Page 80 of The Darkness is Calling

“It has to do with everything.”

“You’re starting to scare me...”

I try to soothe her with a slightly forced smile, but I also place my other palm over our already joined hands.

“I’ll find a solution.”

She exhales heavily, her shoulders sinking.

“When is Oliver coming back?”

I close my eyes and squeeze my lids shut, then answer when I meet her blue gaze again.

“Next week.”

“Right after your recital?”

“Two days after.”

“It seems very strange to me that he couldn’t come at all during this whole period, especially with the wedding so close.”

I ignore the discomfort I feel the moment I remember the wedding, but at the same time, I also remember Artem’s words about that very subject.

Will we truly find a way to get me out of the wedding I am increasingly certain I don’t want?

“That was the idea. For him to finish all his delegations before the wedding, so afterward we can enjoy the honeymoon without being interrupted.” “Yeah... Pizdets10.”

“You can say that again.”

“Have you spoken to him lately?”

“Only a few messages and short phone calls. Nothing relevant or important. He’s in a different time zone, and we haven’t managed to sync.”

“Such a wonderful relationship, what can I say...”

“I’m telling you again: it’s like this during this period because he wants to resolve everything before the wedding. With my father’s death, we had to make some changes for now, but after the wedding, he says we’ll be like before.”

The truth is that, until a month ago, things were not this cold. We saw each other much more often, spoke almost every day, and Oliver often surprised me with unannounced visits to the gallery just to bring me a bouquet of flowers.

That is exactly why now, when the situation forces us to keep our distance, I do not blame a cooling of his feelings, but the circumstances that make everything unfold a little differently.

And precisely now, I am throwing myself headfirst into a dangerous affair with a Pakhan who makes my heart beat hard and my body feel indescribable pleasures.

“I still don’t like it. He should be beside you, keeping you in love with him, or at least helping the two of you grow closer before the wedding. You’re becoming more like strangers with every passing day, even though in the beginning the relationship seemed more romantic.”

I nod because she is right, but I see it differently... especially after what happened last night.

“To be honest with you, I think I need this break from him. It helps me sort out my thoughts.”

“Your thoughts about what?”

“Shut up,” I scold her weakly.

“My magical intuition tells me your mood has to do with someone. Today you came in here all bright and cheerful, and now you’re relieved Oliver isn’t looking for you.”

She knows me so well it scares me sometimes.

“Don’t push it, Oksana,” I warn her, though I smile at her.