Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I.

“You found me.”
“I did.”
“Congratulations.”
It had been two years, one month, fifteen days and eight hours since they had last talked. Although standing next to each other, it felt like it was yesterday.
Eve looked around her surroundings and wondered how they had ended up in a remote village in Russia whose name she couldn’t even pronounce. She didn’t know how much land it was but, the estate spread as far as the eye could see. The house was reflecting sunlight like a prism, shimmering like a gem in the distance.
The fact that one of history's deadliest assassins is an architectural wizard made her feel a certain amount of pride.
“You shouldn’t have come.”
Eve turned her head to see her staring ahead. Her face hadn’t changed much, if at all, but there was a significant amount of calmness. She leaned against the table with relaxed shoulders, fingers crossed in front of her. She had left her hair untied, and it was gently being swept back and forth by the wind.
“Well, you shouldn’t have fabricated your death.”
“That was not supposed to be a known detail to anyone who wasn’t a part of it. You weren’t a part of it.”, she replied without moving her eyes from the view.
Eve took a deep breath to quiet the anger that was fighting to the surface.
“You should’ve known better to try and hide things from me.”
She turned her head for the first time in the past hour to look at Eve;
“I made a deal, Eve.”
“A terrible one.”
“I was losing gallons of blood. I think I did okay under pressure.”
“There was enough time for you to tell me before you ‘bled to death.’”, she replied with emphasis on the last part.
“Technically speaking, I bled to death in the hospital. You weren’t there.”
“Only because they told me you died on the way to the hospital.”
She let out a long breath, “How long are we going to do this, Eve? I’m hungry.”
That put the ounce of tolerance Eve had down the drain,
“We are going to do this till you tell me why you let me think you were dead?”
“Eve…’,
“No…’, Eve interrupted, ‘…you let me believe you were dead. You let me live with the pain. I…’, her voice broke, she closed her eyes and turned away.
Before anybody could say anything else, Eve felt a hand on her forearm. She opened her eyes to see the young boy standing in front of her,
“Would you like to play?” he asked softly and pointed to the football game playing in the background.
Eve had witnessed many things, but the horror of Konstantin, Carolyn, Irina running around a ball, which they can’t seem to take from Pytor, was the most absurd and hilarious thing she had ever seen.
“We’re odd, and they’re terrible. You’re American; you know how to play, right?” he spoke very politely but with a hint of excitement and a tiny smile. It reminded Eve a lot of the smile of the person standing next to her, whose she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Eve smiled, “I haven’t been an American for a long time….”
His smile went down a little, so Eve decided to give in; What’s the worse could happen?
“…but, I think I still remember how to kick a ball.”, she added with a hopeful smile.
The boy beamed widely and tugged on her arm. Eve turned to look at her,
“We will continue this discussion in a minute.”
“I doubt it.”, she replied with a knowing smile, “братья play with their own rules, and according to them, one of the teams must make ten goals to win the game.”
Eve’s eyes opened wide as she was dragged away and heard a laugh from the woman beside her.
Eve felt a knot untie in her chest at that sound, and suddenly, it was all worth it.

Chapter Text

II.

“You are a terrible boss.”
“I told you when you made the deal, I would try my best, and I did.”
Carolyn looked up from her task of setting the table for dinner to see her leaning against the kitchen wall.
“Your best wasn’t good enough. She found this house in less than three years.”
Carolyn smiled, “You of all people should know, Oksana; Eve is a force to reckon with, and when she sets her mind to something, not a lot can stop her.”
She turned her head to look outside the glass windows and saw Eve running around with her brothers and realised that she could stand there and look at her forever. She had missed her. She had missed her very much.
“You shouldn’t have brought her here.”, she said to Carolyn, who had moved to the kitchen and was opening the number of pizza boxes that were gracing the counter.
“Do you like pineapple on pizza? Frankly, I don't get it. Why can’t we leave two groups of food on their own? Why…’,
“You made a mistake by bringing her here.”, she interrupted.
Carolyn smiled softly, “I didn’t bring her. She brought me.”
“What?”
“We didn't let her see a body, and she had been suspicious ever since. So, two weeks ago, she tracked me down and blackmailed me into getting her here off the record.”
“Does that mean..’,
“Eve Polastri has vanished from the face of the earth.”
The silence lasted a few seconds before laughter bounced in the room as Eve and company entered.
The young boy ran over to his sister with excitement, “Eve has been to an actual stadium for a football match, сестра. Did you know that?”
“I did not.”, she answered with a smile of her own.
“Can we go?” he asked quietly.
Before she could reply, Carolyn interrupted;
“Who’s hungry?”

