“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can think to say. Every time the topic of Yulian’s family comes up, I feel like a bull in a china shop, allthose broken shards cracking loudly under my feet.
“Don’t be.” Yulian’s tone is casual, but I can tell it’s just practice. A pain like that never goes away, no matter how long it’sbeen. It’s the one thing no nurse or doctor can fix. “And I thought I said I didn’t want to hear those words from you anymore.”
That drags a smile out of me. “Fine. Then I’ll say something else.”
“Thank you.” I squeeze his hand. “For being so patient. For being here, tonight, despite everything else you’ve got going on.”
“Don’t say ‘nothing,’” I catch him. “That’s my rule.”
He fixes me with his CEO glare. A soft version of it, anyway. “You’ve gotten bossier lately.”
“Been learni
