Chapter 81

TESSA

I know I’m screwed before I even check the caller ID.

But when I do, I take a deep breath, let the self-pity simmer, and force my voice into something that sounds like warmth. “Yes? Tessa speaking.”

“Of course it’s you. Whose number did I dial, if not yours?” My mother’s voice slices through the line, sharp and annoying all at once. I tilt my head back, staring at the ceiling of my home office, hoping God gives me strength or strikes the phone tower down. “Твой отец тоже был не очень умным, жаль, что ты пошла в него.”

(Your father wasn’t very smart either. It’s a pity you take after him.)

That gets a crooked smile out of me. “Ой, мама, это ты?”

(Oh, Mum, is that you?)

“Taisiya Ivanovna Orlova.”

“Wow, the full government name. We’re serious today.” I mutter while turning back to my laptop, where Liam’s latest Instagram post is still up. One picture of Emilia stirring something on a stove. Another of her curled up against him, nose