Livia sat in the park, breaking up the bread from her sandwich as she tossed it to the birds that were poking each other, trying to get the next nibble. What had she done last night? Why had she given herself so freely, so completely, to a man that used violence to control people? She’d woken up with a silly grin on her face, thinking she wanted to experience making love with Stefan all over again. It had been the sunshine streaming through the windows that had brought her back to reality. Back to the fact that she’d just made love with a man that she should have resisted with everything inside of her.
Growing up, listening to her father’s yelling and the slaps while hiding underneath her bed, she’d sworn that she would never put herself into this kind of a position. A powerful man who thought it was okay to beat someone? How would any woman stay in a relationship like that?
But after only one night, she understood. Maybe a little. The pleasure she’d received from Stefan’s huge, muscular body was…even now, her eyes rolled to the back of her head just thinking about it. The pleasure was incredible! If she hadn’t experienced it herself, she might not believe it.
How could she reconcile the man from last night with the man who could…hurt a woman? And the kindness Stefan was showing to her mother? It just didn’t make sense!
She should talk to him, she told herself. She should simply confront him, demand to understand the conversation she’d overheard.
Livia shivered at the possible consequences, remembering the few times her mother had confronted her father.
Maybe if she did it in a public place? Would that give her a sense of security? Or would he just hide his reactions until they were alone?
She bowed her head as the weight of her predicament threatened to choke her.
“Are you ready, Ms. Kozlov?”
Livia looked up and realized that Stefan’s chauffer was standing in front of her, looking solicitous and eager to please. “Yes, of course,” she replied and stood up. She was visiting her mother again today. What was she going to do about her mother? Ruth was so badly hurt and Livia just knew that it hadn’t been a home invasion. Somehow, she had to get her mother to tell the police what really happened.
What would her mother say if she knew that Livia was in the same position? She’d be furious, Livia knew. And she’d struggle to get out of the hospital bed, which was exactly where she needed to be right now.
So no talking with her mother about the situation, she told herself firmly.
“Thank you,” she said as the driver closed the door to the limousine. A moment later, she was once again lost in thought as the city sped by the window. But Livia didn’t see any of it. Her mind was switching between soul melting memories from the previous night, to wondering how a man could be so incredibly gentle and yet, still think it was okay to hit a woman. And again, she wondered what the clue might have been that she missed, the clue that would have told her to run away from Stefan before she’d gotten in this deep.
Livia sighed as the driver pulled smoothly to a stop outside of the private hospital. Maybe there hadn’t been any clue. Maybe men who used violence as their answer knew that it was wrong and hid their true personalities from the world. She knew that her father was very careful to hide his temper from others. He released it only when he knew that he would be alone. She laughed cynically, startling the receptionist who was checking her in. Livia wiped the smile from her face but it had occurred to her that her father had bought a house with a significant amount of land around it. Was that so that none of the neighbors could hear the screams? His yelling, actually. Livia’s mother was fairly quiet. She rarely had a chance to scream before the slaps or punches started.
But this latest abuse…it went far beyond what had ever happened before.
Maybe it really had been a home invasion?
“Thank you,” she said when the receptionist buzzed her through the security door.
Walking down the long, quiet hallways, she smiled at the ever-efficient staff as they bustled about, doing whatever it was that they were doing. They all looked so busy, she thought.
She’d have to get another job once this was all over. Livia knew that it would be hard since she’d been out of work for several weeks before her wedding. And she’d probably need to work her way up in whatever company she finally got a job. But she’d do it. She’d slowly put her life back together. And she’d do everything within her power to ensure that her mother was safe. That her father couldn’t hurt her mother again.
A police officer was standing next to the nurse’s station. Livia paused, wondering if she should tell the officer about her suspicions.
The man spotted her at the same moment and broke off his conversation with the nurse. Walking towards her, the man smiled warmly and Livia relaxed slightly.
“Are you Ms. Kozlov?” he asked, extending his hand.
Livia shook the man’s hand, still not sure what she should say to the man. “Yes. How are you, officer?” she asked.
The man smiled again. “Would you have a few moments to talk to me?”
Livia nodded and they moved over to the lounge area. When they were seated, Livia’s heart sped up. She knew the moment this man opened his mouth that he was going to ask the one question she was dreading.
“Do you know why your mother is so hesitant to give me any information on the house invasion?” he asked.
Livia looked down at her hands, appreciating the man’s patience. In her mind, she’d debated what she would say if ever confronted with this situation. But now that the issue was right in front of her, she knew she’d have to stand up for her mother, even if her mother wouldn’t do it for her.
“I doubt that there was actually a home invasion, Officer,” she finally said.
Looking up, she realized that the officer already knew that. The look in his eyes told her that his first question had been only a test. “Any ideas on where I might look to find the perpetrator of the attack?”
Livia bowed her head slightly. “You already know the answer to that, don’t you?” She watched the confirmation in the man’s eyes. “So you also know that there’s nothing anyone can do until…” Livia left that sentence hanging, her frustration obvious.
The officer nodded his head with resignation. “You’re right. Unfortunately.” He stood up at that point. Taking out his card, he handed it to her. “If you can convince her to press charges, let me know. Otherwise, the case will be left open, but we won’t be working it. We have no other information to go on, in any case.”
Livia’s lips pursed as she nodded her head. “I understand. I’ll see what I can do.”
“That would be great. If…” he halted whatever he was going to say. “Well, call me if you hear anything more.”
“I will,” she said and stood up with him. Livia watched as the officer walked out of the hospital ward, wishing she could do something to help him and her mother. This was a desperate situation that no one should have to live with.
She went into her mother’s hospital room, but she was sleeping. The nurse came in to check her IV. “She had a restless night, Ms. Kozlov,” the nurse explained. “We gave her additional pain killers, but her stomach couldn’t handle them. The doctor will be in shortly to talk with you.”
Livia sat beside her mother’s bed, holding her hand until the doctor arrived. After hearing about her mother’s medical condition, she only nodded her head, not understanding all of the medical terms, but then went back to hold her mother’s hand.
For a brief period in the afternoon, her mother woke up. Livia talked about the fall weather, the colors of the trees and the more upbeat feeling in the air now that the heat and humidity had dissipated somewhat. She talked about everything she could think of until her mother fell back to sleep later in the afternoon. But she didn’t think it was the right time to bring up the attack. Not when her mother could barely keep her eyes open.
That night, she walked into the penthouse and looked around. Everything felt…silent, she thought.
The housekeeper stepped out from the kitchen. “I just heard from Mr. Kozlov, ma’am. He said he had to fly to Boston for a meeting. He will be back in a few days.” She paused and Livia felt her heart drop. Surely that couldn’t be disappointment, could it?
“I’ll have dinner ready in an hour.”
Livia shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry,” she told the kind woman. “I’ll just go up and soak in a bath.” She tried to smile at the housekeeper, but she was just too…sad all of a sudden.
As Livia ascended the stairs, moving into Stefan’s beautiful bathroom with every possible luxury, she told herself that she really needed to get her emotions under control. At a minimum, she needed to figure out if she was afraid of her husband, or if she missed him already even though she’d only been told fifteen minutes ago that he wouldn’t be here tonight. The two emotions didn’t make sense together.
This was ridiculous, she thought as she stripped off her clothes and turned on the water. She didn’t want to feel like this! She wanted to be relieved that Stefan was gone! She should be reveling in her peace right now. So why did she feel as if she was going to break down into tears?
It was only because she was confused, she promised herself. She wasn’t upset by his departure, she was confused by the dramatic changes in her life over the past forty-eight hours.
As she sunk her tired body into the warm, scented water, she closed her eyes, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks.