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I have recovered, I'd say I have completely recovered but Nikolai doesn't agree with me. He still thinks that I need to be extra careful in whatever I do. He was overprotective of me, he always was, I just realized it later on.
I have stopped talking to him altogether, I'm ignoring him just like he did to me. I have moved to a bedroom downstairs, we haven't been sleeping in the same bed. He hadn't touched me; I could see how much he wanted to a few times in between but he was letting me have this one.
Getting bored out of my mind, I grabbed a bikini out of my closet and decided to go for a swim. I started training again, boxing, krav maga, and martial arts to help gain my focus and muscle strength back. Swimming always helped me relax and I haven't done it in so long because Uncle Luca didn't have a pool.
Nikolai told me that Uncle Luca isn't allowed to step foot in the United States, he called a few times and asked me to come back to him. I really didn't know if I wanted that anymore—the life he wants me to live, maybe I'm not cut out for it and I'm fine with it. I plan on completing my degree and becoming a psychologist. This time, I actually plan on graduating no matter what happens.
I wore a two-piece black bikini and walked to the mirror. The scars on my body were now covered with beautiful tattoos, one could barely see the scars underneath. Nikolai actually wanted me to get a tattoo of his name, I was not surprised at how pompous he was being, he stayed in the room while I got these tattoos because he didn't want to leave me alone with the tattoo artist.
I came out of the bedroom and saw him sitting on the living room couch. He was furiously typing away on his phone, his gaze flicked to me for a second, and a hint of a smile appeared. He shook his head and ran a hand down his tie, turning his attention back to the phone.
I strolled straight to the pool area. The pool was filled with glittering water clear as the sky; glistening blue and when the light hit it, it looked magical. Without thinking much, I dove in.
When my body first hit the freezing water it felt like an electric shock. The water thoroughly chilled me to the bone. I swam down, waving my legs and fanning my arms to cut through the cool water.
I smiled as I moved flawlessly through the water, making small waves behind me. I still got it. The water was all around me; I turned on my back and then twisted and dove back in deep.
I swam till my mind relaxed and my limbs ache. I swam to the surface, my eyes took a moment to adjust. I saw Nikolai sitting on one of the lounge chairs with his elbows over his knees, his eyes watching me, setting my skin on fire against the cold water.
I swam to the edge and pulled myself up; placing my feet on the steps. The water slithered down my body as I walked to the pile of towels and grabbed one. I started to dry my hair, ignoring his presence. I tried to act like his lingering heated gaze didn't have any effect on me.
"How long are you going to keep on avoiding me?" the aggression and desperation in his voice were quite clear, his patience was hanging by a thread.
I mockingly frowned. "For how long did you avoid me? A month? Two months?"
