“And if I don’t?” I asked defiantly.
“How well do you think you’ll dance with a broken leg?” she asked with a sneer.
I paled. “You wouldn’t. I could report you and have you arrested for child abuse.”
“For an accident?” She cocked her head at me. “Or a random mugging? I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you, darling.”
A broken leg wouldn’t just prevent me from dancing for months - it might even damage tendons or ligaments that would prevent me from performing at a professional level. Not being able to dance wouldn’t just ruin my life; it would rip my soul right out of my body. Dance was everything to me. I lived it, breathed it, and even dreamed about it. Without ballet, I was nothing.
“Fine,” I hissed. “What do you want?”
“You are going to be the perfect daughter whenever Richard is around. You’ll smile and pretend that we are building an appropriate mother/daughter relationship. You’ll even be excited when I ask you to be a part of the wedding,” she said with a wicked smile.
I tried to pull my arm away from her tight grip, but she dug her nails in even harder.
“And when he’s not around, you’ll leave me alone?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said dismissively. “I don’t want to spend any more time around a little brat than I absolutely have to.” She released my arm and started to stand but then leaned back down. “And one more thing – stay away from those two.” She gestured toward Kingston and Maverik, and I scowled at her.
“That won’t be an issue,” I muttered.
I rubbed my arm as she walked away and saw that one of her nails had actually drawn blood. Why did I have to be stuck with an evil bitch of a mother? Two years hadn’t seemed like long enough when Ryan and I had talked about getting ready to perform at a professional level. But thinking about spending two years in this type of hell seemed like an eternity.
I put my headphones back on and turned my music up loud enough to drown out the sounds of video games and conference calls. I kept my eyes closed, imagining the choreography that went along with the music. Richard might force me to go to a regular high school, but that didn’t mean I was giving up ballet. I would need to campaign pretty hard if I wanted to find a school that would take me this late. It was already June, so unless a student dropped out of classes, no one would have room for me anytime soon.
I pushed away my sense of hopelessness and tried to focus on what I needed to do, but it was hard. Being without Ryan felt physically painful. We had been an inseparable duo for so long – I had no idea how I was going to survive this without him. We’d already set up a schedule for FaceTime and texting, but it wouldn’t be the same. I knew he was at home right now researching ballet schools near Bedford so that I could start harassing them the moment that I stepped off the plane. He was an awesome bestie.
I should be preparing for life in Bedford, but instead, I just left my phone face-down next to me. Richard’s plane didn’t lack any amenities, including WIFI, but I needed to get my head in the game before I could attack the problems in my new life. I was too emotional to be able to focus on anything right now. The need to dance was almost overwhelming, and being trapped on this plane was painful.
I ignored everyone as the plane took off and stared out the window. NYC was so large that it took a while for it to fade from view. Leaving it behind broke my heart. I spent my whole life there, and everything I loved was still there. Seeing it disappear left me with a sense of despair.
I had officially lost everything.
My babushka, my home, my best friend, and even my spot in one of the best ballet schools in the country. I looked around the plane. What did I have to replace everything and everyone that I loved?
I had my fake mother, who was only using me to make it easier to marry a billionaire. I had two guys that hated me and would probably do anything they could to get me out of their lives. And I had Richard, the traitor. I thought he was a good guy, a victim being taken in by my mother’s wiles, but he had shown his true colors when he didn’t get what he wanted.
I was surprised when Richard sat down next to me after a half-hour in the air. He made himself into my enemy the second that he threatened the Logans with legal action– I’d never trust him again. I turned to glare at him but saw my mother staring at us from the other side of the plane. She put a smile on her face and tapped a finger across her mouth to remind me of her threats.
I forced a smile on my face and looked in Richard’s direction while avoiding eye contact.
“Katya,” he said softly. “I want to apologize to you.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I expected him to give me a list of ultimatums, not an apology.
“I realize that what I did must seem very heavy-handed to you, but I want you to know that I have your best interests at heart.”
I looked at him doubtfully. “We’d only just met. And you threatened the only parents I have.”
He nodded. “Yes, but I’d known about you for almost three months. My security team surprised me with the news that Nina had a mother and sister that I knew nothing about. Then, I learned you were her daughter, and
