When Valentina Blackwood had first met Steven Novak she was at the beginning of a crossroads. Perhaps even the most important one of her entire life. And all at the age of 16.
During a qualifying skate she had failed to land a triple axel. It had happened during practice a number of times. Almost every skater could say they’ve failed to properly land one. But this one had been particularly bad. Nearly career ending. And it had been in front of a crowd of people. Val had over rotated and as she came crashing down to the ice she’d attempted to brace her fall. In doing so she strained a number of her muscles on top of the bruises she’d received as a result of hitting the ice. Those strained muscles led to weeks and weeks of physical therapy.
It was while she was waiting for her afternoon session that she’d decided to strike up a conversation with the teenager behind the desk. And after every session she always made it a point to stop and talk to him. The more that she got to know him the more Valentina wished that he would ask her out. And then finally her wish came true. The year that they dated was the happiest that she had been in quite awhile. But that happiness hadn’t lasted. One day he was just gone. Taking a part of her heart with him.
A few years went by before she was able to finally admit that she was over him. He’d left her and should he ever return it wouldn’t matter. Steven would never have any claim over her or her girls. Valentina was completely done with him.
That is until now. Steven’s return brought to surface all the old anger and pain that she’d gone through. And while she had been given an explanation by both their mothers a part of her was curious. Perhaps a bit masochistic. All she knew was that she needed to hear it from him and then she could completely close the door on that part of her life. For good this time.
“Steven,” Valentina said as she sat in the seat across from him. “I have a deposition later this afternoon. So, you have two hours.”
Steven was by no means a fool. He knew moving back to Breckentale would have major repercussions but his desire to be closer to his siblings and being away from the regimented life he had in Washington outweighed any ill thoughts he had of returning. Of course, those doubts come back at full force when he had attempted to put himself out there with his post.
It would have been naive to think Valentina wouldn’t see it but he held hope that she would just ignore him. However, fate had never swung in his favor when it came to his own personal affairs. He supposed he should have been used to it.
Steven arrived early, sitting on the table before him was an envelope with letters from his mother to Valentina’s and other documents were placed neatly inside in chronological order. He had no idea if Valentina would bother to read the damning evidence against their mothers but he had to try. Not that he believed it would clear his name entirely of any guilt - there was still the fact that he could have tried harder to contact Valentina directly at a later date - but it still might shed some light on what had really transpired. Valentina deserved to know the truth.
Looking up at the sound of his name, Steven moved to stand and pull out her chair for her as his mother had drummed into his head was the done thing to do for a lady. However, Valentina sat and Steven awkwardly retook his place across from her. “Thank you for coming,” he repeated his gratitude in person, sliding the envelope over toward her. “It won’t take that long. The documents I wanted to share with you are in there.”
There was a pause as he took in the sight of her. She was as beautiful as the day he had met her. Perhaps even more so. But he couldn’t share those thoughts. Valentina didn’t want to hear them. “I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused.”
“My family would have prefer I not agreed to meet with you but that would have been the cowards way out. And I’m no coward..” she replied as she eyed the envelope that had been slid in front of her. The like you went unsaid but was heavily implied.
Valentina slid the envelope to the side, crossed her arms and then looked him in the eye. His body posture and tone of voice told her that he was being sincere. But the part of her that was still so angry over their past refused to let her fully believe that he was.
“All I want to know is why.”
He knew exactly what she had implied but he wasn’t going to bite. Valentina was angry and rightly so but Steven wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire by disagreeing with her thoughts. He just squared his jaw and continued as if the dig at his personality never happened - his own feelings be damned.
“To put it simply, my Grandfather and Mother believed they knew what was best and I was too much of a coward to stand up to them.” His reply held no sharp edges, an almost resigned tone to his voice. “They played it as an opportunity for me - join the military, have a good career like my Father and Grandfather, be able to provide you with a life you deserved. But I shouldn’t have ignored the alarm bells that went off when they told me I had to leave when I did without telling you where I was going.”
He sighed, pausing and looking briefly at the envelope. “I wrote to you. The letters are in there, all with return to sender on them. There is also a letter from your Mother telling me to stop writing to you, that you had moved on and started a family with someone else.” The masochist in him made him look up, knowing full well she could just call him a liar and leave.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me or even stop being angry with me,” Steve continued, pushing the ball onto her side of the court. “I just ask that you look over all the facts before you and come to your own conclusion.”
As he began his explanation Valentina sat back and took it all in. She had been waiting for more than two decades to hear this. To hear the explanation that their mothers had given her in his own words. Only the tale he wove was unlike the one that she had previously heard. His comment about her mother hit her the hardest. Could her mother have really played a part in her heartbreak?
When Steven finished speaking, Valentina, chose to remain silent. A part of her did believe him. That what he had revealed was too elaborate a tale to be faked. However, that part of her was outweighed by the part of her that wanted nothing to do with him. The part that was content to go on hating him for the rest of her life. But then she thought of her daughters and how they deserved to know which version was the truth.
“All right. I’ll look at what you’ve given me,” Valentina said. She wasn’t sure when she’d do that but eventually she would open that envelope and see if what he said was true.
Steven gave a small nod of understanding. He wanted Valentina to accept what had happened on her on terms. If she continued to disregard him afterward then that was her decision and he would accept that. But Steven still held onto a little hope that they could at least be civil.
“Thank you, Valentina.” He gave a small quirk of a smile before he continued. “I best be gone before this becomes even more awkward than our first meeting and I start babbling like a fool. You know how to contact me, if you wish.”