❧

The dinner was the most lively the house had ever been. The conversations were random but light and always ended with laughter.
Both women avoided eye contact with each other, only exchanging polite smiles at anything funny. When dinner ended, Konstantin and Carolyn shared a look and within minutes the room was emptied, leaving the couple behind standing in awkward silence and dirty dishes.
Eve handed her a dry cloth and turned towards the sink.
They silently washed and dried the dishes, occasionally glancing at each other when their hands would barely brush.
After they cleared everything, they made their way to the adjoining room, whose walls were covered in books and their strange family had started a game of Charades.
Both of them stood by the entrance and watched for a few minutes, feeling the same sense of gratitude for how much they had ended up with, despite all they had done.
“Do you want to join?” Eve asked quietly.
Oksana shook her head, “Not yet. Do you want to go for a walk?”
Eve nodded, and as the two of them made their way out, the strange family stopped the game and peeped out the window.

Chapter Text

III.

“How’s moustache?” Oksana asked, five minutes into their slow, silent walk. She wrapped her coat further as she asked this, almost protecting herself from the answer.
Eve turned her head in surprise, “You want to know?”
“Is that so hard to believe?” she asked in a sober tone.
Eve felt a shiver move through her bones as they were entering a controversial territory, “Can we sit somewhere? The jet lag is starting to give out.”
Oksana nodded, “Sure. Just ahead” she pointed somewhere to the left and started walking in the direction.
Eve followed and, in less than a minute, found herself standing in front of a medium-size gazebo. Before she could comment, the lights turned on and took away Eve’s breath. It was entirely made of glass, like a giant snow globe.
“Wow…’, she turned her head to see a slight smile on Oksana’s face, ‘…it’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”, came the quiet, shy reply.
“I mean it. It’s amazing. Did you make it?”
Oksana nodded, “I couldn’t hire workers so, the three of us made it all by ourselves. It took a year to do the house and this but, it was fun.”
Eve stared at her with a smile and a tremendous amount of pride;
“That’s amazing. You're amazing.”
Oksana turned to open the door for her, “ Please.”
Eve entered the dome and smiled, “Did you buy all the bean bags in Russia?”, she asked gesturing towards the room where the bright coloured furniture was scattered across the floor.
“What? They're comfortable and affordable and, did you see the colours?”
Eve laughed out and threw herself on one of them, “They are comfortable.”
“Told you.”, she sat down slowly on the one opposite and let out a breath of relief. Eve noticed that and couldn't stop herself from asking;
“Is your leg okay?”
Oksana gave a tight nod, “It’ll be alright.”
Eve nodded in response, and both of them fell silent. For all the things they wanted to say to each other, the words had escaped them both.
“Eve...”
“Oksana...”
They both started at the same time and smiled at each other;
“May I ?”
Eve nodded and braced herself;
“You look great.”
Eve laughed, “What?”
“I’ve been wanting to say that since I saw you this morning but, I didn’t know if I could.”
Eve felt an ache in her chest, “There is nothing you can’t say to me, Oksana.”
She replied with a smile, and Eve wanted to see more of it, “You look great too, by the way. Like always.” She emphasised by pointing up and down at her outfit, “Only you can make a simple pant-shirt look like a million dollars.”
They still had a lot to talk about but, as her smile grew a little, it took every inch of self-control Eve had to stop herself from taking her into her arms. They sat in a few moments of comfortable silence before Oksana nodded and explained.
“I was going to come back for you. That was the plan. I was going to buy this place, find Borka and Piotr, and I was going to come back for you, but couldn't.”
Eve frowned, “What do you mean, you couldn’t?”
“That’s the deal. I can't leave this property. Ever. A life in exile in exchange for your immunity and my brother's safety. They ‘forgot’ to tell me that I won’t be able to get to you after…”
Eve sat up straight, “And you accepted?”
“What was I supposed to do? I knew I couldn't last without the surgery, and if I died, they would have killed you too. I was trying to do my best for you, Eve.”
“By leaving me behind?!” Eve retorted with anger.
“I didn't leave you behind, Eve...’, she replied calmly, ‘...I was trying to make sure you were safe. And that meant I had to make sure you wouldn't find me.”
Even sighed, “Why couldn't you tell me?”
Oksana frowned, “Are you losing your hearing?”
Eve got up, “I heard you, and I'm still asking.”
She fumbled for an answer, unable to comprehend what to say;
“It was you and me...’ Eve pointed behind them, ‘...and we have been through hell. We have put each other through hell. I thought we were past the lies.”
“Does it count as a lie if I did it to protect you? Or is that just a form of self-preservation? I could live in a world where you were not with me but a world where you didn't exist...’, she paused, suddenly finding herself battling emotions that hadn't surfaced in years, ‘...I have been in that world; it's not a lovely place to live.”
Eve stared at her for a few seconds, feeling the anger disperse away with every passing second. They had made it here; despite everything, she was right there in front of her.
“If I weren't extraordinarily happy to see your face, I would scream at you more.”
Oksana smiled widely, “I've told you it's a lovely face.”
Eve couldn't stop herself from laughing loudly, “Yes, it is.”
“Does that mean you've forgiven me?” Oksana asked hopefully.
Eve kneeled in front of her and gently put a hand on her cheek, “You should've realised by now. I can never be mad at you for long.”
Often the dreams Oksana had were the horrors she had inflicted upon the world, sometimes the ones on her, and very rarely, on days she was tired beyond sleep; those were the nights she dreamed of Eve. Her voice, her laugh, her eyes, they would be there as detailed as they were now and had gotten her through the past few years.
These moments they were having now were enough to last her a lifetime.
She smiled softly and placed her hand on top of Eve’s, “I really want you to remember that when I ask you to leave in the morning.”

