That comment poured cold water over Elena and she wiggled out of my grip. “You’re both too nosey for your own good,” Elena said stiffly. “And I have no intention of getting a c-section ever again.”
“Fuck, Elena, come on.” Roman put a hand to his stomach. “I just ate.”
She shrugged, looking like she couldn’t give less of a shit. “Sucks to be you, I guess.”
Their banter didn’t distract me from the mysteries that still hung in the air.
Them or you, Elena?
Why had Tatiana’s men been hunting Elena? How did Tatiana know Elena was saved by us and living with us once again–though the answer to that was quite obvious. What had spurred Elena into disappearing into the woods; had it just been the fear of Tatiana’s men?
Elena met my gaze across the room.
You have secrets, I told her. And I intend to discover every single one of them.
She looked away, her reply going unsaid.
A glass of orange juice caught my eye on the edge of the bench. It was still full to the rim, but there was something dark inside if it. I grabbed it, sticking my fingers in and clutching the object inside. Perhaps one of the kids had been playing around.
It wasn’t a toy.
It was Danika’s phone, now drowned within an inch of its life. Roman didn’t look at me but I knew how the phone had ended up at the bottom of the glass.
Part Two –
Konstantin’s Poison.
“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit.
You choose.”
– Solomon.
16
Elena Falcone
A few days after the call from Tatiana, Roksana and Evva sought me out. Niko and I were lying on the grass, basking in the rare December sun when they approached.
“Hi Auntie Lena, hi Niko!”
Niko lifted his head, grinning in delight. “Hi Evva!”
I tapped his shoulder. “And hello Auntie Roksy.”
He blushed. “Hi, Auntie Roksy.”
“Hi, Nikolai, hi Elena.” Roksana sent me a gentle smile. “Evva wanted to ask something.” She stroked her daughter’s hair, which was separated into two little ponytails.
Evva sent me a sweet shy smile, swinging on her heels. “Can…can…” She glanced at her mother before looking back to me. “Can Niko come see the horseys? With Daddy.”
“Horseys?” I kept my voice soft when speaking to Evva. Out of everyone at the estate, she was in my favorite top three.
She nodded rapidly. “Baz, Odessa…”
“Artyom is going down to the stables to see the horses and taking Evva,” Roksana explained. “She wanted to know if Nikolai wanted to come.”
My son leaped to his feet, not wanting for my response. “Yes, yes.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t think…”
Nikolai and Evva both turned to me, expressions dropping as they heard the reluctance in my tone.
“Oh, please, Mama!”
“No Niko?” Evva looked like she was going to cry. “Please, Auntie Lena. Please, please!”
Nikolai wasn’t as polite as Artyom’s daughter. “I wanna go,” he whined. “Pleeease. I wanna see the horseys.”
I sent Roksana a look. Having Evva ask me in front of Niko had been a very calculated move, and one I was the victim of. She just gave me a small shrug, feigning innocence.
I sighed over the sounds of the toddlers’ pleas. “Okay, you can go.”
“Thank you!” Niko went to flee but I caught his wrists.
“You behave for Artyom,” I warned, meeting his eyes. There was too much excitement in his expression–he wasn’t listening to a word I said. “Do you hear me, Nikolai? I don’t want to hear about you getting into or causing any trouble. If I do…” I sent him a warning look.
Niko nodded. “Okay, Mama.”
“Artyom’s okay with both of them?” I asked Roksana as the two fled across the grass, giggling manically.
Artyom was walking to one of the vehicles but caught them both, warning them to be careful around the gravel. Both whined but listened, slowing to a bouncy walk. At least I trusted Artyom to watch Niko; I would never let Roman watch him. The two of them would set the estate ablaze.
“More than okay,” Roksana said and then added offhandedly, “It’s good practice.”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Are you planning your second?”
Roksana’s smile was private. “We are.” Her grey eyes fluttered to me, her gaze as soft as a butterfly’s touch. “We want Evva to have some siblings. I want four but Artyom wants two.” She titled her head to the side, amusement glinting. “I guess we’ll see who prevails.”
I wonder how many kids Konstantin wants?
The thought came to me like a slap in the face, rendering me incapacitated for a few seconds.
“I think Evva needs a sister,” Roksana was saying. “There’s so many boys.” She fell silent for a few seconds. “Well, there was meant to be another girl.”
Her words fell over me, cloaking me in sadness. There was meant to be another girl…a little bit older than Nikolai.
My heart clenched painfully.
When I looked at Roksana, I knew she was feeling the same thing. Two mothers mourning a child we had never held but whom we still felt in the air around us. Before Nikolai, I had felt horrible about her death, but now as someone with a child? Now as a parent? My grief could not be accurately described, could not be conveyed. There were no words.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Sisters are nice.”
Neither of us had sisters but we both agreed, happy to change the topic.
“What are you up to today?” Roksana asked.
I glanced briefly at the exterior of the house. “Just going to relax.”
“You mean avoid Konstantin.” She didn’t sound smug or cruel–in fact, Roksana sounded like she understood. “He returns soon.”
“How soon?”
She smiled lightly. “Soon enough.” Wind caught her hair, sweeping the white-blond strands into the air. “Do you want to join me at the banya? I’m going there for some peace and quiet, so you have to promise to be quiet.” Her eyes twinkled.
I laughed but didn’t agree straightaway. “What if there is a problem with Nikolai? He doesn’t know Artyom very well.”
“We won’t be faraway, and Nikolai will be fine. He is not an anxious child.”
My boy wasn’t anxious at all. He had probably forgotten all about me already, delighted with the horses and new things to climb. It was more likely that there was a problem with Artyom and him taking on more than he could swallow. After all, Evva had a much better temperament than Nikolai...and a lot more common sense. Niko might eat Artyom alive.
I smiled at Roksana. “You know what? I would love to join you. I’ve been looking for some peace and quiet myself lately.”
Steam so thick you could barely see your hand stretched out in front of you rose from the floor. Women milled around, the lull of chatter the soothing backdrop to a long soak in the baths. Roksana and I found a near empty one at the back, both stripping our bathrobes and sinking deep into the water.