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That final admission that destroys me.
All those terrible words I called her in my mind and the way I treated her when I finally saw her again.
She told me she loved me, and I threw it back in her face.
She was the only good person in my life except for Emma.
Mom sacrificed everything to keep us whole and alive.
Andrei sighs and then abruptly turns the conversation in another direction. “The will. Tell me more about that.”
“Just your bog standard will, with regular distribution of the profits from the principle.” Dad scoffs. “Any idiot accountant can set that up.”
“But where is the money hidden? Surely there’s a way to get it all?”
Dad’s face twists in anger. “The money is for my girls. You won’t get it.”
“You stole from my father,” Andrei says. “And you expect to keep it?”
“Your father’s money was the only one I didn’t keep, you fool.” Breathing heavily, Dad clutches the sheet and tries to sit up. “I gave that to your mother.”
The silence in the room becomes another entity, as if it could smother us under its weight. I look at Andrei, and his expression is one of disbelief. I’ve never seen him look so uncertain as his mind races through what my father has said. He’s always known what to do next, but he just stands there now as if he’s been turned into a statue.
“Liar,” Andrei hisses. “You stole that money for yourself. You admitted it!”
“I gave her bank statements from Fall River Credit Union,” replies Dad. “A tiny bank that no one knows exists unless you live near it. Eva has the statements. Only her name is on the account.”
Andrei’s anger lets loose, and he raises his voice for the first time since entering the room. “I don’t believe you,” he growls.
Before we can react, the door hits the wall hard, and Andrei gone.
He marches down the hallway, heading toward the opposite side of the mansion. The grand staircase divides the upstairs hallway in two. My family has been kept on the left-hand side while Eva occupies the rooms on the right. Her suite stretches along the front of the mansion with a view of the front gate. I’ve never been in all her rooms but was under the impression that she didn’t spend a lot of time in here. Lately, Eva has found reasons not to spend too much time in the house.
Andrei doesn’t knock, and the door bangs against the wall. Eva jumps up from the loveseat and watches us file into her private living room. Her long lilac dress swirls around her legs, and in a few more minutes, she would’ve been out the door for the evening.
“Did you find her, Andrushka?” she asks, staring at him with a mixture of hope and surprise.
Eva’s spacious suite is filled with one-of-a-kind art and antiques, ranging from colorful paintings to porcelain sculptures. The common theme is a mother with her children, and I admire an impressionist painting of a woman giving her child a bath. A collection of Russian icons—Madonna with child—hang on their own wall as if it is a shrine of motherhood. Silk drapes, velvet couches, and finely polished wood furniture add good taste that prevents the place from looking like a dusty old museum.
It’s a display of Eva’s devotion to her children. And I look around in awe, wondering if this is where the money was spent.
Eva repeats herself when Andrei doesn’t answer. “Did you find Emma, Andrushka?”
He ignores the question and takes in a deep breath. “You know Gerald Reyes was Sava Khodemchuk.”
Eva’s wide eyes reveal too much. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“It wasn’t a question, Mother,” Andrei says darkly. “You knew who and what he was before he came here. He stole money for you.”
Eva looks away, slowly recovering her calm. “You don’t need to know about that. It doesn’t concern you.”
“His stealing has brought trouble to our door, Mother!” Andrei shouts in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Did you do it out of spite? To get back at Father?”
Eva stares at Andrei as if he has insulted her beyond repair. She sits down, crossing her ankles and straightening her back. She is prepared to face Andrei’s wrath without backing down.
“No, Andrei. I didn’t do it for such a petty reason.”
“Then why?” he asks, his voice softening as he approaches slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