❧

“Do you think they've killed each other?”
Konstantin asked Carolyn from his place on the couch as she continued to stare out the window at the glow of the dome in the distance.
“I understand they've tried that before. Didn't work.”, she answered back casually.
Konstantin chuckled, “Yes, I believe you're right. Did she bring you here, or did you let her?” he asked back.
Carolyn turned to face him and smiled, “You haven't seen the number of odd hours phone calls with ‘another clue to Oksana’ I endured.”
“Admit it; they've turned you soft.”
“I think it was about time, don't you?”
He got up and walked to stand next to her, facing the view, “Yes. Maybe this will help us sleep better.”
Carolyn turned to the window, “No. I don’t think anything at this point will help us with that. For everything that has happened, this will be the only decent, conclusive evidence that it was for something.”
He turned his face to look at her, “Maybe if we..’
“Don't.”, she interrupted instantly.
“Why not?”
“Because it won't change anything. We both had the power to stop it but, we didn't.”
“And people got hurt.”, he added gently.
She took a deep breath and turned her head to look at him, “And people got hurt. We put them in each other's orbit for our benefit. We didn't think of the aftermath, and we paid the price for it. You think they've made me soft, but really, I'm still doing this for my benefit.”
He smiled, “To clear the books?”
She smiled back, “Something like that. Also, I've never seen a happy ending.”

Chapter Text

IV.

Oksana was very nervous. For the past ten minutes, Eve hadn't shifted from her place by the window and hadn't spoken a single word.
She decided to give her time and space for as long as possible, but when the eleventh minute started, her tolerance ran out;
“Okay, can you at least look at me? I can't see your face, so I don't know whether you are mad at me or just enjoying the view.”
Eve didn't move or respond to that, so after another minute of silence, Oksana slowly stood up and walked to her and stopped behind her;
“Can I at least explain my reasons?” she asked softly.
Eve shifted slightly, and Oksana took it as a ‘yes’. She moved to lean against the window, so she was facing Eve;
“You shouldn't be here, Eve. This is not...”,
“I'm going to stop you right there...’ Eve interrupted her, ‘…can we do this tomorrow? I’m too tired to argue with you.”
With that, she walked out and towards the house, leaving a stunned and worried Oksana behind.

