nervously.
"Mr. Romanov, Ms. Velasquez is supposed to go for another check-up, but she refuses to cooperate unless you go with her."
Dimitri's expression changed immediately. He straightened up without hesitation. Then turned and walked toward the door. Not even one more glance at me. Not one.
The second the door closed behind him, I stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time. Then I laughed quietly to myself.
Of course. What was I even expecting?
I slowly reached up and pulled the IV needle from my arm despite the sharp pain. Blood immediately slid down my skin. But it didn't matter anymore.
My time was almost over anyway. If I was really going to die... then I should prepare everything myself. Because Dimitri definitely wouldn't.
An hour later, I finished the discharge papers alone despite the doctor's protests. I left the hospital quietly wearing loose clothes over my bandages.
First, I went to a small photo studio.
The photographer smiled politely at me.
"What kind of photo would you like, miss?"
I stayed quiet for a moment before answering softly.
"A funeral portrait."
The man's smile disappeared instantly. But he still nodded gently and helped me sit down under the studio lights.
I forced myself to smile for the camera. Even though my eyes already looked dead.
After that, I went to the cemetery. The air smelled cold and empty there.
I walked slowly between rows of graves until I found a small quiet spot. Then I bought a burial plot. Not too large. Just enough for one person.
Lastly, I chose a small urn with trembling hands. Simple. White. Easy to carry.
I stared at it silently for a long time before whispering bitterly to myself, "At least this way... nobody will have to prepare it after I'm gone."
….
When I got back to the villa, I heard footsteps in the living room. Before I even stepped in fully, something small and white rushed toward me. My Persian cat. It rubbed against my leg instantly, purring like nothing bad ever happened here.
My breath broke. I dropped to my knees and held it tightly. "Mimi..." my voice shook as I buried my face in her fur. "You're still here..."
This was the cat Dimitri and I raised when we were eighteen. Back when he still smiled at me. Back when the world still felt like it could hold us together. I remembered him sitting on the floor with me, laughing while holding Mimi. "If we ever end up like this," he had said back then, "then we'll already be a family. No matter what happens outside."
Family.
That word hurt now. Because nothing here felt like family anymore.
Mimi brought a toy mouse and dropped it in front of me, waiting. I forced a small smile and patted her head. "Good girl," I whispered. "Mommy will make you something nice."
I cooked meat porridge with shaking hands even though my body still ached from everything. Mimi ate happily while I watched in silence, my chest tightening more with every bite she took. Three days left. That was all I had. What would happen to her when I was gone?
I couldn't let her stay here.
So I searched the whole day and finally found a retired couple of teachers. Kind faces, quiet home, a yard, and experience with cats. Safe. That was enough.
I packed Mimi's things slowly, her food, her toys, her bed. My hands shook the entire time. Then I crouched in front of her.
"I'm taking you somewhere safe," I whispered. "You'll be okay there... right? You'll forget me, won't you?"
She just purred and rubbed against my hand. I smiled even though my eyes burned.
Before I could leave, the villa door opened. Footsteps. Cold air followed. Kelsey walked in like she owned the place now.
Her eyes landed on Mimi. A slow smile curved her lips. "So this is what's left," she said. "Annika, Dimitri really did a good job breaking you. Everything you loved is already gone... and yet this little thing is still here."
I stepped back and held Mimi behind me. "What do you want?" my voice shook.
Kelsey tilted her head. "I don't want anything," she said softly, then laughed under her breath. "I'm just surprised he forgot this one."
My chest tightened. "Dimitri never said you could touch her," I said quickly. "This cat is ours. He raised her too. He wouldn't allow this."
Kelsey's smile turned colder. "You're still defending him? That's pathetic. He hates you, Annika. He hates everything tied to you. Why are you still pretending otherwise?"
She snapped her fingers.
Two bodyguards stepped inside immediately.
My body went cold. "No," I said, pulling Mimi closer. "Don't come near her."
But they didn't stop. One of them grabbed Mimi by the collar. Mimi screamed and struggled in my arms. "No, please!" I cried out, trying to pull her back. "Don't touch her!"
They shoved me hard. My head hit a huge decorative vase beside the wall. Pain exploded through me and blood instantly ran down my forehead. But I didn't care. All I saw was Mimi. Struggling. Terrified.
"Mimi!" I crawled forward. "Let her go!"
