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They drag Kirill down the corridor. He keeps talking, begging, swearing he didn’t hurt Anya, but nobody answers him. His voice fades after they turn the corner.
For a moment, no one moves. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
Is it true? Did Kirill put the charm there? Did he help someone get near Anya? Did he know about the party? About the car? About all of it?
I try to make the pieces fit, but they keep slipping. Kirill lied about the pool. That much is clear.
But then I remember Irina on the phone. Her voice low, her back turned, the words I have not been able to stop hearing.
No, you couldn’t get to her at the party. That’s not my fault.
I couldn’t do anything once Nikolai arrived.
Just stay away for now.
I look at Irina.
She is standing near the window, arms folded tightly, eyes fixed on the corridor where Kirill disappeared. She doesn’t look relieved. She doesn’t look shocked.
She looks angry. Then she turns and sees me watching her.
The door to the medical area opens.
A doctor steps out first, with the nurse behind him. He is the same doctor who took Anya in when we arrived, his sleeves rolled up, a smear of antiseptic near one cuff. Nikolai turns before the man can say his name.
“How is she?” he asks.
“She’s awake,” the doctor says. “She’s frightened and confused, which is expected after a head injury, but she is responding. The scan doesn’t show bleeding inside the skull. She has a cut on her forehead that needs stitches, and we will keep her under observation.”
Galina makes a sound and sits down hard.
I press a hand to my mouth.
Anya is awake.
“Can we see her?” Nikolai asks.
“Yes,” the doctor says. “But one person at a time for now. She’s overwhelmed, and we want to keep her calm.”
“She asked for Papa,” the nurse adds gently.
Nikolai is already moving.
I move too. I don’t even think about it. Anya is awake, and frightened, and I need to see her with my own eyes.
That’s when Irina catches my wrist.
“No,” she says.
I look down at her hand on me. Her fingers are tight enough to hurt. “Let go.”
“She asked for her father.”
“I know.”
“Then let him go.”
“I’m not stopping him.”
