One hundred reasons to leave

Chapter 5. Roman

A couple of hours later, the doctor hands me the medical report. Besides bruises, the girl has a cracked rib, a shallow cut on her back, and bleeding. That bastard really hurt her badly — especially considering it was her first time…

She’s been prescribed some ointments, pills, and suppositories. The girl clearly felt awkward as the doctor listed all this in front of me.

We left the clinic in silence. Evelina barely looked at me, and whenever I caught her interested gaze, she’d turn away and pretend to be looking at something else.

“Go to the pharmacy and buy everything on this list,” I said, handing my friend the prescription, then opened the car door for the girl. She got in, and I shut the door.

Vitka and I stepped away from the car and lit up.

“Why the hell did you take her from Moroz?” he hissed, leaning in.

“Can’t you see what he did to her? And that was just one night — I’m afraid to imagine what would’ve happened in a week…”

My friend glanced at me curiously.

“You said you didn’t give a damn! Where’s this sudden pity for some girl?”

“She helped me, and in return, she asked me to get her out of there.”

“I hope you didn’t touch her…” he said quietly, glancing at the car. From his look, I could tell he was worried about her too. She was still so young — her life had just begun, and she’d already gone through this…

“What kind of person do you take me for?” I glared angrily at Vitka. How could he think I’d…

“It’s just that at the table, you sounded so convincing… it made me feel sick.”

“Well, I had to convince Moroz I’d slept with his wife.”

“And why the hell did he even offer her to you?” he asked, taking another drag.

“Didn’t you get it?” I glanced at my friend, raising an eyebrow quizzically. “He wanted to scare her — for showing us her bruises. He knows about the rule against touching other men’s women. He didn’t expect me to agree.”

“Crazy bastard…” Vitka tossed his cigarette butt and spat on the ground.

“Big time…”

We got back into the car. We drove to the mansion in silence. The girl kept looking at me and then turning away.

At the house, I helped her out of the car and led her inside.

“This will be your room for the next month,” I said, opening the door and gently nudging her in. “My room is across the hall. The toilet and bathroom are through that door. And here,” I pointed at sliding doors in the wall, “is the walk‑in closet.”

The girl smirked.

“I don’t think I’ll need it… I only have what I’m wearing.”

I looked her up and down.

“I didn’t think of that… New clothes will be delivered tomorrow.” The girl looked at me in surprise.

“No… there’s no need… I don’t have that much money.”

“I wasn’t asking about your money. If you need anything, don’t hesitate — just say so.”

Evelina nodded reluctantly.

“Thank you…” she whispered, looking at me again with those huge eyes of hers.

I chuckled and left the room, leaving her alone.

I went downstairs and saw Vitka lounging on the couch. I sat in the armchair next to him.

“Moroz is furious. They say he trashed half the house. Screaming he’ll kill ‘that b***h’.”

“Let him try to come near… He’ll be feeding the worms soon enough.” A surge of anger boiled inside me. I wasn’t sure why — because of Evelina, or because he’d been pulling this s**t behind my back.

“Got a soft spot for her?” he suddenly asked, looking me straight in the eyes.

“No,” I replied firmly. “Why would you think that?”

“I can see how you react… possessively. You want to protect her.”

“She’s just a kid. It’s a shame,” I shrugged. But I started thinking. My friend was right.

“Yeah, a kid…” he smirked, got up from the couch, and stretched. “I’m heading out — it’s time to sleep. By the way, I got everything on the list — the bag’s on the kitchen table,” he said and headed for the door. “Good night…”

“See you tomorrow…” I replied and headed to the kitchen. I picked up the bag Vitka had left and carried it to my guest.

Without knocking, I opened the door and saw the half‑naked girl standing in front of the mirror, tracing her bruises with her fingers. She didn’t notice me right away — and that gave me enough time to take in her fragile, feminine figure. And those huge bruises on her neat, beautiful chest, hips, and stomach.

She turned toward me and looked me in the eyes. She didn’t cover herself, letting me see everything.

Her breathing quickened, and tears began to well up in her eyes. But she didn’t whine — I could see she was trying to hold herself together.

I took a deep breath, dropped the bag of medications on the floor, and stepped close to her.

She just watched me. As soon as I stopped beside her, she started shaking visibly. Was it fear? Was she afraid of me?

Silently, I pulled her by the shoulders and pressed her against my body. The girl immediately wrapped her arms around my torso and held me tightly.

She needed support. She was all alone now. Her parents had betrayed her. And judging by the intel we’d dug up on her, she didn’t even have any friends.

I hugged her gently, afraid of causing her pain. My gaze fell on the wide strip of tape on her back — right along her spine.

Something stirred in my chest. I desperately wanted to kill Moroz for what he’d dared to do to Evelina.

After calming down, the girl pulled away, wiped her nose with her hand, and looked up at me again.

“I brought the pills… and everything else the doctor prescribed,” I said quietly, watching her reaction. She nodded and hugged herself, shivering slightly.

“Are you cold?” I immediately took off my shirt and draped it over her.

“Thank you…” she whispered in response, wrapping herself in the thin fabric. The shirt hung loose on her, reaching mid‑thigh.

“I’ve ordered some clothes — they’ll be delivered tomorrow morning. For now, you can keep my shirt.” The girl nodded in agreement and looked around nervously. Her silence worried me. What was she thinking?

“Don’t you want to contact your parents?” I asked, watching her reaction. Her eyes flashed with anger right away — and I found myself liking that more than seeing her cry.

“No! To hell with them! Moroz has probably already taken all their property — at least I hope so,” she said without a trace of regret, then wearily sank onto the bed, wincing in pain.

“We’ll find out tomorrow. Get some sleep — sleep heals,” I said, heading for the door.

“Roma…” she called my name uncertanly, quietly. I turned, waiting for her to continue. “Thank you for your help…”

I nodded in response and left the room.