HEYYY GUYSSSSS!!!

Sorry I haven't updated this book in a while. But I was kind of at a loss for what I wanted to do next. But, I have found my flow~ So on with the show~

Also, that is Ivan's house above!

I love you all my starlings~

Kimiko Lee

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After a few extra days, Amelia was finally released from the hospital. Ivan happily drove her to his place. The trillionaire was giddy as he weaved through the mountains that laid on the outskirts of the city. Considering Ivan owned the land the mountain range was on, it was a quick commute.

You see, Ivan bought that land so that the animals would have somewhere to go as the city expanded. When explaining this to Amelia, her heart melted. Ivan was a lot more caring than he let on.

When they pulled up to the driveway, Amelia was in complete awe. Ivan basically owned a stone mansion in the mountains, it was so rustic yet so chic. He parked his car in one of the three garages and helped her out, taking the small medical bag with them.

You see, Amelia was not deemed well enough to go home the morning after her "phenomenal recovery". She had a problem that would take time to heal.

Even though she felt so safe in Ivan's arms, she was still so scared. Arthur invaded her mind and destroyed her dreams. With Ivan, she felt safe in many ways: financially, mentally, emotionally, physically. She just felt so much better with Ivan by her side. She knew Ivan would never hurt her, she knew the friends she met while employed by him would always be there for her, she knew that her brother and his soulmate would support her.

Yet, she still couldn't help having nightmares about Arthur.

Flashbacks of trauma crashed into her psyche in waves. One moment she would be fine, she would be laughing and enjoying the company of others. The next she wouldn't be able to stop crying because she suddenly remembered something. It worried Ivan and everyone else, especially Matthew. This shell of a woman was not his bouncy and bubbly little sister. He had spent his entire childhood with Amelia, he knew what she was like.

Louise had recommended a psychiatrist, Dr. Gal Mizrahi. She was of Israeli descent and had a warm smile on her face. Louise felt like a female would have better results with Amelia, given that the core of her trauma was her soon-to-be ex-husband.

She was right, Amelia was very responsive to Gal. The two talked over everything together and it only took Gal an hour to figure out what was wrong. The others, patiently waiting in the adjacent waiting area, were finally given a formal diagnosis.

Amelia suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Gal explained that it wasn't uncommon for abuse victims to suffer this disorder and that it could take many years before Amelia overcomes it. But, Ivan was ready to help his soulmate in any way he could. No matter what she needed, he was ready to give it to her. The others also offered their help, after all, they were just a phone call away.

Gal had suggested Amelia and her go through Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT. She explained the treatment would take twelve weeks and precisely what each of those weeks would entail. This made Ivan nervous, so he bumped the client ball an extra ten weeks.

He didn't want Amelia to rush her treatment, so he made it known it was for personal reasons as to why his ball had been postponed. She was thankful for his understanding, and all the clients who replied with understanding were also on her good list.

Amelia only had to focus on her treatment, while Berwald and Tino helped Ivan with the divorce issues. Hyung-Soo, while on Arthur's side, did agree with the terms Ivan's team wrote up. After all, they had mountains of photos and documents about Arthur's abuse of Amelia. Plus, with Amelia now formally diagnosed, it further helped their case.

Arthur willingly gave up all of the items Amelia requested. Arthur also gave them all of Amelia's clothing items and accessories, which made Ivan a little happier. This had taken about three weeks, but at least the legality of it was taken care of.

Now, it was about getting Amelia better~

"Amelia, do you want to keep zis blouse?" Francis held up an orange, flowy tank with a black collar. Amelia looked at it and chuckled.

"Yes, that's one of the blouses I made when our mom first let me use her sewing machine," Amelia walked over to the box that Francis was digging in, "most of these items are ones I made myself," she pulled out a pencil skirt with a crooked seam, "like this one,"

"You realize ze seam is crooked, non?" Amelia playfully whacked him with her elbow.

"Yes, but give me some credit, I was ten," Francis smiled as Amelia set down the skirt. Ivan came walking over, a smile on his face.

"If you want, we can make that empty room in the North corridor a sewing room," Amelia squealed and hugged Ivan's neck.

"Thank you, my adorable little snowflake!" Ivan blushed at the nickname, making Katyusha and Gilbert laugh. Amelia sat back down next to Francis, before Matthew chucked a plushy at her head, "Hey!" she turned and looked to the ground, seeing the cute eagle plushy.

"I didn't realize you kept that all these years," Matthew held the matching beaver plushy. His eyes seemed dazed, "perhaps Mama always knew I was meant to be Canadian,"

Amelia's lips quivered as she picked up the eagle plushy by her knee, brushing it softly. She clutched it close to her soul gem, smiling.

"I miss her, Papa too," Matthew crawled over and hugged her, resting his head on top of her's. Gilbert and Carlos looked at the two worriedly. While Natalia, Katyusha, and Ivan seemed sad.

"What 'appened to your parents, if you don't mind me asking?" Matthew looked at Amelia, who shrugged.

"I don't remember any of the details," Amelia confessed. Matthew sighed and looked at the group.

