Page 17

Before I can ask what's distracting him, my question is answered. A delighted shriek cuts through the air, and my gaze is drawn to the far side of the pool. There, surrounded by a swarm of small children, is my husband.

Agafon is on his hands and knees on the grass with a toddler on his back and two more hanging off his arms. He looks different, having swapped his usual suit for a pair of chinos and a white button-down with the sleeves, get this, rolled up to his elbows.

I’ve never seen him look this casual, this … joyful.

As I watch, he lets out a theatrical roar and collapses to the ground, sending the children into fits of giggles.

“Those are Bogdan's business partner's kids,” Tatiana explains, following my gaze. “Plus a couple of distant nieces and nephews. Agafon's always been their favorite.”

I can't stop staring at this laughing, playful. The sun catches in his black hair as he sits up with a small girl perched on his shoulders, her tiny hands covering his eyes as he pretends to stumble around blindly.

I feel a warmth creep through me at the sight, find myself thinking of my husband in an entirely new light. I don’t know just yet what this sight of him makes me feel, but something’s shifted.

Katya turns to me with a bright smile. “Come on, let's get you a drink!”

I tear my gaze away from my husband, who still hasn't noticed my arrival. Maybe it's better that way. Let him enjoy himself without having to put his guard up around me.

The sisters lead me straight to the bar. From a distance, I spot Faddey. He notices me and raises a glass in my direction. I wave back with a smile. I don’t know where the rest of Agafon’s brothers are, but in this huge party, I’m sure I’ll bump into them at some point.

To my surprise, we see Bogdan standing at the bar, getting a refill for himself. He looks positively surprised when he sees me and breaks into a smile.

“You came!” he roars with exuberance and pulls me into a bear hug, much like Nikolai did earlier, lifting me off my feet. The similarity makes me smile. “Welcome, welcome!”

“Thanks for having me,” I say when he sets me down. “It's quite a party.”

“Some of us like to live it up,” Bogdan winks. He turns to the bartender. “Get these ladies whatever they want, Rury.” He squeezes my shoulder before moving away to greet someone calling his name from across the terrace.

“Three mimosas,” Tatiana tells the bartender.

As we wait for our drinks, I find myself scanning the crowd again. “Is Melor here?” I ask, trying to remember which of Agafon's brothers I haven't spotted yet.

“Working,” Katya says. “He practically lives at the office.”

“Rurik?”

“Over there,” Tatiana points to him standing near the beer pong table.

“Oh, right,” I squint against the sun, and suddenly, in this moment, I know there’s no better time than now to ask the question that’s been haunting me. Right now, the question would seem organic, without an agenda.

I hesitate before asking, “And Nikandr?”

The sisters exchange a quick look that I almost miss. The bartender places our drinks in front of us, and I take a sip of mine, acting casual.

“Nikandr doesn't come to family gatherings,” Katya finally says, her voice restrained as though she’s reciting a fact.

“Why not?” I press. “Is he working too?”

Tatiana shakes her head. “Nikandr left the family a few years ago.”

This catches me off guard. “Left? As in...?”

“As in walked away from everything,” Katya elaborates. “The business, the family, all of it.”

“No one knows exactly why,” Tatiana adds quickly. “Agafon kept the reasons private. Said it was between him and Nikandr.”

“And then Agafon decided to marry you,” Katya says cautiously. “Which was... unexpected.”

I feel a prickle of unease, realizing that, of course, his family has some inkling of what happened with Agafon and me. For some reason, I naively believed they didn’t know of my existence.

But of course, I don’t plan to sit here and enter this conversation. I am curious about why Agafon left, but that conversation doesn’t seem appropriate to have. Not after what Katya said about how unexpected they thought Agafon and our union was.

To me, though, the marriage is nothing more than a strategic move after Mark killed Charlie.

I want to press further and explain our marriage, but this is a conversation for somewhere more private.

“I think I need another drink,” I say, pointing at my glass.

“Me too!” says Tatiana, and just like that, the topic changes.

“Oh, by the way.” Katya brightens, “This is a pool party, after all. Did you bring a swimsuit?”

“I didn't know I was coming until an hour ago,” I remind her.

“We can lend you one,” Tatiana offers. “We have plenty always kept handy for guests.”

“Sure,” I say to the sisters. “Why not?”

As I follow them inside, my mind churns with new questions. What really happened with Nikandr? Why did he leave the family? And most importantly, will Agafon ever be as open with me if I ask?

I have a feeling the answers won't come easily. Something tells me he’ll simply shut me down.