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“Start walking,” she snapped, pushing me forward. “To the pond deck.”
“N-no, please, Marina,” I sobbed.
The cold wind raised goosebumps on my arms, and I shivered uncontrollably. My pleas fell on deaf ears as she forced me to walk. I winced as my bare feet pressed against the cold wood, my legs trembling.
“Don’t take this personally, my dear,” she said as we came to a stop. “I’ve just been paid to do this. Vlad is a very persuasive man.”
The mention of my father deepened my confusion further. “V-Vlad?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“He can’t stand the idea of a world where his daughter isn’t under his control, where you might belong to someone else. Unfortunately for you, he’s chosen himself over you,” she said, her words full of malice. “I guess I’ll be the one to comfort Volk now,” she chuckled. “Oh, wait! I’ve already been doing that for a while.”
Marina’s words made my stomach drop as I struggled to grasp their meaning. My own father wants me dead. I felt numb, as if I were detached from my own reality.
Struggling to respond, my voice failed me again. Another sob escaped my lips, and I heard the click of a car door nearby, but I couldn’t process it.
“Do svidaniya, Goodbye Sofiya,” Marina scoffed, kicking me sharply in the back with her heel.
I let out a piercing scream as my body crashed through the fragile ice, plunging me into the cold embrace of the lake. The pain was immediate and overwhelming.
I didn’t know how to swim; panic seized me as I thrashed my arms and legs, desperate to stay afloat. Mama had never cared for beaches or pools, so swimming was a skill I never acquired.
I screamed for Marina’s help, but she turned away, her red dress swirling around her, heels clicking on the deck. She didn’t spare me a glance.
Memories flooded my mind: Mama’s gentle smile, Dasha’s comforting touch, Volk’s strong arms and soft kisses. But now, sinking deeper, lungs burning for air, those memories felt distant and insignificant.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I sank further. Panic and fear gripped me, but resignation began to settle in.
This was it. This was how everything would end.
Thoughts of Mama and Dasha brought waves of regret—words left unsaid, connections missed. I wished I’d been a better daughter, friend, taken more risks, lived more fully. I wished I’d poured out my heart to Volk.
As I sank deeper, those regrets faded. The icy water enveloped me, darkness closing in, the moon a distant observer. Frantic movements exhausted me, blurring my vision.
Defeated, I surrendered. My breathing slowed, my body stilled.
The water rushed into my lungs, searing with pain.
Then, a strange numbness spread—a surreal peace enveloped me, like drifting in a dream.
My hopes, despair and dreams, all gone.
The pain, the fear, all gone.
Everything faded to black.
Silence.
The abyss welcomed me, and I just slipped away.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
“It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.”
? Victor Hugo
Volk
