“You said I was your property. That I was a doormat to wipe feet on.”
She looked down at him, although he was a head taller than her.
“Now you are the doormat. I am stepping over you.”
She turned around and walked away without looking back. Viktor followed her, and the last thing he heard was Arkady’s voice breaking into a scream:
“This isn’t the end! Do you hear? This isn’t the end!”
But it was the end. At least for him.
The following hours merged for Viktor into one continuous blur. Interrogations at the prosecutor’s office, medical examination, Anya in the hospital, endless forms and protocols. Grekov stayed nearby, helping to navigate the bureaucratic labyrinths that were completely unfamiliar to a retired military surgeon.
By dawn, Anya was lying in a private room on an IV drip that was flushing the remains of the poison from her body. Doctors said physically she would recover in a few weeks. The psyche would be harder, but they were optimistic. Especially considering she is now safe and knows the truth.
Viktor sat by her bed holding his daughter’s hand. Outside the window, it was getting light, and the first rays of the sun colored the hospital room in warm golden tones.
“Dad…” Anya opened her eyes.
“I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere,” he replied, “until you chase me away yourself.”
She smiled weakly, but the smile quickly faded.
“I need to tell you something,” she said quietly. “Something I never said.”
“No need. Rest.”
“I need to,” she squeezed his hand. “I should have said this many years ago, but I was afraid. Afraid of you. Afraid of what you would do. Afraid of what I would feel when I said it out loud.”
Viktor was silent, giving her time to gather her strength.
“You were just like him,” Anya said, and her voice didn’t tremble. “Not as cruel, not as open. But the same. You controlled mom every day of her life. You decided everything for her. From what she wore to who she was friends with. You called it care. But it was a prison.”
Tears flowed down her cheeks, but she didn’t stop.
“I grew up in that prison. I thought it was normal, that all families live like that, that a man must control and a woman must obey. When I met Arkady, he seemed familiar, safe. I recognized you in him and thought that was good.”
“Anya, let me finish…”
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