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I fucking hated showing vulnerability. I hated looking weak. I didn’t share so I could get her sympathy. However, if I could put my pride aside and ease her mind, I would. I wanted to know everything about her and make her nightmares go away. “Did someone hurt you, Sorina?”
She sighed. “No.” She forced a laugh, and I knew she was hiding what she truly felt. “I just had a bad dream about losing my aunt.”
“Tell me about her.”
She ran a hand over her eyes. “She was kind and beautiful. Always there for me. My mother died when I was a baby, and Adriana raised me as her own. We were poor, but she made ends meet to support me. If not for her, I would’ve been put in the foster system since I had no other known living relatives. I never knew who my father was, and he never made an effort to find me.”
I nodded. “When did she get sick?”
“I was twelve when she found out she had cancer. She was a fighter, though, and promised me she was going to beat it.” She turned away, and a tear silently crept down her cheek. “She fought hard for three years until she couldn’t anymore.”
I ran my thumb under her cheek, catching the tear. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“At least I was raised in a loving environment.” She smiled wobbly and ran a finger along my jawline. “I had it better than you.”
“Are we comparing hard luck stories, little Orphan Annie?” I teased, although there was nothing amusing about our situations. “You were left to live on the streets.”
I knew what it was like personally, but the thought of an innocent teenage girl alone, fending off shady people and the harsh elements, made me sick.
“It wasn’t that bad.” Leave it to her to downplay a dire situation.
“No one hurt you?”Touched you?
“No.”
A fleeting thought passed through my head about how Artynom was destroyed over Irina and what he did. Guilt consumed me that he never told her, and I never shared his secret. I’d sworn not to. “How did you meet Arty?”
“It was very strange. I guess it was fate. I was sleeping in abandoned buildings and stealing money and food to survive. I was careful to keep to myself and spent my days people-watching, looking for the next person I could scam. Stealing their wallets, taking their credit cards or jewelry. I spotted Arty and knew he’d be a big payout, seeing how he dressed like a wealthy man. However, I didn’t take into account he was already prepared to protect himself.” She smiled wryly. “He caught me, and instead of turning me in to the authorities, he offered me a new life.”
Little did she know he’d come to that conclusion long before she’d met him. There was something twisted in my line of thinking, and I fought to tell her the truth about Arty. “Do you ever wonder why he did it for you?”
She gazed at me reproachfully. “He did the same for you, didn’t he? I think Artynom has a caring heart and would help out anyone who was in need. You know this. You see all the charity work he does. I think it brings him joy. I think we fill a void in his heart because he seems like a lonely man, you know?”
There was truth to what she said, but she was missing the essential piece: Arty cherished her more than some stray he’d found on the street. He was consumed by her.
“Anyway, there’s my confession for the night.” She gazed up at me and curled her hand around my neck, pulling me down until her lips brushed mine. I delved into her softness, allowing myself to fall deeper under her spell. Questions still remained. Sorina was holding back; I could sense it. But I would give her time. I would know all her secrets, eventually.
“Try to get some rest.” I folded her against me and stroked her hair. Finally, she fell asleep.
Sorina
“Let’s play truth or dare.” Dmitri and I were lying on the couch, watching TV.
“Why?” I was spooned against him as he peered down at me.
“It will be fun.”
“When and where the fuck have you played this game?” Oh my god, he was acting all cavemanny again. I thought he might like to think of crazy things to make me do or find out my truths. Instead, he was more concerned if I’d ever played it?
“Calm down.” I shook my head. “I haven’t. I just thought it would be fun. I only wanted to know more about you.”
“Then why don’t you ask me?” he asked softly and curled his hand over my hip.
I was surprised he gave in so easily. “Okay. What’s your favorite color?”
“Really?” He did the tough guy equivalent of rolling his eyes. “I don’t have any emotional attachment to a color.”
“Favorite song?”
