“You sure think you can watch me discreetly, Malysh? Hmm? Come here.” Mother laughs as she continues to play the soft melody on the piano, her fingers moving against the piano keys with a practiced ease and I just smile.
Music sure did bring her joy.
“Really mom? I was trying to spy and I was quiet.” I grumble, walking towards her and taking a place next to her on the piano stool.
“Oh My Vladimir!” She laughs as she continues, “Spying on me? Really Malysh?”
I scrunch my nose up, not understanding her version of “OH MY GOD”.
“Oh My Vladimir? It's Oh my god, mom and not that Vladimir guy, you're ancient.” I grumble to which she laughs, cupping my face in her soft hands.
“Vladimir Horowitz. He was one of the greatest pianists and my inspiration to become one myself.” She smiles, flashing her dimples, a smile only reserved for me and her piano.
“Oh.” I nod, “So was he like good looking?” I raise a suggestive eyebrow, grinning like a fool.
“Oh, shut up, boy. He's my mentor and besides”, she boops my nose, “I am married to your father.”
“You surely are.”
“I surely am.”
“Mom?”
“Hmm baby?” She answers while playing a tune she always plays when she's with me and I also learnt it without her knowledge and will surprise her on her birthday.
What a brilliant idea Nikolai Ivanov. So proud. I pat my shoulders mentally.
“I love you, alot and nothing will change it.”
“Nothing Niko?”
“Nothing.”
“My baby boy.”
“Moooommmmmm! I'm 12 years old. See, I even have biceps.” I grumble, showing her my deflated biceps to which she gasps dramatically, acting along with me.
“Oh My Vladimir. Look at that. I wonder how many watermelons can it crush?”
“Many!”
“Many?”
“Many.” I grin but it fades as dad knocks angrily at the door and mom's face pale up.
“Niko, cupboard baby. Go quickly.”
“Mom, no. Please, he'll hurt you.” I plead but it's useless as she won't listen.
“Nikolai Svetlana Ivanov. Now!” I flinch at her firm tone, she never uses it with me and this is scary. I nod and go inside the cupboard as she quickly locks it.
I stay inside covering my mouth, stopping any sound from coming out as Dad hits her mercilessly and I'm frozen, physically cannot bring myself to move as I hear his shouting.
“Fucking bitch! Just die and stop making my son a bitch like you by teaching him piano.” He sneers, kicking her and walks out as he spits on her.
I crawl out of the cupboard, shaking and sobbing, the song notes, pictures, the instruments, all tossed and broken and there she lays, all covered in bruises and blood, right underneath her piano right below our family portrait.
Family.
A lie.
I gently lay her head on my lap, cooing and caressing her softly.
“I am so sorry mamma. So very sorry.” I whisper in a broken tone, choking on every word.
“Shh! I'm fine baby, see? I'm fine, ahh-” she hisses in pain, “It's just a few cuts.” She murmurs, downplaying it yet again.
“No it's not!” I say angrily.
“Shh Malysh. Mom needs rest, will you stay with me? Like this?” She whispers and how can I ever refuse this woman? The one who always hid me from the monster. I nod as I caress her hair, singing her favourite song as she sleeps.
PRESENT
I jolted awake from the nightmare, breathing heavily, sweat beads adorning my forehead like it's a damned crown. I let out a shaky breath, trying to compose myself but failing miserably. I look at space on the bed next to me and there she is,
My wife.
She's sleeping peacefully, snoring softly. I caress her hair but quickly pull back my hand as I realise what I was doing, shaking my head, I grab my silk robe and walk towards the store room.
It's been a month since the blast took place and we shifted, Rhea has been recovering but is still curious about the portraits and other things she saw, I've been downplaying it, but for how long?
She will eventually find out but till then? All I can do is keep her away from my life, as far as possible.
I enter the storeroom where I shifted everything that was kept on the third floor of our previous mansion, taking a seat on the piano stool, my fingers shaking as I contemplate if I should play the tune mom loved.
I learnt the tune, only this time? She's not here to hear it.
I start playing and the memories of her laughter, her smile, her voice? They all hit me like a ton of bricks but I don't stop and keep playing it like a mad man, the storm outside matching the storm inside of me.
My fingers moving on the scales with a practised ease but it hurts, not my fingers but heart and the ache won't go away anytime soon.
