Chapter 22

Sorry for the year and a bit long delay…. Life happened and this story ended up on the back-shelf. No other excuse. I appreciate the messages I have received asking if the story will be continued . The answer is yes … I know some people will have given up with it but to any previous readers, thanks for sticking with it. So here it is the next chapter and the rest will be updated a hell of a lot sooner than the this one. Last apology for my continuous lack of punctuation and wrong placement…. And again I am sorry this story has probably lost the somewhat flow it originally had. But it will be finished even in a bad manner.

Just a little filler.

As I watched the sliding doors shut, you could almost here a pin drop outside. But that was unlikely due to the heavy breathes that were escaping from both mine and my attackers body. Now being a adult …. Well most of the time I decided that the best course of action was to let this young woman go. So I dropped my grip and took a step back, I looked to Yeva to see what would happen next. Her expression was completely blank and her eyes bore straight past me into those of Viktoria Belikov's. I looked round the circle of people to see Dimitri standing beside the rest of his family, the expressions were united overall shock was plastered over their faces. They couldn't believe what they had just heard, I think at the moment it was the thought of an additional family member that was whizzing around in their mind.

I removed my eyes from the Belikov crowd to look over at Viktoria, as my eyes met her it was like a spark was set off. Before I knew it she was no longer leaning on the railing of the porch but instead she was sitting on my chest trying to hit me in the face. With her full weight on top of me I couldn't push her of, instead I opted just for just restraining her hands the best I could. Ultimately I did end up taking a few blows in the form of a elbow to my cheek bone and a knee into my ribs. I closed my eyes during the struggle and I do not know why maybe it was to gain a sense of reality, of normality. Within a second or two of me doing that the weight pressing on my stomach and chest was lifted and the flailing hands I was holding, gone. I opened one eye to see that Viktoria had been pulled off me. I thought I might see Dimitri restraining his younger guilt ridden sibling, but instead Yeva had hold of her. By the ear, and only the ear.

I started to let my body become relaxed and as my muscles un-wound in the process I started to chuckle, little bursts of laughter escaped my body. I was, am a emotional wreck. I sat up slowly everybody around still looking puzzled at what had just happened.

I stood up gradually and was pulled to a standing position by Jack who had witnessed the whole thing. Speaking out for what felt like the first time in ours. I let the dry scratchy feeling in my throat be succumbed by the words that flew out my mouth.

" Viktoria if you want to act like a adult you may stay in this house and we shall pretend that you did not follow through with your actions. I shall ignore the fact that not only have you threatened me today but you have physically harmed me."

For the first time since I started speaking my eyes drifted over to hers, as I saw her mouth open in a protest I continued to speak.

" I am not finished yet, we shall discuss what is best for the welfare of Phil once is safe for us all, that means if we decide that she is better off without me as her parent….."

I cleared my throat as I could feel a large lump forming in it from talking about possibly loosing my daughter or should I really say my niece.

"… when I say she may be better off elsewhere I mean with her family, I know you would be part of her life then but at least your impact on her life would be contained and managed. At the moment all you have to do is grow up Viktoria and start acting like a adult, and also just remember you are not the victim here."

With that said I watched as her mouth closed and a neutral face washed across, as Yeva let go of her ear she started to straighten up. I took her silence as agreement that her behaviour would change at least within the house. At that point I walked away without uttering another word I walked to the French window doors and opened them disappearing into the house.

I walked up to my bedroom, locking the door behind me I immediately sunk to the floor the tears cascading down my face. What I done to deserve this life? Recently I had been gifted so many positive things my parents, my love and my freedom. But everything else just outweighed that I had lost Lissa and Luke, my brother and sister and both seemed to be on the evil side now. It hadn't been enough to loose Mason and a chunk of my sanity by being shadow kissed.

Wait who am I ? Rose Hathway-Mazur-Belikov I am not somebody to give up yes I have just been kicked down to the grown both literally and physically. But I am not someone to give up, ive gone through to much to get near my fairy-tale ending. To give up at this point I am not a quitter and I certainly will not start now.

I need a game plan.

A good game plan, but first I need to speak to Adrian… no.

I need to find Luke.

I have a problem with needing to protect people and save them to the extent that it nearly gets me killed but he is my best friend and brother. I need to get to the bottom of this to find out what happened. Where did it all go wrong, all the mysteries surrounding my life need to be solved and put to a end.

Who knows Luke might even be a innocent party in this after-all.

Or have I just turned to gullible for my own good.