Four Broken Pieces ✓

Twenty One

We sat there in a row of sorts, curled up in blankets in front of the fire with our shoulders brushing against one another. It was around 12 in the night and the mood was somber. The room was frustratingly silent and my tears had long since dried up. But the burning question still remained. I needed the truth of what had happened tonight.

"He was your father," I said out loud, my voice coming out scratchy from the tears. I kept my voice carefully blank as to not scare off Ivan. Even then, I felt him tighten at my side and the tension returned to the room once more.

"She needs to know Ivan," said Alexei, to my surprise and Ivan heaved out a sigh of frustration, running his hands through his hair. Ivan, for once was easily readable. He was agitated by the events that had happened tonight.

"No, she doesn't. I don't want her involved," he snapped, his jaw clenching. The sudden anger had my curiosity dying down. If he was so vehement about leaving me in the dark, then there must be a good reason.

"She's already involved," said Mikhail in a firm tone, somehow matching the anger that had been there in Ivan's voice. Ivan burned holes into the ground but I could see his resolve weakening. He shot up suddenly and went to stand by the mantle of the fireplace; his strong build illuminated by the dying embers. He flickered just as the flame did and burned just as bright with anger. But his determination to hide me from the truth was wearing thin.

"Don't hide the truth just to protect me, Ivan. It'll only do more damage in the end," I said softly, getting up to stand by him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, he didn't shake it off. Instead, he breathed out a sigh before turning to face me, his bright green eyes unusually dull and lifeless.

"My father and I aren't exactly on the best terms as of now. We didn't see eye to eye on...certain issues and he's trying to get me to bend his way. He'll do anything for that," he said, his eyes boring into mine. He didn't try to soften his voice to hide the seriousness of the issue. The meaning of his statement was crystal clear. His father would hurt me to get to his own son, which made him one of the most despicable human beings I'd ever laid eyes on. It was one thing to not love your child as my mother had, but to hurt them purposefully was pure evil. Somehow the threat of his father didn't scare me, perhaps because I knew Ivan would do anything to save me, if not for what lay between us, then simply for his desire to offer his protection to anyone who needed it.

"Why hasn't he gone after you two," I asked, gesturing to Mikhail and Alexei. They avoided my eyes then, clearly uncomfortable with the question. All three of them were still hiding something.

"Ivan what is this really about," I asked softly, looking back to the boy in front of me as I took both of his hands in mine. He looked at me with a surprised expression.

"I just told you my father would hurt you, and I'm not even telling you the complete truth of the situation. Why aren't you angry? You should walk away now Roe. " He said, thoroughly confused, his agitation returning as his eyes searched mine like the answer lay there. He was right and I knew that. If I knew what was good for me, I would have walked away from them but the happiness they'd given me in this short time blurred my judgment.

"You may take time to tell me the truth, but I know you'll tell me one day Ivan. Until then, you're worth the wait," I said genuinely. I hadn't meant what I'd said in a romantic sense. It had been the honest truth. From this short time I'd known them, I'd seen enough to know he was worth it; all three of them were despite the trouble I knew they'd bring. Or maybe I was just being delusional. I didn't know. Ivan shook his head in disbelief but I met his eyes with determination. I wasn't walking away from him. He had to know that. He bowed his head then, keeping his eyes trained on our linked hands as he plunged into his story.