“You fucking failure. She died infront of you and you couldn't protect and so will your wife. That monster will take her away and you'll be left alone, again.”
The voice in my head grows louder but that doesn't stop me.
My so-called father? He would twist her fingers just so she couldn't play her piano, just to show who's in charge, JUST TO HURT ME TO MAKE ME A MAN.
I hiss in pain as blood trickles down my fingers cause I broke the piano key.
“God fucking damn it.” I mutter, sucking it and the metallic taste explodes in my mouth before getting up but I freeze as I hear the voice which I dread the most— Rhea.
“You were my strength when I was weak, you were my voice when I couldn't speak.” She hums softly and I sigh in relief, she's sleepwalking again.
Earlier, I was worried when she started it after her discharge but then the doctors said it was normal given how her head was affected because of the hit.
I walk towards her, picking her up in bridal style as if she weighs nothing, which she doesn't and walk towards our room. I gently lay her down, covering her with the duvet, caressing her forehead.
“Shh, it's okay Zvezda. Sleep now.” I murmur quietly but my hand freezes as I hear her singing the song which I haven't heard in the last 19 years, not after my mother died.
“You gave me wings so I could fly,
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you have it back
You said no star was out of reach,”
The song that mom would play and sing with me,“Because you loved me By Celine Dion”her favourite singer.
“This can't be happening.” I mutter as I shake her a little roughly and she opens her eyes, looking at me with her wide doe eyes filled with panic before she drifts off again.
“Why is this happening? What the hell did you see that night, Zvezda?” I murmur, rubbing my hand over my face and go lie down on my side of the bed.
“Something is missing, but what?”
⋆｡‧˚ʚ🍒ɞ˚‧｡⋆
RHEA POV
ONE MONTH BACK
I sigh softly, looking at myself in the mirror. I look pale, almost like the snow.
The blast took a toll on everyone but most importantly on me and Niko.
Annika is in a coma cause of me and Natalie and James couldn't make it, again because of me.
A sob rips out of my throat before I could stop and I sink down on the floor, curling my knees, bringing them to my chest.
“Y-you are a fucking murderer Rhea Sharma.” I mutter while sobbing.
“You fucking killed them all, just to satisfy your little curiosity.” I slap myself and I keep doing it till I can't feel the pain anymore. My cheeks are numb yet the tears won't stop falling and the voice in my head grows louder.
“Murderer.”
“MURDERER.”
I shut my ears tightly as I scream, “Stoooopppppp! I didn't kill anyone, I didn't.” I cry, thrashing in the air and the door bursts open and a worried Nikolai enters, crouching down to my level.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I AM A FUCKING MURDERER, NIKOLAI. I KILLED THEM BOTH.” I scream while crying, groaning in pure agony.
Someone please take this pain away.
Please.
I keep crying as my eyes land on the broken razor blade that is near the bin and I quickly grab it but Nikolai was fast.
“No!” He yells, snatching it away from me and throwing it somewhere in the bathroom, he quickly wraps his arms around me, keeping me secure in his embrace.
“L-let go of me- AHHHHHH- LET.” I hit his chest, “GO.” Another hit. “OF.” Another hit. “ME.”
“NO.” he growls in my ears, making no attempt to stop my hits on his chest as I land one punch after another while sobbing.
“I am a fucking killer. Because of me they died.” I sob, gulping down, I cup his face, his beautiful face adorned with worry and uneasiness, “I don't want to kill you, Niko.” I whisper in a broken tone.
“You won't, and even if you do?” He caresses my cheeks, wiping my tears and his next words hit me so hard that I break down all over again.
“Anything for my beautiful wife.”
After the bathroom incident, our lives became miserable, I don't know if that's the word I should use but we're both unhappy.
I started to sleepwalk and when I do till I wake up? The things I do in that time frame? I don't remember any of it.
Nikolai told me how once I was sitting near the swimming at 2 am in the night, dangling my feet in the water and when he shook me? I fainted.
I don't remember any of it.
Am I going nuts? I don't want to.
I want to live.
Love.
Find my happily ever after.
I can't die.
Not yet.
Not before finding out who Svetlana Volkovitch is and what
her relationship with my husband is, but before the blast, all I remember is that I saw a box filled with letters and one of the many in the box was addressed to
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