Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 54

Ria's POV:

Christmas break had arrived, and I had no plans. I had enough money saved up to visit them if I wanted to, but the thought of the long flights, the endless small talk, and the inevitable questions about my life made me hesitate. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Maybe I just needed to stay here and let everything simmer down. Maybe I needed space.

The fight with Nikolai was still a raw wound, one that I tried to ignore but couldn't. I had told myself I didn't care, that he didn't matter. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face-the anger, the betrayal, the bitterness in his words. It shouldn't have affected me this much, but it did. He did matter. Annoyingly so.

I tried to lose myself in a book, curling up in my window seat, hoping the words on the page would drown out the chaos in my mind. The snow outside was falling gently, coating the world in a blanket of white. It should have been peaceful, but all I felt was a hollow ache in my chest.

Then, a knock shattered the quiet. I glanced at the clock-barely noon. Stacy must've forgotten her keys again. With a sigh, I set my book down and trudged to the door, ready to give her a piece of my mind for interrupting my rare moment of solitude.

But when I swung the door open, it wasn't Stacy standing there.

It was Nikolai.

Great. Just great.

My heart dropped into my stomach. He stood on the doorstep, bundled up against the cold, holding a big bow-tied box and a huge teddy bear. His eyes were wide and hopeful, a small smile playing on his lips as if he thought this gesture could fix everything.

I didn't smile. I didn't even say a word. I just stared at him, my gaze cold, my heart pounding with a mixture of anger and hurt. And then, without a second thought, I slammed the door shut in his face.

I heard the sharp intake of breath on the other side, followed by a series of frantic knocks. "Victoria, please, I'm sorry. I know I was a total jerk. I messed up, okay? But I need to talk to you. Please!"

His voice was muffled by the door, but I could hear the desperation in it. He wasn't going to stop. He never did. I knew him well enough by now to know that much. And the longer he stood there, the more he pounded on the door, the more my aggravation grew. I just wanted to be left alone, to sit in peace and not deal with any of this.

But I knew that wouldn't happen as long as he was there. With a heavy sigh, I yanked the door open again, but I didn't step aside to let him in. I just stared at him, arms crossed over my chest, waiting for whatever lame excuse he had this time.

"Thank you," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Thank you for opening the door. I know I don't deserve it after the way I treated you. I was a complete idiot. No, worse than that. I was... God, I was horrible to you."

He was rambling, his words tumbling over each other in his rush to get them out. But I didn't soften. I didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I just stood there, silent and cold.

He swallowed hard, glancing down at the teddy bear in his arms before thrusting it toward me as if it were some sort of peace offering. "I got this for you," he said, his voice almost shy. "And the snacks... I remembered you like those. I just... I wanted to apologize. For everything."

I didn't reach for the bear. I didn't move. My eyes locked on his, unwavering. "Get to the point, Nikolai," I said, my voice flat.

He winced at my tone but nodded, dropping the bear to his side. "Right. Okay. The point. Look, I need to explain. What I said to you last week... it wasn't fair. It wasn't right. I-" He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration clear. "Vlad... Vlad manipulated me. He made me think things that weren't true. And I was stupid enough to believe him."