“Enough,” I repeated, bitterness evident in that one word. I noticed how she studied my face carefully.
“I am very sorry,” she said quietly. The apology startled me more than anything else since last night.
“You’re sorry?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“For what?”
“For the way this happened. I know none of this can be easy for you, especially right now.”
Something in my chest shifted as if the weight that had been accumulating over it since last night had lifted off just a little. Who knew a single apology from a stranger could make that happen. It almost felt unreal.
“You knew?” I pressed.
“He called very late,” she admitted. “He said he had made a decision. He asked me to prepare the home for a wife and that I should come here in the morning. I usually do come here every few days to make sure the place is clean and perfect, but he wanted me to come and cook as well. It was a strange request since he never spends much time here.”
Her words twisted in my stomach.
“So you didn’t question him about all of it?” Her mouth tightened.
“I have known Fyodor since he was a boy,” she said softly. “I know when he does something because he believes it is necessary. He would not have taken such a big and bold step if it were not absolutely necessary in his eyes.”
“And this qualifies?”
She didn’t answer immediately, but instead, she gestured toward the island, which was already laden with food. I could see she had been cooking all morning, and the counter was filledwith pancakes, bacon, butter, a sort of sweet bread, and a few items that seemed unrecognizable to me.
“You should eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You will be.”
There was something grounding about her presence, something unthreatening in a penthouse that had become a gilded cage overnight. It felt as if her being there somehow softened it and gave the cold, metallic bachelor pad a human touch. I didn’t even know it was possible until now, but a part of me was slightly grateful for it all. I went ahead and sat down on the barstool in front of the counter, even though the food still didn’t make me feel hungry.
“So you came with them from Russia when they moved to Miami? It couldn’t have been that long ago?” I asked.
“Yes. It was a rather recent move, as you might already know.”
“So you must also know Ilana.”
Her eyes warmed.
“Of course. From what I know, isn’t Ilana your brother’s wife now? I haven’t seen the darling girl since she was kidnapped.”
“She is, yes, and I can assure you she is very happy. She really loves Avgust and he worships the ground she walks on,” I replied, a smile touching my lips at the thought of the two of them. “What was she like when she was younger?”
“Stubborn,” she said immediately with a small laugh. “She has always been brilliant. Her heart is too big for the world she was born into.”
I swallowed.
“And Fyodor?” I asked, even though a part of me didn’t want to know anything about the man I now called my husband, but there was another part of me that craved for information. I knew nothing about him except for his name and the person that he was. I knew his body in intimate ways, but I didn’t know his soul.
I noticed how Anya’s gaze softened further.
“He was always the quiet one, if I am being honest. He was always watching and calculating, and he was the one who was always protecting his little sister even when she did not ask.”
Protecting. The word echoed unpleasantly. I remembered how Ilana had told me Fyodor was the brother she was the closest to.
