ELI
After one week of being hospitalized, I finally got discharged with a serious warning that I should avoid stress, and damir refused to take me back to my dad's house and insisted I stay with him to avoid stress.
The ride back to Damir's mansion was quiet. Too quiet.
I sat curled up in the backseat of the sleek black Mercedes, the kind that purred when it moved. Damir had insisted I lie down, but I refused. My body was weak, wrapped in thick winter clothes he'd brought to the hospital, but my mind was spinning. I leaned my head against the cold window, watching the Russian streets blur. Snowflakes fell gently, like the world didn't know my insides were in chaos.
Damir sat beside me, tense. One hand cradled mine like it was made of glass, the other on my knee, rubbing soft circles through the wool. His jaw was clenched, and his thick lashes cast shadows under his eyes. He looked broken in a way I'd never seen before. Like my pain had carved into him.
"I should have protected you," he said suddenly, voice like gravel but soaked in guilt. "I knew something was wrong. I should've seen it, Eli."
I couldn't speak. My throat was raw…not from the blade…but from holding in too many screams.
He squeezed my hand tighter. "You're not going back there. Not even for a second."
I blinked slowly. I didn't want to go back to that apartment either. Not with dad's eyes burning into me. Not after everything.
Damir's house was warm, stifling, even. Everything was gold and cream and too bright for how dark I felt. He led me straight upstairs, one arm protectively around my waist, the other carrying my hospital bag. He didn't let go of me once.
When he opened the door to the guest room, it was different. There were soft lemon colored sheets, the kind I loved, and a pile of trendy oversized hoodies and designer sleepwear folded on the bed. My favorite snacks on the side table. Even a stuffed plushie that looked like a baby wolf.
My legs gave out.
Damir caught me instantly, lowering me gently onto the bed like I was made of feathers. He knelt beside me, cupping my face. "You're safe now, malyshka. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I swear it on my life."
My lip trembled. I hated how weak I felt. But his touch was warm. Reverent.
"I feel stupid," I whispered, voice hoarse. "Like I broke something that can't be fixed."
Damir's expression darkened…not with anger at me, but at the world. "You didn't break anything, zvezdochka. You were pushed too far. But I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."
I tried to curl in on myself, but he stopped me with his hands, wrapping a huge blanket around me and tucking me in. I watched him through blurry lashes as he moved around the room, adjusting the heat, placing a glass of warm lemon water on the nightstand.
He sat down beside me and combed his fingers gently through my hair. "You remember what I told you the first time you came here ?"
I shook my head.
He smiled sadly. "That you looked like an angel sent to ruin men like me."
My cheeks burned, I couldn't even remember him saying it, but I couldn't help the small laugh that slipped out.
"You did ruin me," he said. "But in the best fucking way."
I couldn't stop myself anymore. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He was solid. Safe. I pressed my face into his chest, inhaling his cologne, woodsy and clean.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
"You think I care about that?" he growled softly. "You scared the life out of me, Eli. But I'm just glad you're still here. That's all that matters."
For the first time, I felt like a baby again. Like a fragile, breakable little thing that someone actually wanted to protect.
"I missed you," I confessed. "When dad took me away. I kept waiting for you to come get me."
His arms tightened around me. "I did. I tried. Juseon kept shutting me out. He thought he was protecting you, but he didn't know…"
A sharp knock slammed against the door downstairs. My breath hitched.
Damir's entire body went stiff.
He stood up, placing me gently back on the pillows. "Stay here."
"Is that my dad ?" I asked, heart pounding.
"Most likely," he muttered, rolling his shoulders like a wolf about to defend its cub. "He's going to get an earful."
He left the room. I sat up slowly, pulling the blanket around me. I could hear the front door open and Damir's deep voice low but controlled. Then came my dad's angry roar.
"You son of a bitch! Leave Eli alone!"
I scrambled off the bed and rushed to the top of the stairs.
Damir stood tall, calm, in a black turtleneck and dress pants, looking like a devil in disguise. My father, Juseon, looked disheveled. He pushed Damir's chest, but Damir didn't budge.
"You let him fall apart! You didn't see him in the hospital bleeding, crying! You weren't there!" Damir shouted, voice thunderous. "Don't come here blaming me for your failure to be a father!"
Juseon lunged, but Damir caught him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "I've been the one taking care of him! The one noticing when something was wrong! You left him alone with demons in his head!"
"Because of you!"
"Because you never let me in!"
They froze when I stepped onto the stairs.
"Stop," I whispered. "Both of you."
My father looked up at me like he'd seen a ghost.
Damir let go of his shirt and stepped back, breathing hard.
"Eli…" my dad took a step forward. "Come with me. You're not staying here."
I shook my head. "I am. I'm staying with Damir."
His face crumbled.
"He hurt you…."
"He didn't," I said cutting in. "You did."
The silence was sharp. Painful.
"I love you, dad. But you didn't listen. You didn't see me. He did."
"If you need a father's love then come to me and stop being a whore" he screamed.
I turned and walked back into the room, heart heavy but lighter than it had been in days. Damir followed a few minutes later, locking the door behind him.
"I'll deal with him," he said. "But I'm proud of you."
I looked up at him, tears brimming again. "Hold me?"
He didn't hesitate. He crawled onto the bed, pulled me into his lap, and wrapped his arms around me like I was his entire world.
"I'll always hold you, baby. Always."