Page 114 of Lethal Obsession

“Darling.” She waves dramatically. “Why not both?”

She clatters up the street, and I watch her go, admiring her ability to navigate the treacherous path with such elegance.

“No!” Seline stares at the cards on the table, then back at me, her eyes widening. “But you have seen Mr. Petrovsky, then! And, oh la la, done so much more than just see!” She sits back on the low couch, her eyes sparkling. “But just look at these cards, Ofelia.” She taps the first one. “He comes here as both the King of Swords and the King of Wands. Full of restraint and honor, but also with such passion, yes? Delicious. And here, look at you.” She laughs, rolling her eyes. “You are his Queen of Cups, my friend, but also his High Priestess. You are both mystery and magic to him, the woman he most desires and the one he still feels he doesn’t completely understand. All women should dream of remaining such an enigma to the man who loves them. And here.”

She taps three cards between Alexei’s cards and mine.

“The Lovers,” she says, giving me a sly wink. “The two of cups. The eight of wands. Oh my.” She shakes her head admiringly, clicking her tongue behind her teeth. “It is all the feelings, no? And all the fireworks. But what is this?” She turns over another card. “The three of wands. Now you are parted. Oh, dear—and the Hanged Man. This parting, it is an agony, no?” She gives me a knowing smile. “But the Hanged Man, he does not mean this parting is forever, no, only that it feels this way.”

“Can you see what comes next?” I blurt the words out before I can hold them back.

“Ofelia.” She shakes her head remonstratively. “What have I told you about reading for the future? All cards will predict is the next action you will take if you remain on your present course. Change course, and the next action changes, as does the outcome.”

“I know.” I try not to let my impatience show. She’s told me the same thing a dozen times. “But I know my course. I know what I want. I just want to know when it’s going to happen.”

If.

If it’s going to happen.

Because no matter what Alexei said, it’s hard to undo years of self-doubt.

“Hmph.” Seline gives me a dry look. “Very well. We shall see.” She pulls out several more cards, the line between her eyebrows deepening slightly as she contemplates them.

“What?” I say anxiously. “What do you see?”

She gives me a faintly annoyed look. “I am not a psychic, Ofelia. I read cards. It is a science, not woo-woo fairy tales.”

I bite back the familiar urge to laugh.

“But this”—she taps one of the cards—“this is not good.”

“No?” Despite knowing that it’s just a tarot reading, my heart sinks. “Why not?”

“The seven of swords. Betrayal and deceit.” Seline stares at the card, then touches the one next to it. “And the Tower. Unexpected events. Disruption. The breaking apart of stability.”

I bite my lip, corrosive doubt stealing through me.

She glances up. “But it is not all bad.”

Really? Because there’s an upside to betrayal, deceit, and breaking apart when it comes to a relationship?

“The six of swords. You move on from this difficult time. Also, there is movement, possibly over water.” She narrows her eyes at me. “I don’t suppose Alexei Petrovsky has a boat,” she says laughingly.

“Yes!” I seize on her words with almost pathetic gratitude. “That’s exactly where we were. On a boat. Does this mean I will be going back to it? With him?”

“Let us see.” She smiles indulgently. “I would normally tell you not to be so eager, Ofelia, but I think this once we make an exception, yes?” She turns over more cards. “Well, now. The six of cups. Three of cups. Four of wands. Yes, Ofelia.” She sits back again. “We have reunion, a sweet reunion. Celebration. And the support of friends and family. I would say it is almost certain that you will see him again.”

“Soon?” I push.

“Timing, you know, it is always difficult. But let us see.” She flips over a card to show an image of a blindfolded woman with two crossed swords in front of her and the sea behind her.

“That doesn’t look good,” I say, unable to conceal my disappointment.

Seline gives me a remonstrative look. “Do not overreact. No card is bad in itself. For timing, the two of swords can be two weeks. But there is mental stress around this, a sense of indecision. Let us ask why.” She turns over another card and frowns. “The eight of swords. It is you creating this indecision, Ofelia. The two of swords indicates that you will have a choice to make, while the eight indicates a feeling of being trapped, constrained somehow. Yet the constraint is only in your mind. You can free yourself any time you want. The real question is, why are you afraid to do so?”

My father’s face appears in my mind, followed immediately by Darya’s.

I imagine Alexei and me standing in front of them, trying to explain that we are together.