Hundred and Thirty-Five

VALERIA

I opened the door and Dimitri was standing right there, at the front door of my house. I had not sent for him. I had not invited him. He had not told me he was coming and I had certainly not given him permission to. Several times I had clearly told him that I didn't want to have anything to do with him, and yet here he was.

"What are you doing here?" I bit off.

"Valeria, we need to talk," he said.

Talk. I knew that was what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.

"Leave now," I ordered.

He gave no indication that he had heard me. I hurried to close the door in his face. My bare foot slipped on the tile. I put out my hand to grab something to regain my balance. My hands touched nothing but air and I went down. The force of the fall knocked all the breath from my body and I just lay there, panting, gasping for breath, riding the waves of pain that came from my waist region which had taken the brunt of the fall. Dimitri, calling my name frantically was at my side in