“Is it Leonid?” Alessia’s voice grew clearer, closer. “I can explain. I didn’t know—”
“Little Gem.” The line went silent for a moment. I could imagine her face. She was afraid. Her voice told me enough. “Why are you drunk?”
“You called me Little Gem,” she whispered. “Hi. I’m losing it. Rodion?”
“Hey.”
“Oh shit.” There was a shuffle and some movements before the sound of the door closing echoed in the background. “Rodion?”
“Little Gem.” An uninvited smile tugged at my lips. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m not.” She sniffled, the lie breaking in her throat. “I’m not crying. I got home and, well, the wine is good here, and I overdrank. You know what, I must be dreaming.”
“Why are you crying?” I pressed.
She breathed loud enough for me to hear. “I… because I’m pathetic. Wait, it’s you, right? I am not losing it. Okay, fine, I am drunk. But you just called me Little Gem. Wait, I’m talking too much.”
“And I am listening.”
“I messed up today,” she admitted, her words tumbling fast. “And it might mess up my plan. So I’m worried, that’s all.”
“You told me to trust you.” My gaze shifted to the drawer where her letter was.
“Yes. You saw the letter?” Her voice rose with sudden excitement.
“I’m so mad at you.”
She groaned through the line, her voice soft around the edges. “But you needed the transplant immediately. That was the only way.”
My jaw locked. It irritated me to admit she was right. If Matvet had to find another donor, I would have been stuck in that damn hospital longer, risking everything I had built. Enemies could’ve crept closer.
“Are you in bed?”
“No. I came to the bathroom. If they hear me talking to you, they’ll tell Leonid.”
“Go to bed.”
“Okay.” A muted clatter echoed through the phone, followed by her quiet curse, and I smiled despite myself. I could picture her moving clumsily. A door creaked open, then shut again, and she kept talking as though afraid the silence would break thespell.
“I’m happy I’m talking to you. I just hope this is not a dream. Do you dream? Of course you do. Guess what, there is this maid who got me a necklace with a little gemstone pendant.”
Of course she did.
“Are you there?”
“Yes, baby.”
“Today we went out with this aunt… she is so bossy.” Her words dropped into a whisper, like she was telling me a secret. “Oh my God, did you see Artur? Matvet was mad at me, but I hope he brought you the dog. Everyone is mad at me. Are you mad at me?”
“You have no idea.”
“That’s not fair.” She fell quiet, and I let it hang. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. The chaos in my head eased under the weight of her voice. It was only her and her endless words, her soft giggles, her drunk sweetness spilling through the line. “How is the wound?” she asked.
“It’s healing.” I reached out and tapped the laptop screen, her photo opening again. She was there in the wedding gown.
“I’m glad. Dorothy said after the transplant, you must take a long rest. But you are stubborn, you barely sleep or even rest. So you better be doing that.”
“Is that an order?”