I stare at it with hostility.
Andrev always thought of me as the whipping boy and often called me it to my face.
What I wouldn’t have given to exchange places with him back then, even once. To watch the fear on his face as Father raised the whip in the seconds before Andrev felt his skin explode in pain.
This world isn’t fair. It never has been.
What guts me the most is knowing Andrev understood the importance of our work. He met the girls and could put a face to the suffering we were trying to ease. And, yet…to cover his tracks, he brought down not only me but the good doctor. He even destroyed the very facility he had volunteered to help.
There is no greater betrayal.
I think back to how he insisted the Bratva was responsible, and how he’d personally seen me off at the airport, undoubtedly grateful I was leaving.
Did he honestly think I would never find out?
I have to laugh, though. Andrev was only able to steal two million rubles because the account was limited. The money will prove cold comfort in the years ahead.
I hope it was worth it.
Since he stole such a relatively small amount, I assume my other brothers were not involved. I can’t see Andrev sharing it with them, but I don’t trust any of them.
Now that I know the truth, I have to make a decision about Andrev.
I stare at the pole while I formulate my plan.
I will not press charges. Not because I am merciful, but because it would only hurt me in the end. If the media were to catch wind that my brother stole the money and was the one responsible for assassinating my character, I would become the laughingstock of Moscow.
I have suffered enough!
While I want nothing more to do with Andrev, I cannot forget Natalia or the children. They are innocent pawns in this crime.
The stipend is meant for them, so I will continue to pay it.
Rather than have Andrev arrested and dragged to jail, I will leave him to raise his family and wonder if and when the ax will fall.
Once my decision is made, I go on a drive to hunt him down.
I find him at a bar, drinking with his friends.
Andrev looks shocked when I enter the establishment.
I smile, wanting to ease his guilty soul—for the moment.
“Come, have a drink with me while I buy a round for your friends,” I tell him.
I plunk down money on the counter and ask for a bottle and two shot glasses while the waitress refills his friends’ glasses.
Sitting at a small table in the corner, I smirk at Andrev as I pour the vodka.
His buddies hold up their glasses to me, shouting, “Za vas!”
I smile and nod at them.
Andrev laughs as he watches his friends, then turns to me. I can see the shadow of worry in his eyes. “I’m surprised to see you back so soon from America.”
I grin, pushing his glass toward him. “I’m a Russian. I had to come back.”
Holding up my glass, I say loudly so everyone can hear, “Here’s to brotherhood!”
“To brotherhood,” he chants, clinking his glass against mine.
I purposely let the shot glass slip from my fingers the moment our glasses make contact, and I watch as the vodka spills all over the table.
“Let me clean that up for you, Rytsar Durov,” a waitress nearby insists while she runs over to hastily mop it up with a towel.
Once she leaves, I look Andrev directly in the eyes.
“I know what you did.”
His smile suddenly falters.
I tell him in a low voice full of venom, “Some things in life can never be forgiven.”
All color drains from his face.
Standing up, I clap him on the shoulder, digging my fingers into his skin with a vice-like grip hard enough to leave bruises. I smile when I hear his pathetic whimper.
To everyone in the bar, I announce, “Andrev just offered to buy the next three rounds to ring in the new year.”
I walk out amid a din of enthusiastic cheers.
From this point forward, Andrev is dead to me.
I return to Vorobyevy Gory needing to feel close to Tatianna and trudge up the hill with my entourage following silently behind me.
Feeling numb and devoid of emotion, I stand at the top of the hill and scan the Moscow skyline.
Everything looks cold and bleak.
“I need you, Tatianna!” I call out, not caring when passersby stare at me.
I’ve just turned twenty-two, but I feel as if I am a hundred years old.
I have lost everything—my soulmate, my mother, the facility, and any chance of connecting with my family.
There is nothing to hold me to Russia…
But this is the Motherland. The place of my birth, and the burial place of the women I loved.
I stand on the hill, needing to feel a connection but, after an hour of deafening silence, the sun begins to set with its brilliant colors filling the sky.
I am left to face the sad realization there is nothing for me here.
I turn to face Moscow State University with tears in my eyes, remembering how excited Tatianna was to attend there.
“You had so much ahead of you, Tatianna. You would have changed the world, my love.”
Turning away, I start down the hill, feeling a dark chill seep into my soul.
A sparrow catches my eye. I follow it with my gaze as it flies toward the majestic building of the university.
“Vorobyshek…”
The moment I say her name out loud, it feels as if a bolt of electricity shoots through me, and goosebumps rise on my skin.
Nosaka mentioned there were many paths to the same goal, and I suddenly understand my path has been in front of me this entire time.
I have the power to make Tatianna’s lifelong dream come true…
Heading back down the hill, I call Titov.
“Meet me at the apartment.”
The long trek back nearly drives me insane as Igor weaves his way through the gridlocked traffic of Moscow. Now that I know the path I need to take, I am impatient to begin.
I find Titov waiting for me when I enter my apartment.
“What’s wrong, gospodin?”
“Nothing is wrong,” I tell him, unable to contain my excitement. “I just visited Vorobyevy Gory.”
“And…?”
“Tatianna planned to graduate from Moscow State University.”
“I know this,” he states impatiently.
“Do you remember the subject she wanted to get her Master’s Degree in?”
“Linguistics. She always had a talent for words, even as a child.”
I nod. “And why did Tatianna want to become a linguist?”
I see the pain in his eyes when he answers. “My sister was passionate about preserving the Russian languages.”
“Exactly!” I smile excitedly.
My heart beats faster as I explain, “We can attract the top linguistic talents in Russia with grants and scholarships. We will have them travel to every corner of our Motherland to preserve the unique languages and customs of our people.”
Now that he understands, I watch with satisfaction as a smile spreads across his face.
Closing my eyes, my vision unfolds as I tell him, “I see a majestic building housing a museum and a library. Tatianna wanted to create a wealth of knowledge to be shared with the world and future generations. We will build such a place and name it in her honor.”
His eyes flash with excitement. “Yes, gospodin!”