18 | mend yourself

AVELINA WOKE UP to complete chaos. Her eyelids slowly peeled open to brightness that forced her to close them again with a grimace. After blinking repeatedly, she was finally able to open her eyes where she found Adrik out on the balcony. The door was open and most of the curtains were pulled back, making the room much brighter than Avelina was used to.

"Natasha," Adrik said, grasping Avelina's attention.

His hands were gripping the railing so tight that his muscles were bulging at his triceps. Even through the white v-neck he was wearing, she could see it.

"I can not... not at this moment," Adrik told the person on the phone. Avelina's brows pulled together as she watched him grip the railing of the balcony so tight that his knuckles practically began to turn white.

"No," he said.

She found herself wishing she could hear the other part of the conversation. If he was speaking to Natasha, that meant she was alive, which did relieve Avelina of some guilt that just wouldn't let go of her. She left Natasha there, knowing the hateful grudge her brother had for her. Despite it all, Avelina still couldn't help but feel like a monster.

She grabbed Adrik's pillows and put them behind her so she could sit up on the bed more comfortably.

Adrik seemed to sense Avelina's eyes on him because he turned around.

"Goodbye," he said, hanging up the phone. He walked up to Avelina and planted a kiss on her forehead, muttering, "Goodmorning."

"Who was that?" Avelina asked him, pointing at his cell phone.

"Natasha," he answered. She eyed him as he headed into the bathroom. He left the door open so she was able to watch him through the mirror as he began to brush his teeth.

With a sigh, she scooted over to the edge of the bed and placed her feet down on the ground. She stood up and practically wobbled over to the bathroom. The moment he noticed her, he scooted over so she could brush her own teeth.

"I'm sorry. I really have to pee," she said with widened eyes.

One thing she hated most about pregnancy was how quickly the urge to pee would come and how quickly she needed to feed into that urge otherwise she would pee on herself. It would come out of no where, and the harder she fought it, the more the urge grew.

Adrik nodded his head and exited the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth, making sure to close the door behind him. Avelina didn't waste any time handling her business.

Once she was finished, she washed her hands and opened the bathroom door for Adrik to come back in.

"Is Natasha okay?" Avelina found herself asking. She was squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush, but still managed to catch a glimpse of Adrik through the mirror.

"She is," was all he said, moving over to rinse the toothpaste out of his mouth. Her shoulders fell, but she continued to brush her teeth like normal.

She only stopped after rinsing her toothbrush off and placing it in its holder as Adrik did the same.

"What's going on? You look stressed," Avelina stated, noticing how withdrawn he seemed. He looked to be lost in his thoughts, and although anyone who didn't truly know him wouldn't be able to detect it, Avelina could spot it a mile away.

"I'm not sure what you are asking me," Adrik said. He walked out of the restroom, leaving Avelina to follow him. As she went after him, she didn't notice the shoe she left on the floor and could feel the shift in her balance as she braced for herself to fall. Before she could actually hit the ground, Adrik grabbed ahold of her and easily lifted her back up until she was able to stand on her own two feet again.

"Please, be more careful," he told her.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"I just want to know what's happening with Vincent and Natasha? Is she okay? Is he okay?" she clarified.

Adrik led her over to the bed where he guided her to sit down just before taking a seat beside her. He was always following a scheldue, and she knew at this time he would be making breakfast for the both of them, but for him to sit down—it worried her.

"Natasha is on this island," Adrik told her. "She arrived earlier this morning."

Avelina sighed. "And Vincent?"

"He is okay. Vincent is searching for both you and Natasha," he informed her. A sense of relief washed over her. She meant every word about not wanting him in her life, but he was still her big brother. He was the only family she really had left, and the last thing she wanted was for him to be harmed in any way. Although he wasn't perfect, every part of her heart begged to love him.

"The chances of Natasha escaping Vincent were slim to none, but I knew she could do it. The moment my men located her in Brazil, they put her on a plane and flew her here. It was the only way to protect her," Adrik explained. "Here, Vincent will not be about to locate either of you."

Avelina nodded her head in understanding, forcing a small smile onto her face. Adrik stood up from the bed and dusted the imaginary dust off his pants and walked out of the room.

"I will cook," he said.

Her eyes followed him out the door until they were stuck in some odd trance, staring openly at the door while her thoughts consumed her.

It was comforting in a way to know her brother hadn't given up on her despite threatening he would. Maybe just like her, he was speaking through overwhelming emotions. She believed that after he found out about her pregnancy, it would be a game changer, and he would no longer want anything to do with her. It was shocking that he was still fighting even when she no longer wished to be fought for.

It was like she was stuck in a game of tug-of-war, but the worst part was that the loser was going to fall. Everything both Vincent and Adrik built would crumble to the ground during a war for her love. Not only her, but her baby as well.

She brought her hand up to her baby bump where she began to rub it soothingly just as her baby kicked. A smile came across her face as she lifted her large shirt up so she could see.

"Hi," she gushed, rubbing her stomach again just as the baby kicked.

Interrupting their moment, was the sound of the front door opening and closing.

Avelina stood up, pulling her shirt back down over her stomach, and slipped on a pair of house shoes before walking out of the room and slowly down the stairs. As she descended down the staircase, she made eyecontact with the girl she despised more than all, Natasha.

It was almost like Natasha could feel Avelina's hate radiating off of her in waves because she quickly faced the ground.

"Goodmorning," she muttered.

Adrik walked toward Avelina to guide her down the rest of the stairs. Once she was at the bottom, she walked past Natasha and toward the kitchen where she could smell the sweet aroma of breakfast.

"See, she hates me," Avelina could hear Natasha whispering to her brother.

Avelina watched Adrik head back over to the stove where he continued to cook. She could feel Natasha looking at her from where she stood awkwardly in the corner of the room.

"I'm going to head out to the beach. Can you come get me when the food is ready?" Avelina asked Adrik.

"I can," Natasha volunteered.

Avelina pretended not to hear her and made her way to the back door where she easily walked out, making sure to close the door

behind her. The moment she was outside, the outdoors welcomed her with a gust of wind that danced in her hair and large shirt. She closed her eyes to focus on the fresh inhale of nature. Immediately, all her tense muscles relaxed and all her loud thoughts silenced themselves.

She found herself never wanting to leave the island. She loved stepping outside to calm her nerves. It was so much better than the loud, busy streets of New York. The outdoors felt like home.

She headed over to one of the chairs that overlooked the pool. It was her duty to not stay out too long because she still had a recovering burn on her arms.

"Avelina," Natasha called stepping outside.

Avelina immediately froze.

"I know you don't want to talk to me—I get it. Just please allow me to explain. I didn't mean—"

"With all due respect, I came out here to get away from you," Avelina stated coldly.

Natasha opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it as she turned around and began to enter the house again.

"I didn't kill your grandmother, okay? I didn't," she said, walking into the house.

—

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