❧

Oksana walked back to the house slowly. A part of her hoped the entire day was her imagination, and the other part couldn’t wait to know what it feels like to come home to Eve.
There were many days where she missed Eve so much it rendered her unable to do anything, and each of those days, she convinced herself that it was for the best, that Eve was better off without her.
All of that hard work went down the drain the moment she saw her step out of the car that morning with a smile that made her heart skip a couple of beats.
Still, she kept her distance, and she did plan to send Eve back. If only she hadn’t seen Eve’s smile, her eyes, that hair, her voice; if she hadn't remembered what it felt like to be close to her, all this would be a lot easier.
She quietly went inside to find the house in complete silence. She made her way past the kitchen and the library and found Eve sleeping on the couch. A burden seemed to lift off her chest, and the closer she shifted, the lighter she felt. She ended up crouching beside Eve on the floor, unable to stop herself from gazing.
For a few minutes, she stayed there, watching the gentle rise and fall of Eve’s chest, then moved to the chair opposite to it. The rhythm of Eve’s breathing was enough to steer her into a dreamless sleep.

❧

A loud bang woke up Oksana from her slumber;
“What happened?!” she shouted in the general direction outside the library, still trying to wake up fully.
When no reply came, she rushed outside and found herself staring at a comical scene.
Eve and Borka were covered in what looked like a strawberry smoothie, Pytor was giggling uncontrollably in the living room, and Irina was busy making a video.
Oksana walked towards them, “What the hell happened here?”
Both Eve and her brother looked up simultaneously. For a moment, everything was silent, then both of them burst out laughing. The laughter spread through the room like wildfire, and before Oksana could do anything, the four people in the room were laughing like maniacs.
Eve tried to speak through the fits of giggles but then held up her hand to ask for another round to pass. Oksana couldn’t stop the smile that made its way to her face at sight.
“Take your time.” She grabbed a cloth and started wiping the counter. The laughter continued for another minute before Eve could reply;
“We were trying to make a smoothie…’, she paused to take a deep breath, ‘…and we forgot to put the lid on.”
Oksana’s smile grew further, “No kidding.”
Eve grinned widely at that and grabbed another cloth;
“Borka, honey, go clean up…’, he nodded and went inside; then she turned to the other two, ‘…and you both go wait outside; unless you plan on helping?”
In less than ten seconds, the only ones left were Eve and Oksana.
“Remind me never to let you in the kitchen again.”, Oksana said as they, in an understood rhythm, cleaned the mess.
“Hey, I can cook.”, Eve protested.
“I can see that. Only you can make cooking look like this.”, Oksana replied while gesturing around them.
Eve looked at her with disbelief, “You’re telling me that you’ve never made a mess while cooking?”
“Nope.”, she replied.
“Not once?”
“Not once.”
Eve groaned and turned back to the cleaning, “I hate that I believe you.”
Oksana chuckled lightly, “I know.”
Eve returned a smile, and both of them spent the next many minutes in comfortable silence as they completed their work.
After cleaning the kitchen Eve looked down at herself, “Now, I need to clean myself.”
“I put your bag upstairs, third door on the left.”, Oksana replied.
“Thanks.” Eve walked towards the stairs but turned around, “Oh, and after breakfast, we are going to sit down and finish our talk.”
Oksana replied with a tight nod, “Great. Looking forward to it.”, she added with dripping sarcasm.
“Don’t be an asshole. You’re the one who’s trying to get rid of me.”, Eve answered back loudly while climbing up the stairs.
Oksana grumbled with frustration before turning her attention to cooking a proper meal.

