"Don't test me, Adrianna. I have years of experience under my belt that you can't compete against."
"I'll figure it out."
He shook his head. "Not this time. How do you expect to practice when you're bleeding?" he jeered.
My emotions closed in on me. The way Dad was staring made me angrier by the second. Anything I said, he had an answer for. That wasn't fair. None of it was fair. I averted my gaze just as a fresh tear rolled over my cheek onto my arm. I looked down and my brows drew together. My emotions were on severe overload.
With my teeth, I pulled the tape back from the top of my free hand. I needed fresh air. I needed to get out of here.
"Stop it, Adrianna," Dad yelled and placed a hand over mine. I tried to shove him away. I was on the verge of losing it. My chest ached with sharp pains. Everything in me hurt.
"Leave me alone," I cried.
"The sooner you accept it, the better you'll be," he said, wrestling my hand away. I didn't have much strength and he knew that.
"I'm not accepting it," I responded. "I'm staying here. I'm an adult. I'm not missing that competition!"
"That just proves how naive you are. You can't support yourself, and you won't be able to support yourself to get to the competition." He paused and his eyes turned nearly black. "You have nothing."
God, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. This was never supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. A concussion, dislocated elbow, and a fucking miscarriage.
"Do you have any idea how sick I am over the fact that he took advantage of you? Someone I trusted. He raped you."
"No, he didn't," I spat back. "He didn't touch me."
Dad glared at me, his eyes wild. "I almost beat him to death.” He gritted the words out through his teeth. “He has your fucking initial cut into his chest, Adrianna." His hot breath blew over my face. "Care to explain that?"
"He didn't touch me," I said, as my breathing turned erratic. I was losing control. "He didn't touch me."
Oh, God. I was going to have a panic attack. Christ on a fucking stick.
"You'll never convince me otherwise. You might as well just tell me the truth, starting from the beginning."
For a split second I debated with myself whether to tell him or not. Of course, I wanted to get it off my chest to clear the air, but I knew deep down it wouldn't help the situation. If anything, it would make things worse.
"He didn't rape me," I whispered. "Kova didn't touch me." Not in the way you think, I wanted to add.
Dad stood straight. He peered down at me. "You sound like a typical victim," he said full of disgust.
My eyes closed in defeat and I dropped my head back onto the pillow. I shook my head, my voice soft. "I know the difference. I'm not a victim."
I looked up at the blinding white ceiling wondering where I'd go from here. Fat tears streamed down my temples. I laid in a freezing hospital room with my heart breaking.
Dad's hand enveloped mine. Something inside me broke, and suddenly, I wasn't an eighteen-year-old girl anymore with dreams and aspirations. I was just a child who wanted her dad.
Without giving it another thought, I sat up and leaned into Dad’s side. I tried to be strong and push for what I wanted, but my heart could only hold so much. My forehead fell into the crest of his neck, and his arm came up to gently wrap around my shoulders. Dad hugged me despite everything. I sobbed softly as he rubbed my back.
I was so embarrassed, sad, filled with sorrow and longing. The anguish was too much to bear
"I'm sorry, Dad."
"I am too, sweetie." God, I hated the remorse in his voice. "What happened that night… Adrianna—"
"I know you never meant to hurt me, Dad."
He held me a few minutes longer as I cried on his shoulder. I pulled back and he reached for the tissue box on the tray.
"When I entered the condo and took in the scene… Saw what little you were wearing, the state of undress Konstantin was in, and that fucking A on his chest… I’ve never been filled with so much rage. I lost it."
I took a tissue and dabbed at my puffy eyes.
"Then you lost consciousness. You were bleeding and we couldn't wake you up. Konstantin yelled that you were pregnant. I grabbed my phone and dialed nine-one-one." Dad was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "How long did you know you were pregnant?"
I swallowed. "I'd only just found out a few days before. When we got home from the competition, actually. I was so sick."
"Did you plan to tell me?" I shook my head and stared at the stark white bedsheet. I couldn’t look at him. Dad released a strangled breath that eviscerated me. "You were going to have an abortion," he stated.
"Yes," I whispered.
"Adrianna, I wish you would've come to me. I could've protected you better."
I licked my lips. "There was no reason to come to you. I didn't need protection because he didn't touch me like you think he did."
"I thought you were dying." He paused. "I thought you died." He corrected himself, and I finally looked at him. "Do you have any idea what that does to a parent? You wouldn't wake up. You were as white as a ghost. There was blood everywhere."
Fresh tears fell from my eyes. "I'm sorry, Dad." I didn't know what else to say.
"When the paramedics arrived, we gave them a quick rundown of your health and the medications you were on before they carried you out on a stretcher. I thought that was the last time I was going to see you. The police asked questions…" His voice trailed off.
"Police?"
"Yes." He held my gaze. "That’s what happens when you call nine-one-one. The police show up too. I told them Konstantin and I had gotten into a scuffle and you tried to break it up but were hurt in the process." He paused briefly before adding, "Then they took him away."
I stared at him in confusion. I'd been wanting to know where he was, but I was afraid to ask.
"I don't understand. What do you mean they took him away? Why?"
"He’s been arrested."
Arrested.
I froze, unblinking.
I couldn't move.
I only focused on one thing.
Kova had been arrested.
Four
I held my stomach and bent over.
My heart pounded at the thought of Kova behind bars. The stupid machine behind me beeped erratically.
"Arrested for what?"
Dad was unfazed. "Rape."
"What?" My lips parted in shock. "But you just said you told the police you guys got into a scuffle. I don't understand."
"When the police asked what the fight was about, I told them he’d raped you and got you pregnant. Konstantin didn't fight it. He went with the police willingly."
Oh, God. I was going to be so sick.
The one thing I'd been concerned about was Kova getting arrested and the gymnastics committee finding out about us. If this got back to them… I shuddered. I didn't want to think about it.
My gaze flickered around the room aimlessly, overwhelmed by a million and one thoughts. I needed my phone, but I wasn't sure where it was. I needed Avery to do some digging for me, like arrest records. She was the only person I could trust.