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And then proceeds to hand me a small shopping bag. Inside is a brand-new phone. Beneath it lies a black card.

“Mr. Sokolov asked me to give these to you,” Dmitri says. “The phone has already been set up. The card is yours to use for whatever you need.”

I blink. “Whatever I need?”

He nods. “And whenever you leave the estate, I will accompany you.”

For a moment, I simply stare at the card in my hand. He’s not locking me inside this mansion the way Papa did. It’s strangely freeing.

By the third day, I’ve grown tired of wandering the house. If I’m going to be here, I need something to do.

I need to pick up a few more paint supplies before I can really make use of the studio. But before I leave, I decide to call home. I haven’t spoken to Dante or Audrey since I arrived in Chicago.

Dante doesn’t answer, so I leave him a short message instead.

Then I call Audrey. She picks up almost immediately.

“Aurora?”

“Hey.”

“Oh, thank God.” She exhales loudly. “I’ve been so worried. How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Really?”

I glance out the window. “Better than I expected.”

There’s a brief silence.

“How is Roman treating you?”

I think about the art studio, the phone, the card, his absence. I still don’t understand him.

“Honestly…” I say slowly, “he isn’t as bad as we thought.”

Audrey doesn’t say anything.

“He kept his promise,” I continue. “He built me an art studio.”

Her laugh is soft with disbelief. “Well… that’s wonderful.”

“It is.” I hesitate before asking, “How are you? How’s Papa treating you?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I’m worried about you, not me.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“I’ll always worry about you.”

A lump forms in my throat. “I really am okay.”

Another pause.