Her face paled. “No... I didn’t change my line.”
Something flickered in her expression, an unease that mirrored my own. I took her phone from her hands, pulled out the SIM card, and inspected it.
“This isn’t yours.” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “Someone switched your SIM, Anna.”
She blinked, then exhaled shakily. “But... why?”
My jaw tightened. I already knew the answer.
“You stayed back. Why?” I asked, switching the subject.
She hesitated before answering. “Grandma said that if I stayed, she’d allow us to return to your house. Instead of one month, she’d give us a whole year to work things out.”
My eyes narrowed. “And you believed her?”
She swallowed hard. “She told me she doesn’t hate me as much as I thought. That I remind her of her goddaughter. And... she said she genuinely wants me to give the family a grandson. That if I do, they’ll start valuing me.”
I scoffed. “And you didn’t think to tell me this?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t see a need to. Besides, you said I might be a distraction on your trip.”
“Might.” I emphasized the word. “That means I wasn’t sure. But one thing I am sure of? Grandma is cunning. That woman didn’t bring our family to the top of the bratva by being sentimental. She’s a master manipulator, Anna. You let her deceive you.”
Her lips parted slightly. “I know she might have a hidden agenda,” she admitted, voice tight. “But what choice did I have, Gleb? She gave me a year instead of a month. Even if she’s lying, at least I bought myself time.”
I exhaled, rubbing a hand down my face. “I’m saying she has a sinister reason for keeping you here. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the one who changed your SIM so we couldn’t communicate.”
Anna’s breath hitched. “But... why? Why would she or anyone even do this?”
I exhaled sharply, my jaw tightening. “What do you think? The same people who want to control your every move.”
I clenched her phone in my fist. “They wanted you isolated. And they wanted me in the dark.”
Her fingers trembled as she reached for her phone. “Oh my God... they could’ve read my messages. Seen everything.”
“Not could have. Did,” I corrected darkly. “The only question is, what else did they do?”
She swayed slightly, and I instinctively reached out, guiding her to sit down. I remained standing, watching her closely.
Then she whispered something I didn’t expect.
“By this time next week, I’ll be gone,” she whispered, as if saying it aloud would make it real. “
“I should be relieved,” she muttered. “In a week, I’ll be free. No more threats. No more orders. No more... you.”
A small, broken smile played on her lips. “These past few months with you... they’ve been filled with both pain and happiness. And I wonder what awaits me in Italy.”
The raw emotion in her voice cut deeper than I wanted to admit.
“Since when have you been this comfortable around my family?” I asked, steering the conversation away.
She exhaled. “I only talk to Arseny. He and Yegor apologized a week after you left. I refused to forgive Yegor. I just can’t, not after what he did. But Arseny... I still talk to him.”
Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. “And tonight was the first time we ever danced.”
“I’ll be leaving for Italy next Sunday,” she added. “There’s no point causing more trouble with your family... not when I won’t be here anymore.”
She dropped her gaze, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.
