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He looks at me like he wants to argue. But he doesn’t. Instead, he helps me to my feet and leaves me to change while he speaks with Dr. Helsan in hushed tones. As I’m fumbling my shirt on, I feel a tiny hard shape in my pocket. The SIM card.
And just like that, the dizzying torrent of everything that happened today slams into me again.
Peering from the room, I check to see where Arsen is. He’s halfway down the hall, still talking with the doctor. On quick feet, I find my way toward my bedroom without thought. The mansion may not feel like home yet, but I still know it inside and out.
But before I can reach its familiar door, a figure blocks my path.
“Devushka,” Ulyana gasps.
She’s dressed in her usual starched uniform, the long skirt dusting her ankles. The last time I saw her, she was helping me escape this place. My shoulders grow slack, and I’m overcome with a sensation of failure, like I’ve let her down by ending up here again.
“It’s good to see you, Ulyana.”
Her nimble fingers play with her skirt before she tucks her arms behind her back. She’s struggling to keep her composure. Neither of us knows how to act anymore.
“You look well.”
“I …” I start, unsure of what else I can say, so I settle on the simplest answer. “I am.”
I decide not to correct my statement. I’m not well, not really, but she doesn’t need that burden on her shoulders.
“How have things been here?” I ask.
“Quiet.” She quirks a crooked smile. “Too quiet. But I suspect that will change now.”
My cheeks turn pink, but I smile back, appreciating the barb. It’s her way of saying she missed me. “I was going to my room,” I explain. “The doctor?—”
“Yes. I saw him arrive.” Her eyes move to my belly. “Everything is all right?”
I nod excitedly. My smile is genuine now. Being reminded of my healthy baby has brought me back to life in a way no other news could.
“I guess you’ll get to see how it finishes, after all,” I say softly.
“I suppose I will.” Tilting her head, she stares over my shoulder. I peer backward, but no one is there. When I turn back, she’s on me. Her hug is fast and stiff, as if she isn’t sure how to perform it. It’s over as soon as it starts.
Ulyana retreats, smoothing her skirt while clearing her throat.
“Come see me later. You need to eat. You look far too tiny for a woman about to have a baby. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” My eyes are twinkling. I feel the heat in them inside of me as it moves between us. Ulyana smiles once more before shuffling away. Talking to her makes me want to find Olesya next.
But first I have something important to do.
Something Ulyana reminded me of.
Safe in my bedroom, I do a brief scan to make sure I’m alone. The blankets have been switched out for new gold-and-green diamond patterns, and the curtains are black now, but otherwise, the place is as I left it. Heading into the bathroom, I turn the hot water on in the tub. Using the loud noise of the water as cover, I unscrew the knob on the wall cabinet’s handle. There’s just enough space behind the screw to tuck the SIM card into place. The knob doesn’t seal fully when I twist it back, but it isn’t noticeable to the eye.
Ulyana found the rose brooch when I hid it last time. I have to be cleverer this time.
Hopefully she won’t run around plucking off every knob and panel in here. Feeling confident in my hiding place, I step back with a loud sigh. Why am I hiding it? Do I actually plan to contact Yevgeniy?
The things he said to me about Arsen continue to eat away at me like a million termites attacking a house. Each thought that I brush away is replaced by a new one. His voice and my mother’s are warring in my head again. But it’s that same damning statement from her that I keep coming back to.
Our monsters may wear different faces. But they’re the same.
He has done to you what Yevgeniy did to me.
Placing my palm on my stomach, I remember the sound of my baby’s heartbeat. Our baby’s heartbeat. It’s different ... We’re different ... Arsen isn’t Yevgeniy.
