1
KATERINA
The suitcase isopen on my bed when Lev ruins my life.
At first, I don’t understand that’s even what he’s doing.
I’m busy folding a cream silk blouse over my arm, trying to decide if it’ll wrinkle too badly on the flight, when my phone buzzes beside the jewelry case. The screen lights up with his name.
Lev.
I smile before I can stop myself.
It’s pathetic, that smile. Soft, automatic, loyal. The kind of smile a woman gives a man who’s planned a trip to meet his family halfway across the world. I’ve never left the States in my life. Heck, till last month, I didn’t even have a passport.
And now, here I am.
I answer with the blouse still in my hand.
“Please tell me You’re packed,” I say. “Because if you’re calling to ask whether suits count as formal wear, I’m hanging up.”
There’s a pause.
Not a normal pause. Not Lev pretending to be dramatic. Not Lev checking another message while I speak.
A dead, ugly pause.
My fingers tighten around the silk. “Lev?”
“I need to come over.”
I glance at the suitcase. Half-packed. Gold heels tucked into one corner. A red dress still lying across the chair because I’ve been too nervous to decide if It’s too bold for dinner with the Morozovs.
I bite my lip. “Now?”
“Yes.”
His voice is wrong.
Flat. Careful. As if he’s reading from a card.
My smile disappears. “It’s almost ten.”
“I know.”
“The flight is tomorrow morning.”
“I know, Katerina.”
He almost never uses my full name unless He’s annoyed with me. Usually, I’m Katya. Baby. Krasivaya when he remembers to be charming. Katerina is reserved for arguments, obligations, and moments when he wants distance between us.
A strange chill moves through me. “Is everything okay?”
Another pause.
Then, softer, “I’m outside.”
I turn toward the window before I can think.
