Part Four
Chapter One
Nik was lost. It wasa foolishly emotional word to describe his state, but he knew there was no other word to use. He was lost. He knew it, but he didn’t know how to stop being lost.
It had been three months since he had tossed Daria out. He had, without admitting to himself, scoured the news for hints about what she was doing. Even opened damn Facebook and Instagram accounts to stalk her. But still he learned nothing, Daria’s own accounts dormant in the same three months they had been apart.
This will pass. He had done the right thing, Nik told himself. And this time, he knew there would be no one like Miranda who would force Daria back into his life.
It was over, and it was only right that it was over.
He returned to his office at midnight. He had a private suite connected to it, and it had been his home in the past few weeks. His actual home felt too vast these days. Too damn empty. They just made him fucking brood longer.
He saw he had a voice message waiting for him from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Hey, Nik. This is Alyx.”
Nik stiffened. It was Daria’s friend.
“If you think this is to let you know how Daria’s doing or where she is right now, fat luck, dumbass. I’m calling because I want you to know you’re a fucking idiot. And fucking clueless. You’re so fucking scared to let yourself feel the slightest thing that it’s not even funny. Daria must think she’s fucking a robot when she’s with you. A dumbass robot.
“I don’t give a damn what made you be the way you are – Daria tells me you’ve got your reasons. Yeah, well, you know how ignorance is no excuse for violating laws? Ignorance isn’t any excuse for BREAKING MY FRIEND’S HEART EITHER.”
Nik almost winced at the volume of Alyx’s furious shriek.
“Dumbass!”
He literally heard Alyx cracking her knuckles through the voice message, knew she was probably imagining punching him in the face as she spoke.
“You’re so fucking dumb. You only have to spend one day with her to know she’s real. Dumbass. You go to all those TWENTY-EIGHT MEN you think fucked her before you and you go make them tell the truth. Daria says you’re not a dumbass like I think you are, so prove it. Go do what you should do and make them talk. Make them tell the truth. Dumbass.”
A pause.
“Daria doesn’t know I called you, but if you’re the dumbass I think you are, you probably won’t believe me. I don’t give a damn. Your loss. Dumbass.”
****
“THIS IS IT, SIR.” THERolls Royce slid to a smooth stop, allowing Nik to study the charming two-story apartment he had come to find. A full minute passed before he made the decision to leave the car and knock on the front door.
A teenage girl opened the door for him, her eyes widening in recognition upon seeing Nik.
He had never seen her before, but he knew who she was. “You must be Iolanthe’s sister, Leah.” He took out his phone and showed it to her.
Leah smiled grudgingly when she saw the panda bumper. “You used it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you thank you for it.”
She shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s not much, considering what you do for us.” She was tall and lanky unlike her sister, and extremely guarded, also unlike Iolanthe. “Come in. She’s...resting.”
He ignored the way her voice suddenly caught, knowing that it would only offend the girl’s pride if he asked what was wrong. A pointless question, too, since he already knew what was wrong.
Iolanthe’s face broke into a smile of surprised pleasure when he entered her bedroom. “Nik,” she breathed. “What are you doing here?”
She hadn’t aged over the years, but there was a frailness about her that made his chest hurt. She might not be dying of cancer now, but anyone only had to look at her to know it was just a question of when.
Leah had a fierce look in her eyes, and he knew she was ready to kick him out if he said anything about Iolanthe’s appearance the wrong way.
Taking the chair next to Io’s bed, Nik began talking. He remembered her telling him once that she liked hearing him talk. It sounded insane to him, but he figured he should give it a shot now.