Chapter 120

I turned to see her, hesitant. Elena was smiling peacefully, as always, with her trusty nurse’s arms wrapped around the sleepy bundle that was her daughter. Mirko, with his eyes fixed on the rain that hit the glass, came closer to me and rested his head on my hip, with a listless gesture. We had already had dinner and I was just waiting for that torrential downpour to cut us off so we could get back to the safe house. I cleared my throat before shaking my head:

“I don’t want to bother, we have a place to stay in Moscow. I appreciate it, but—”

“I can’t let you leave in this weather,” she insisted to me, in a sad tone. “It’s very dangerous to drive like that. Please stay, there is room for everyone.”

Rejecting an invitation is very rude in my country, and much more between relatives.

Sasha settled on my shoulder, yawning, and began twirling her hair between her fingers. I had no excuse, so I accepted and followed Elena upstairs. Irina’s room was painted in soft