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“Why? You were not involved.”
“No, I mean, I’m sorry for your loss and that America holds such a negative memory for you.” I think about it a moment. “But it can’t be all too bad as you’ve sent Nickolaus there to study at Cornell University.”
“He does not like it there and I agree that he should return home to continue his studies here in Moscow.”
I’m really trying not to take that as personal slight that she wants to prevent her youngest son from meeting up with another…non-Russian. I can’t help wondering if she knows what happened to Nick or that I was the one who treated his gunshot wounds.
“Nick was homesick, mom. But I think he should stay to better learn the western mindset to help me run things there.”
She sniffs and turns her head.
The house phone rings. “I will get it,” Ulyan springs up from his chair and leaves the room.
“You could always come visit so Nick wouldn’t be so homesick,” Sebastian pushes. “Your reason for staying away has been…eliminated.”
Her eyes go wide as she stares at her eldest son. He holds her gaze without flinching.
“The last time I saw him, he told me something, mom,” he says, and now his gaze falters. “He told me that the two of you had been lovers and that he was my father.”
Ekaterina and I both nearly choke on our tea. Jesus, I encouraged Bash to address the issue, but I didn’t think it was going to go down like this. I’m wishing a doorbell would ring so I’d have an excuse to leave the room.
She’s glaring at him, she utters bitter words in Russian.
“I’ve already told Madison everything, I don’t have any secrets from her.” He swallows in a dry throat. “Was Sergei lying?”
She turns away from him refusing to utter a word.
“Even your silence speaks, mom. A DNA test will speak even louder, but I’d like to hear the truth from my mother.”
When her silence persists, Sebastian adds, “You left me there to be raised by the man you believed killed your husband. You took Nick but left me behind with him. Why? Was it because Sergei was my father?”
She blurts out more angry words in Russian, her eyes are tearing up.
“That was the agreement? Leave me, there with him in exchange he’d leave you in peace and keep the secret that I was his son.”
She breathes in deeply and rubs her hands across her face. She replies in Russian.
“In English, please. I’m going to tell her everything anyway.”
“Yes,” she says angrily. “We were together a brief time until he showed me who he really was. By then, Alexi had been so kind to me, and he saw how Sergei had treated me. He encouraged me to leave Sergei. He did not know that I was falling in love with him…or that I was carrying Sergei’s child. But he had secretly loved me too, so we married. In the end, I think that is why he killed Alexi. He wanted to kill me too until I told him that you were his son, the timing of your birth confirmed the truth. He allowed me to leave, to return to Russia but only if I agreed to leave you to be raised by him.” The tears slid down her cheeks and she wiped them away in angry swipes. “I did what had to be done.”
For the next moment nothing but an oppressive silence fills the room as Sebastian processes the information. It’s finally broken when Ulyan returns.
“It was the cleaner,” Ulyan explains as he hesitantly retakes his seat. “She says she will come Thursday instead of tomorrow. I told her it was okay.”
Ekaterina gives a terse nod.
“Ulyan,” I blurt out. “Could you please show me your gardens, I noticed them when we pulled up.”
He pops back up out of his chair. “Of course, I would be—”
“Sit down,” Ekaterina barks. “I too keep no secrets from Ulyan.”
“What more do you wish to know, Bash?” she asks coolly.
“You never returned and barely ever called,” he says in a quiet voice.
She continues her harsh wordless stare. If Sebastian wanted answers, he’d better phrase it as a question. Ekaterina wasn’t planning to offer any more information than was absolutely necessary.
