“When you and Anzhelina were in danger, my choice was between you and the Bratva. If I could go back, I know exactly what I’d choose. It’s easy. I would protect the two of you with my life. I would…” I bite the inside of my cheeks until I taste blood. “This is different. I’m choosing between my son and my—his mother. I can’t choose them both. I can’t save them both.”
The rain lets up for the first time in an hour. It’s a persistent drizzle now. A few stars even peek out between the clouds. Whatever bubble I was in bursts. The world comes back into focus and I stand up.
My pants are soaked, hanging low on my hips. Blood drips down my finger into the mud.
“I don’t know why I came here,” I say, talking only to myself now. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
I can hear the rain. It’s making m
