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“I promise,” I managed to whisper. “I will come visit you. When the time is right, when we both feel ready.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she pulled me into a tight hug, her arms wrapping around me with urgency. I held her just as tightly, desperate to capture every detail of her.
“I’m going to miss you, Mama,” I whispered against her hair.
She sniffled. “Ya tebya lyublyu, my sweet Sofiya.”
I love you too, Mama.
I reluctantly loosened my grip, feeling a bittersweet ache in my heart as I acknowledged that it was time to part ways.
With a heavy heart, I rose to my feet, attempting to conceal the pain coursing through my veins.
Walking away behind Alexsei to the car, her words echoed in my mind.
Each step I took seemed to align with the rhythm of her voice, replaying her confession over and over again.
You’ll come visit me?
I promise.
Our relationship had grown strained, trust fractured.
To heal, we needed space to grow independently, to rediscover ourselves and rebuild the foundation of trust that once bound us together.
Seated in the car, I whispered one last time, almost to myself, “Please, take care of yourself, Mama.”
My voice hung in the air as I watched the engine come to life.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Volk in his bedroom, gazing down at me. One hand rested on the window, while the other held a glass, likely filled with vodka.
His intense stare felt searing, as if it could pierce through my skin, and a chill seemed to frost the windows.
Instinctively, I reached out and placed my hand on the car window, mirroring his gesture.
Goodbye, Mikhaïl.
Despite everything that transpired, deep down, I knew I would miss him.
There were so many unspoken words between us, like a book with blank pages waiting to be filled.
Yet now, the last chapter had closed, and there was no turning back.
As the car began to move, the house gradually faded from view, leaving behind everything familiar and dear to me, including the two people my heart didn’t want to let go.
Chapter
Thirty-Eight
“Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain.”
? William Faulkner
Sofiya
A few months later
I rolled my eyes and took a bite of the California sushi roll, chewing it with a hint of aggression.
