Chapter 186
KATYA POV
The joggers were so loose on that I had no choice but to discard them, wearing only the shirt over the clean underwear Miss Stella had brought.
Nonna lean back first into her wheelchair, smoothing the front of her skirt as if the room itself needed order before she left it.
Miss Stella followed, collecting the empty plates into the trolley l. "Now," Nonna said, already halfway into her commanding tone, "you will rest."
I sighed before I could stop myself. "Rest," I echoed weakly. "That’s all I’ve been doing. Sleeping. Eating. Lying here."
I gestured around the room with one hand. "I think if I rest any more, I’ll start growing roots into the mattress." Miss Stella paused, her lips twitching as if she were fighting a smile.
Nonna turned slowly, fixing with a look. "Your back is still injured. Too much movent—"
"I’m not asking to run a marathon," I interrupted, then winced at my own sharpness. I softened my voice. "I just want... fresh air. Please. Just for a little while."
Nonna’s brows drew together. "You can barely sit upright without pain."
"I can sit," I insisted. "I can walk a little. I promise I’ll be careful."
What I didn’t say was that the room felt too quiet now. Too empty.
Every shadow seed sharper when I was alone. The door, especially. I couldn’t stop imagining it opening.
Every creak of the door in my mind sounded like Marina. Or footsteps that might belong to Roo. The thought of being left behind—waiting—made my chest tighten.
I needed space. Sowhere with witnesses. Sowhere that wasn’t his room.
Miss Stella set the trolley aside and glanced at Nonna. "Fresh air might actually do her good," she said gently. "Maybe the garden. We’ll stay close."
Nonna clicked her tongue, clearly displeased. "You are both conspiring against ," she muttered.
I watched her hands tighten briefly on the arms of her wheelchair. Then she exhaled, long and slow.
"Fine," she grumbled. "But slowly. And if you feel even a hint of pain, we turn back imdiately."
Relief rushed through so fast it almost made dizzy.
"I will," I said quickly. "I promise." Nonna pointed a finger at . "You promise far too easily."
Miss Stella moved to my side, already prepared to help. "Co," she said softly. "We’ll take it one step at a ti."
As I eased myself off the bed, my legs trembling slightly beneath , I cast one last glance around the room before holding onto Miss stella helping hand.
The journey out of the room was exhausting. Every step was a negotiation with my own body, a sharp tug in my back, a dull throb in my temples.
But as the heavy bedroom door clicked shut behind us, a strange sense of lightness washed over .
The hallway was long and silent as we reached the elevator. Inside, the mirrored walls were my enemy. I caught my reflection and quickly looked away. I looked like a ghost wearing a giant’s skin.
The dark silk of Roo’s shirt hung off my fra, the hem brushing my mid-thighs, while the white bandages peeking out from the collar made look fragile, like a broken doll soone had tried to tape back together.
The elevator descended and when the doors slid open, Miss Stella gave a final, encouraging pat on the arm.
"I’ll head to the kitchen to prepare so fresh lemonade," she said softly. "Enjoy the sun, Katya. You need it."
She veered off toward the kitchen wing, leaving with Nonna. We entered the garden. It was a sprawling masterpiece of green and gold.
Nonna led to a secluded stone bench bathed in a pool of warm sunlight. "Sit," she commanded, though her eyes were soft.
I sank onto the bench with a long, shaky exhale escaping my lips. I forgot about Marina. I forgot about the blood on my hands. I just watched a butterfly dance over a cluster of roses.
The peace was broken by the sound of gravel crunching. A young maid I didn’t recognize approached us.
She was dressed in the standard uniform, in her hands, she carried sothing I had never seen up close.
It was a thin but large like a mini television, flat pane of black glass encased in silver It glowed with a faint, ghostly blue light, and as the maid walked, images and rows of symbols flickered across its surface.
I stared at it, fascinated and slightly intimidated. Was bigger smart phone. It looked like a shard of the future, sothing far too clean and bright for a world as dark as this one.
"Nonna," the maid whispered, bowing her head deeply to Nonna. She didn’t even glance at , treating like just another shadow in the garden.
"The tablet you requested." She handed the glowing glass board to Nonna. Nonna took it with ease, her fingers sliding across the surface in a way that made the images dance and change.
"Thank you. You may go," The maid bowed again and retreated, leaving us alone with the tablet.
Nonna stared at the screen, smiling at the screen. Nonna’s smile deepened, the lines around her eyes softening as she turned the screen slightly toward .
She held the tablet out. "Here," she said simply.
I blinked at it. Then I stared. Then I stared harder. The thing felt far too expensive, far too important to be handed to so casually. I took it with both hands, unsure what exactly I was supposed to do with it.
"What... what am I doing with this?" I asked, genuinely baffled.
Nonna huffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Shopping."
"Shopping?" I looked up.
"Yes. For clothes." She eyed the hem of Roo’s shirt where it rested against my thighs.
"Because while I appreciate the drama of you drowning in my grandson’s wardrobe, this cannot continue."
Heat rushed to my face. "Nonna—"
"I know, I know," she cut in briskly. "You would prefer to crawl back into that bed and pretend the world does not exist. But you need proper clothes. Soft things. Things that belong to you."
I glanced down at myself, suddenly too aware of how exposed I felt, even in the sunlight. "Can’t we... go out?" I asked quietly. "Just to a store or—"
"No." The word was firm. She leaned back in her wheelchair, fixing with a look that brooked no argunt.
"Not yet. You are healing. I will not have you jostled, stared at, or pushed into exhaustion for the sake of a boutique."
I swallowed my disappointnt. "So," she continued, tapping the screen with a decisive finger, "we will bring the store to you."
The tablet flickered to life in my hands. Images shifted, rows of clothes, fabrics, colors. "I don’t want you moving too much," Nonna went on.
"Not until your back is stronger, your head clearer. When you recover fully, then we will talk about going out. A change of environnt. Fresh scenery."
Her tone softened just slightly. "But for now, this is enough."
I nodded slowly, still staring at the glowing screen. "I don’t even know what to pick."
"Then pick nothing," she said lightly. "Just tell what feels comfortable. Long sleeves, short sleeves. Loose, fitted. Light colors, dark."
I hesitated. "I don’t want anything... expensive."
Nonna snorted. "You are in the wrong house for that concern."
Despite myself, a small smile tugged at my lips.
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