He laughs softly. “Sorry, wrong choice of word,” he corrects. “Let’s stick with, ‘Go ahead.’”
“What was Marisha like?” I ask as delicately as I can.
Cillian’s expression doesn’t change, but I can tell he’s surprised that I’m asking him at all.
“You’re better off asking Artem,” he says evasively.
“Marisha was… She was lovely,” he admits. “I liked her a lot.”
“Was she cut out for this life?” I ask, feeling my throat constrict just a little.
“No one’s really cut out for this life,” he says. “It chooses most of us. After that, there’s no going back.”
“How did the life choose her?” I’m stroking my belly again and again. I don’t dare to meet his eyes.
“Well, she fell in love with Artem,” Cillian replies. “She had no choice after that. If she wanted him, she had to accept the baggage he c