"They were killed during a robbery, just a weird wrong place and the wrong time sort of deal. Both of them were at the factory for the nightshift, they worked at the same place for ten years. They were getting home from work late and needed to pick up milk and bread, so they stopped at a small corner store. A guy came in and targetted our mom since she was dark-skinned, and the store owner. Our mom was Native American and we never knew what our dad was, I think he was Scandinavian. But, basically, our dad tried to save our mom and ended up getting six bullets to the back. Our aunt had been looking after us and cried when she heard what had happened. And then our entire childhood was being bounced between family members since we all lived near each other,"

The group looked saddened by the revelation, silence keeping them all in chains. The Braginsky siblings at least had their parents around as children, despite never spending time with them. Amelia stood up, gazing at the plushy once again.

"I never knew they met such a horrible end, I think I was better off not knowing," Amelia smiled softly, "but at least they would be proud of us, finding out soulmates and being happy like they were," she smiled at Ivan. He smiled and held her side, kissing her cheek.

"Da, they would be. Let's stop being sad! After all, we still have so much to unpack! No more tears, podsolnechnik!" Ivan twirled Amelia, making her laugh.

After a few days of unboxing all of Amelia's items, they decided to donate a good bunch of them. Amelia felt her heart grow lighter as she handed an old jacket, the last of her pile, to a woman in torn clothes. Ivan smiled at her, waving happily as the woman gave them one last 'thank you' before walking away.

Amelia had given away all the clothes she no longer wanted, and Francis had gifted her an entire wardrobe. She got rid of any jewelry that didn't hold emotional ties to her, just leaving a few sparing pieces for her to use. Throughout all of this, Amelia had been seeing Gal weekly.

After eight weeks of treatment, it was clear that the therapy was working. Amelia's episodes had gone down exponentially! She would sometimes cry in her sleep, and even then, Ivan's hugs would quell her tears. She was wary in public and felt a little paranoid, but nothing her friends and family couldn't help her through.

She would have panic attacks, but she would never suffer through them alone. Gal explained how this would be normal and that time would help her heal, which the group and Amelia both found unnerving. But, she knew she would get better so long as she had them.

She graduated from her therapy with Gal prescribing some medication to help her with her anxiety. After going over the breathing exercises she had been taught, Gal gave her a smile and bid her farewell. 

To celebrate her graduating therapy, Francis gave her a haircut. All the locks that she tied with abuse were cute, leaving her with a shaggy bob. Amelia loved how it felt, and now she was even lighter than before. All that hair that had been bloodied within those years with Arthur laid on the ground, getting swept up and thrown out. Ivan loved the way Amelia kept swishing her head, laughing at the bounciness of her curly locks.

"Well, 'ow do you like it? I did Magnifique! Très chic, non?"

"I love it, Francis! It looks amazing! I look amazing! I haven't felt this good about my looks in years!"

"You look perfect, Amelia," Ivan spoke with so much love that it was palatable. Amelia felt her heart swell as Ivan looked at her, kissing her cheek.

Amelia finally decided to go back to work, Ivan and her getting an exceedingly warm greeting as they entered the building. Amelia just realized she had yet to be in her new office and was excited to see what it looked like. As Amelia and Ivan made their way up in the private elevator, Amelia felt her heart skip a few beats. She was so excited to finally be back.

Raivis, Toris, and Eduard were ready to greet them. All three secretaries clapped when the door opened, making Amelia blush. She giggled cutely as Raivis gave her a bouquet of white roses.

"Welcome back, Miss. Amelia!" the smallest smiled happily. Amelia gently petted his head and nodded.

"Thank you! They're beautiful!" Ivan gave an approving nod and led her to his office. Amelia looked at her door, seeing the giant red bow. She opened the door and was in awe of how amazing the office looked.

The blueish gray walls paired nicely with the dark gray filing cabinets and dark gray bookshelf. The bookshelf was thin, allowing for seven filing cabinets to fit on each side perfectly. Each shelf of the bookshelf had knick-knacks and journals, everything looking neat. There was a white area rug under the desk, further protecting the dark stain on the heated bamboo floors. Her white rolling chair was ready to be sat in, with a blanket over the back.

The white desk was clean, with a pillar of outlets in the corner. Her laptop was plugged in, as well as a tablet, with plenty of chargers to spare. The other corner had the small file rack, with a clipboard in one of the three slots. The laptop was placed in the middle, a wireless mouse to the right on a mousepad. Amelia placed the flowers in a vase that was by a table by the door, walking in further.

There were shelves on the far wall with picture frames of family and friends. Ivan had gotten her artwork framed and posted them in the office. Amelia felt her heart tug as she gazed at the two stuffed animals that her mother had made for her and Matt. There was a table with a few mugs, a small coffee bar for her. Finally, was a hook on the back of the door for her coat.

"Oh, Ivan! It looks better than I pictured it!" Amelia chuckled and hugged Ivan, who was holding one final present. Smiling, he held it out for her. Amelia gently unwrapped it and began to tear up. It was a photo of Amelia with Matt and their parents.

"Matvey wished for you to have it," Ivan kissed Amelia's head. She hugged the photo close and kissed Ivan's cheek.

"It's the perfect finishing touch," Amelia placed it right by her laptop. She looked at the clipboard, which had a paper with that day's date on it, "it seems your first meeting starts at nine with an up and coming wholesale retailer, Full Stock,"

"Da, I will get my presentation ready. You get settled, I will fetch you when I am ready to go," Amelia nodded and sat down in her chair. Ivan closed the door and gently took off the ribbon, placing it to the side. He smiled fondly at the door and sat at his own desk, opening one of the drawers.

He gently picked up the small velvet box, smiling.

Things were finally getting better for them.