But then I remember Eliana’s hand finding mine on that suburban sidewalk and the delight in her eyes as I guided her fingers to the petals of a yellow rose. I remember her laugh when I took that knife to the pullout couch, that startled, incredulous sound, like she couldn’t believe I was real. I remember the way she said, You’re the father, with her chin lifted and her shoulders squared. Like she expected me to run.
I’m not f*****g running now.
It’s not even a whisper, but it detonates in the warehouse like I just dropped a f*****g nuke.
Aleksei’s eyebrow arches. “Excuse me?”
A vein throbs on his forehead. “You understand what you’re refusing, yes? What you’ll suffer if you turn this down? Prison, Semyon. Disgrace. Your child growing up with a father—”
“—who fought for them.” I meet