Chapter Text

After breakfast, everyone made themselves scarce around the estate till the only ones left in the house were Eve and Oksana.
After an hour of avoiding being in the same room as her, Eve got tired of waiting;
“How long are you going to avoid me?” Eve asked when she found Oksana hiding in the library, “We need to talk.”
Oksana lowered the book, and when she looked up, Eve gasped;
“Is that…’, Eve pointed to her face and moved towards her;
“Yes. Go on, make your jokes.”
Eve smiled and sat down beside her, “No jokes. You look adorable.” She lightly tapped the glasses.
“It’s not adorable, Eve. It makes me look like a grandmother.”, she replied with annoyance and took them off.
Eve laughed out, “It doesn’t. You look more formidable.”
Oksana stared at her softly when Eve gently stroked her eyebrow and cheek and rested her hand against it.
The gesture seemed to break whatever barrier had stopped them from closing their physical proximity.
They leaned forward till their foreheads rested against each other and shut their eyes. They let themselves relax for a few minutes, nothing but the sound of their breathing disturbing the silence.
Eve let out a long breath and gently touched her nose to the blonde’s, causing a smile to appear. The gesture was returned with a tiny kiss to Eve’s nose before pulling back a smidge.
“I need you to understand some things before you decide.”
Eve let out a sigh and pulled back further to see her face properly, “Oksa…’,
“Please, just let me say what I want, then you can decide.”
Even though she knew nothing could change her mind, Eve realised that she needed to say what she needed, especially when she said ‘please’.
“Okay.”
Oksana sat up straight, “Most of the days, I stay in the dome. I often sleep in it because I have terrible nightmares that don't let me close my eyes, and I know it frightens Borka. I spend all day reading.”
She paused, waiting to see if Eve wanted to say anything. Other than a soft stare that was making it difficult for her to gather up the reasons why she shouldn't stay, no reply came.
“This lightness that you see around you; that is a lie. This house has been nothing but quiet. Both of them are in therapy. I tried, but it didn't help. My brothers try to keep things easy for me, but I know sometimes they are scared.”
“Scared of *me*. I know it, but I can’t do anything about it because even I’m not sure whether I can keep it in control forever.”
“My eyesight is getting weaker by the day. And the leg - I spend half my time trying to keep it healthy; baths, creams and shit.”
“And if that wasn't enough, I never leave this land, and no one ever comes here. Borka has a girlfriend I have never met. I attend their PTA meetings through face time. They think I have a condition.”
“It’s not a wonderful place to live, Eve. Trust me; I live here, I know.”
Eve nodded her head after every sentence and waited for a beat to see if there was anything else.
“You done?”
“You don't understand...’
“If you are done...’ Eve interrupted, “....can I tell you where I'm coming from?”
Oksana slightly nodded her head.
“We had three days to ourselves before I lost you—three days of you and me and nothing else. Then, everything changed, and I never saw you again.”
“I told you...” Oksana interjected;
“Let me finish.” Eve stopped her.
“For the past three years, I have been living on a hunch. I had no idea whether you were alive or not, but I didn't care because I was so mad.”
Oksana frowned deeply, “Mad? That I died?”
“Mad that you were selfish enough to leave me with scraps. I didn't want days; I wanted months; I wanted years, and I was willing to spend however long it took to get that from you.”
“I know we are far from good; for each other and the world, but, Oksana, I’ll be damned if I don’t spend the rest of our lives arguing about it with you.”
“There is a lot to say and process, and I know the bliss won't last for long; maybe a week at most and then the arguments will start because we're both too stubborn to admit we are wrong.”
“So, I don't give a damn that you have nightmares or one and a half legs. I'll attend the meetings and vet any present and future girlfriends. I'll stay awake with you all night, and I will hold your prosthetic while you do the baths and shit. I don't like travelling anyways because this is what I want. Do you understand that? This is what I want.”
Those words seemed to lift a massive weight off her chest, and Oksana, for the first time in years, let her impulses lead her actions and gently pressed a kiss to Eve’s forehead.
A warmth spread through Eve’s bones at the press of her lips, and she sighed, realising just how much she had missed her.
Eve knew Oksana was reluctant, so to rid her of the insecurities, Eve gently used her hands to pull her face forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
As most things do with them, a small kiss turned into something that didn't stop for several minutes, and when it did, they pulled back, breathing heavily and flushed.
“Can’t say I didn't miss the kissing.”
The little comment generated a hearty laugh from Eve.
“Or the feeling of you sitting on my lap.”
Eve looked down and realised the statement to be true. When it happened, she didn't know, but it felt good and faithful.
She wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck and was reciprocated with arms around her waist, pulling her closer;
“Too bad, you don't want me here.”, Eve teased with a smile.
“Throw in one of these sessions every day, and I'll reconsider.”, came the reply punctuated with a tiny kiss.
Eve laughed out and pressed a kiss of her own, “Every day? How about once a week?” she flirted back.
