Page 110 of Claimed By My Ex's Dad
I fell asleep most nights pretending he was there beside me.
In an effort to control the situation and avoid being hurt, I missed out on all the good moments.
I smooth my hand over Hope’s head. We would have had a lot.
And now Hope will never know her father.
I finish feeding Hope and wander into the front room, where Lila is making coffee. She hands me a cup, her eyes searching mine, finding answers to how I’m feeling based on the expression I’m giving her.
We haven’t had a proper conversation since I found out. Mom and Lila are shoulders for me to cry on. They wrap their arms around me when they sense I need a hug, holding me in silence.
“Thanks,” I say, cradling the hot coffee in my hands and staring out of the window.
Blossom flies in the wind. The days are heating up, summer right around the corner. It’s almost been a year since we met, when I was breaking into Igor’s apartment, dropping the wrenches because of how flustered Valerian was making me.
I slide the newspaper onto my lap, turning to page four, reading the article on Valerian over and over again, like I don’t already have the text memorized.
“Valerian Sokolov was a big part of this city for many years, designing commercial real estate for tech companies, all the way to schools and hospitals for the community.”
“It’s with deep sadness that I announce his death today. Valerian has always been private about his personal life. We are told from his son, Igor Sokolov, that he has been battling with an illness over the past five months, which ended up taking his life.”
I stare at that last sentence, rereading the words. Unfortunately, this all checks out with Valerian being quieter over the past ten months.
But an illness?
That’s not the full truth. Karma caught up to Valerian in the end, just as I knew it would. Someone did something, tortured and killed him.
My stomach turns when I think about the real cause of his death.
It would have been anything but peaceful.
I continue reading the newspaper, skimming over some of Igor’s statement.
“The most courageous father a son could ask for. May he rest in peace.”
I ghost my fingertips over his words. It heals a part of me, knowing Valerian reconnected with his son.
I abandon the newspaper and dig under the couch for the remote.
“Are you sure you wanna do that?” winces Lila from behind me. “You’ve already seen the news story a dozen times.”
“Then I’ll see it a dozen more.”
I sink into the couch, turning on the TV and navigating to recorded episodes, scrolling through various news broadcasts until I’m coming across the one with Igor.
He stands on a podium in front of the audience wearing all black. Weirdly, he’s the only dry-eyed person in sight as he looks the camera square in the eye and announces he’ll be picking up whathis father left behind, following his footsteps to make sure the real estate business remains the best in the market.
“There’s no better person more fit for the job,” says one of the journalists.
Igor shakes the comment off. “It’s my duty, after all of the sacrifices my father has made over the years.”
I lean forward, staring at my ex’s face. “Something about this broadcast doesn’t sit right in my gut.”
Lila joins me on the couch, wrapping her arm around me. “I know. I get it.”
“No.” I shake her off. “I mean, Igor is hiding something.”
“What do you mean?”
