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I'm struggling to process this. One of my best friends had plans to uproot his life and move continents away. And I had no idea. "How long?" My voice is sharper than I intended.
She flinches. "A few months."
Every piece of the puzzle, every conversation, every hint I missed all start to click into place.
"You should've told me," I growl, the hurt evident in my voice.
"I couldn't betray his trust, Samuil. He's my brother."
Her simple statement hangs in the air between us, a chasm of emotions and unsaid words. I take a deep breath, trying to reign in the whirlwind of feelings. She had her reasons, just like Viktor did.
She unlocks the door and we enter her apartment. She closes the door behind me with a muted click. It's a familiar space, one I've been in countless times, but tonight it feels different — charged with the undercurrent of our recent revelations.
She sighs, running a hand through her raven hair. It’s an unconscious gesture, one I've come to associate with her being deep in thought. She motions to her couch, a modern, sleek piece that I've always found comically small compared to the furniture in my own apartment. "Sit," she says, her voice softer than before.
"Why?" I ask, struggling to find the right words. My heart feels tight in my chest, the thought of losing them, both of them,overwhelming. "Do you want to leave too? Is it something I did? Or didn't do?"
Ana's eyes soften. "It's not about you, Samuil. Not everything is."
I can't help the flare of frustration. "Then why? Why keep this a secret from me?"
She takes a moment, searching for the right words. "Our dream, both Viktor and mine, has always been to make it big. To be professional MMA fighters, to stand on international stages and be recognized for our talent, not our family name or connections."
I lean back, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for her to continue.
"Every time we've tried to make business connections, tried to secure deals or sponsorships, our family's ties to the Bratva have been a stumbling block. They're afraid, Samuil. Afraid of what being linked to us might mean."
I grind my teeth, the sting of her words hitting close to home. "So you think leaving Russia will change that?"
She nods, a sad smile touching her lips. "We have a better shot at making our dreams come true away from here. Where our name doesn't carry so much weight."
Silence falls between us, a heavy blanket of words unsaid and pent-up emotion.
I finally break the silence, my voice raspy. "I just... I wish you'd told me. I could've helped. Maybe found a way to change things here."
Ana reaches out, placing a gentle hand on my arm, her touch sending an electric jolt through me. "It's not that simple, Samuil. And it's not your responsibility to fix everything."
I snicker, looking away. The weight of it all feels crushing, and I'm left grappling with feelings of hurt, betrayal, and aburning desire to make things right. Whatever 'right' means in a world as tangled as ours.
Ana pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling slightly, a hint of the vulnerability she's trying to mask.
She sighs, meeting my gaze squarely. "Samuil, there's so much you don't know."
"Then enlighten me," I reply, my voice more clipped than I meant for it to be.
She takes a deep breath. "Even though I was just a little girl when our parents were killed, that wound is still there. And every time we bump up against this world, it breaks open just a little bit. It still hurts even though it’s been so long now."
I shift uncomfortably, remembering all too well the day I learned about her parents' fate. My own involvement with the Bratva was only budding back then, but I had seen enough to understand the risks and the price of such a life.
She continues, her voice gaining strength. "But it didn’t stop there. Our grandparents, both of them, were thrown behind bars not long after. Crimes connected to the Bratva, of course. They didn't last long in prison. Then our uncles, aunts, even distant cousins.... One by one, we lost them all. To bullets, to betrayals, to the damned choices that this life forced upon them."
She looks away, and for a moment, I see the weight of her years, the weight of all the loss pressing down on her.
"All of it, every loss, every scar, is tied to the Bratva, to this world. And we've had enough, Samuil. We just want a fresh start, away from all this madness, away from the shadows that this life casts."
I absorb her words, a myriad of emotions swirling within me. "You’re going to run away from everything you've known."
She nods. "To protect our future, to ensure we don’t end up like the rest of our family."