While Oksana pretended to consider the offer, Eve let herself drift off slightly. She knew there were going to be challenging moments ahead. Maybe, they won't even last a year, perhaps even half a year. But, she knows that no matter what happens, she never has and will regret uprooting her entire existence for the woman in her arms.
Because before her, she was breathing and smiling but, only after her, she was really alive and complete.
“How about seven times a week?”
Her voice brought Eve back to the present.
Eve smiled, “Don't you know how to bargain.”
Arms pulled her closer than she thought possible;
“Okay. I'll settle for once a week only if I get a promise in return.” She was smiling, but her voice was soft and heavy.
Eve placed her hand on the back of her head as an assurance, “Name it.”
“You will tell me if I...’, she paused, the hesitation evident on her face.
“What? What is it?”, Even encouraged her softly.
“Tell me, okay. Let me know if I hurt you. Leave before that comes to pass, okay? Promise me you'll leave before that happens?”
Eve’s eyes were full of unshed tears, and it felt like her heart would burst out of her chest;
“Oksana...’, she tried to speak as the waterworks started pouring out.
“Please, just...’, she paused to wipe the tears from Eve’s face, ‘...I’m trying to understand myself better, but I can never ever be certain, so leave before I hurt you. If it happens in days, weeks or hours, promise me?”
Eve nodded her head, “Okay. Okay.” She pulled her in a hug, “And just for that, I'll compromise to six times a week.”, she mumbled in her shoulder.
Oksana laughed out and pulled her even closer, “Why leave out the one day?”
Eve pulled back enough to press a kiss to her neck and whispered, “I was hoping for more than kissing for that day.”
Oksana gasped and pulled her away, “Promise?”
Eve chuckled, “Yes. More than one day, if the mood strikes.”
Oksana gaped at her, “You couldn't have started the conversation yesterday with that? It would have saved us a lot of time.”
“So, all I needed to do to convince you was to offer sex?”
“It certainly would've had significant leverage.”
“Alright, you pervert...” she pressed a quick kiss and removed herself from her lap, instantly missing the warmth, “...let’s go out. It's a beautiful day, and I need to see the rest of this little town you own.”
Eve offered a hand which Oksana took with a smile and used to pull herself up.
“How did you find me, anyway?” Oksana asked as they walked out of the library.
“You should've been more careful when sending money to random people; when it wasn't random.”
A tired groan was the reply, “I got bored, with all the spoofing and the piggybacks. It was very exhausting.”
“Why did you do it, though? I thought you liked having money.”
“I haven't given it all away, Eve. There is still enough to last till Borka turns 50; then he'll have to find work.”
Eve smiled as they stepped out of the house to find in the distance Irina on the ground with Borka in a headlock.
“You’re a good sister.”, said Eve.
“Certainly not seeing that he is choking to death.”
Eve laughed as Oksana made her way as quickly as possible to stop the wrestling match that was close to a complete knockout.
While she watched her lift Borka to his feet and check his face and body for injuries with a genuine concern that Eve had never seen before, Carolyn walked to stand next to her;
“The flight leaves in six hours.”
“Okay. Safe travels.”
“Is there anything you need from London? I could mail it or something.”, she asked politely.
Eve frowned and turned her head to look at her, “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes. Why?”
“You’re offering to mail things, Carolyn. When was the last time you offered anyone anything?”
Carolyn gave her a slight smile, “Not in a while.”
Eve turned her head back to see Oksana trying to teach Borka to throw a punch;
“You know, I should thank you.”
Carolyn’s eye opened wide, “What on earth for?”
“Well, you were the one who asked me to look into those payments”, Eve pointed out with an informative tone.
“You were the one who made the connection, though.”
“Carolyn?” Eve chided.
“Alright. So I knew a little more when I gave you those statements; you should know by now, Eve, I always know more than I'm saying.”
For a few seconds, Eve gave her a stern look, which led Carolyn to believe that a row was coming, but then she smiled;
“It was the three am calls, wasn't it?”
“Now I can get my five hours properly, I hope?” she asked back with a smile.
Eve turned her head towards the view and sighed, “I can too.”
While she was busy staring at the former assassin, Carolyn felt a slight movement in her chest, and for a second, she thought she was having an attack, but then words formed in her head that went out without any evaluation;
“I am going to miss you.”
Before she could apologise for the sudden emotional outburst, she was closed in for a hug.
For a moment, she was stunned, then the realisation that this was the last time she would see this woman who went beyond odds and against the entire world, demanded and claimed what was hers.
She gently hugged her back, held tight for a few seconds and then tapped on her back.
“Right..’ Eve stepped back with a sniff, ‘…okay then. Time to go.”
“Yes.”, she smiled. “I wish you well, Eve.”
As Carolyn walked away, Eve looked over to see Konstantin and Oksana shaking hands, and then suddenly, he pulled in for a hug.
The expression of scorn on Oksana’s face made Eve laugh out.
Her voice must have carried as Oksana locked eyes with her immediately, and smiled; and then, Eve knew, it was going to be okay because, for the first time in her entire life, she was happy.
After all, she was home.