•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌Nikolai has been walking on eggshells around me, it was surprising because I have never seen him act like that before. He hadn't brought up what happened the day I was shot, whenever I asked about it, he turns the conversation toward my health, and whenever I try to talk about divorce; he completely bails on me, and he runs from the scene. I sighed and looked around the bedroom, being cramped up in here was messing with my sanity. I slowly scooted to the edge of the bed and placed my foot down on the ground. With the help of the nightstand, I stood up and slowly and steadily walked to the bathroom. I had started taking a shower by myself and doing little activities by my own self. My limbs were slowly getting their strength back but eating was another story. Nikolai forced fed me most of the time, he had hired a nutritionist to prepare a special diet for me, and a physiotherapist, so, my body can get its power back and exercises that improve the blood flow to m
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌We walked into the kitchen, he picked me up by my waist and placed me over the kitchen counter as he took out ingredients to whip up breakfast for both of us. A sense of deja vu washed over me, it all reminded me of the time when I didn't even know what life had in store for me. I watched silently as he handed me a plate and leaned against the opposite counter, eating his breakfast. "Did you not like it?" he asked, with a deep frown. I shook my head and smiled. "No, it's fine" We silently ate our breakfast, no one said a single word. After we were done, he placed the plates over the sink and I jumped down the counter. "Easy..." he said in a scolding tone. He was treating me like I was made of glass like the tinniest thing was capable of hurting me. This wasn't Nikolai, my Nikolai was mean, this one was all nice and I don't think I like all-nice-Niko. I have a thing for his meaner side, the one that knows when to treat me right and when to treat me like a rag
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌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 is 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. Thank god! 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 di
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌"I know things hadn't been the same between us since I came back but I promise you, no more bullshit..." I said, looking at her with hopeful eyes. "I really missed you, Angie, and you came back as a completely different person, I couldn't even recognize you" I grabbed her hand. "Hey, no, come on, it's still me, Bee. I'm right here" "Then you went into a coma and I felt so guilty and I cried because I thought I'd never be able to talk to you again and I wished I could just turn back the clock and hug you one more time—"I cut her rambling off and placed an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer. I rested my head against hers and sighed. We were sitting on our living room couch. Nikolai had been sending Bianca back every time she came to meet me but luckily it was me who found her today because Nikolai wasn't at home. A maid told me he never came home last night. After an hour or so, Bianca left. We had lunch together and hung out, she had gossip about almost
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌"Is Nikolai going to be there?" I asked Bianca as I ran my hand through my wet hair, blow-drying them. Today was my twenty-first birthday. Bianca being a party animal as always decided to throw another party for me. Sometimes I think she just needs a reason for partying, nothing else. I really didn't want another party after what went down last time. Also, Nikolai still hadn't wished me. Ugh! I don't know why I keep wanting him and pushing him away at the same time, my indecisiveness was getting on my own nerves. I really don't know what I wanted. One second I want him and the next second I remember what I went through because of him and that scenario ends in a comatose. Bianca was laying on my bed, over her stomach applying nail polish over her fingernails as she blew on them. "I don't know..." I raised an eyebrow, her tone seemed way too carefree to talk about Nikolai. "What do you mean, you don't know? Aren't we going to his nightclub?" She looked at me an
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌A huge cake was brought out, and Nikolai handed me a sword-like knife as I cut into it. His hand was glued to my back the whole night, he didn't let me out of his sight not even for a moment. Bianca grinned at me as I put a piece of cake in Nikolai's mouth. He deliberately sucked on my fingers and then winked at me. I met with Aaron after ages, I had met him once before in Sicily when Nikolai took me to the woods to shoot Grace. I stand corrected in my statement that Aaron is still my favorite Costello of all—second to Bianca of course. "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Costello" I turned and saw Lorenzo with a gift in his hands. I pulled myself out of Nikolai's grip and jumped into his arms. "Thank you, Lorenzo!" "Here's your gift" he pushed it into me; he didn't hug me back as usual. "Thank you..." I took it and as I was about to hand it to a maid to put it with the mountain of gifts I had received tonight, Lorenzo stopped me. "Open it" I smiled, shaking my head, I
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌"Bee, I don't know why I am so damn nervous when I am already freakin' married!" I tugged at the wedding dress I was wearing. "Don't you think it's too tight?" "Maybe because now you are getting married to the man you love..." she said as a matter of factly, standing behind me as the woman adjusted the dress. I rolled my eyes, "He was always the man I loved..." I lightly touched the saleswoman's shoulder. "I don't think it's the right dress for me..." She gave me a polite smile, "I'll bring out a few more dresses, Mrs. Costello" Bianca blew out a raspberry. "Nope, he was the man you admired, you had a teen girl crush on him. My brother, Niko is a handsome man, I have seen how girls throw themselves at him; you were just one of them that's why you jumped into marriage with him without even understanding what it was. You first married him because you wanted him but now it's different. Now you are marrying him because you love him, you need him because he is the o
•Evangeline•╌─═❁═─╌I waited for a few moments and then moved closer to the window to see where he had gone. I noticed the flickering light of a store in a gas station as Nikolai stepped out of it. I frowned, he left me all hot and bothered to get medicine or some shit? Maybe, he was getting condoms or birth control pills. I was still in my thoughts when the door swung open and Nikolai grabbed me like a savage and hovered over me, shutting the door behind him and locking the car. In a second, his hand was on my neck, choking me, pushing me down into the seat. "Shit, you're so fucking hot and it makes me fucking furious that I can't fucking resist you." My hands went to his arm—the one holding me in place. "Furious enough to fuck me like you fucking hate me?" I managed to ask, remembering what he once said to me. A dark look flashed across his face, his eyes turned a shade darker, oh, he was furious alright. "Furious enough to fuck you like I'd fuck a lowlife whore who doesn't eve