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Her shoulders made an innocent movement. “How?”
“Like I’m going through the worst thing in the world.”
Her voice was quiet when she responded, her Russian accent much thicker. “I think that you are. Horrible, horrible thing you experience. I wouldn’t think I survive. You are a survivor. Strong, pretty, brave, young. From the first day Arlo and Anatoly bundled you in, I admire you.”
At that point, I wasn’t sure if she was trying to console me or be sarcastic. Possibly a bit of both, but none of it was helping.
I scoffed. “You’re young, too,andpretty. And we’re both stuck here, so there’s not much difference between us.”
Anna gave an airy laugh. “You are twenty-two, no? I think I have seen life more than you, and I am not stuck. I work here, for the king.”
When I snorted, she laughed. “Tell me. You look like you have a lot on your mind. Share?”
She was right. I had many thoughts running through my mind, but I would have started by saying I deeply missed my dad. I missed having a normal life, where things were ordinary and sometimes boring, and I knew Mila as the innocent, scorned colleague who was timely with my cup of macchiato every morning and not as the woman who’d betrayed me and John.
It hurt.
God, it hurt so much.
I tried to fill my mind with other thoughts to numb the pain.
If I could turn back the hands of time, I’d have never gotten involved in the Yezhov case.
Anna was still patiently waiting for feedback, so I faced her.
“How can you work for a man like him? A man so dangerous, dark, and evil.” I clenched my teeth, feeling the anger return. “Despicable. He’s an asshole—the biggest asshole I’ve ever met—and you’re, like, the nicest person here. Although you haven’t been very chatty up until now, it’s clear you have a good heart.”
A sad smile curved her lips, and the brush slowly went down my hair. “You would not understand.Korol…he is not that bad. I was stray. Sixteen, alone, on the streets of Moscow. And, if you know anything about the streets of Moscow, you’d know it is no place for a teenage girl. He pick me up, offer me job. Plus, a bed and house to stay in with his family, and never even one day, you know…touch me.Korolshow me respect. I show him respectand gratitude, too. I marry at twenty-one. He help me and my husband. We work for him, for long now.”
Hearing her reminded me of the horror Anatoly had gone through, and it made me wonder if his story was similar to hers, about Egor being generous enough to show kindness. Was it something he was even capable of?
The blank look on my face must have told her I wasn’t buying it. She gave an apologetic smile and shook her head.
“Forgetkorolfor a minute. Think about baby.” She smiled at me and, in a fleeting moment, appeared a lot younger. The pure joy reaching up to her eyes was genuine. “Me? I have two babies. Eisley and Andra. The sweetest things you would meet. I remember first pregnancy, with Eisley. There were, uh,” her tongue clicked, like she was thinking of how best to explain it, “good and bad sides. Pregnancy changes a woman. Sometimes, it is pleasant. Sometimes, it is not. With Andra, the process was more bearable. I didn’t retch much.”
“You mean morning sickness?” I encouraged her.
“Ya!” She laughed, sounding cute. It made me relax and watch her as she started putting my hair in a braided pigtail. “That part, I never liked. But Alexei, my husband, was supportive. Don’t think too much. You might enjoy the process.”
She was trying to be positive, but I wasn’t seeing anything positive about being pregnant withhischild. As far as I was concerned, this was a curse, and the rest of my life was doomsday.
“You’ve done nothing but prove me right, Anna. You’re strong, stronger than I ever thought myself to be. You’ve faced so many terrible things, and look at you, seeing a bright side to a situation as grim as this one. I don’t know how you do it, but....”
My voice broke, and a teardrop spilled from my eye. I wiped it away with a sniffle.
“I’m not ready. I’m not ready for this responsibility.” I twisted on the seat, glancing at her over my shoulder. “He would have killed me, Anna, if it weren’t for your timely intervention. I would be gone, wasted, and he’d have discarded me like filth. I don’t...I don’t deserve any of this, not his cruel treatment toward me or any of that.”
Before Anna could say another word, speaking of the devil, he barged right in, with one hand stuck in his pocket, and ordered Anna to leave.
Obedient as she was, she nodded, shot me an encouraging glance, and shut the door behind her.
I moved as far away from him as possible, and he assessed me with a guarded expression. Today, he was calmer and more chill, like the first time we met, but he didn’t wear a smug grin or a smile. Meaning he was still pissed. And so was I.
“Have you come here to try and kill me again?”
Egor raised a brow as if I’d said the most stupid thing and then went on to say, “On the contrary, no. If I wanted you dead, I would have done that yesterday. Lucky for you, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Lucky for me. What, then, have you decided?”
