AMANDA
I wake up to the sound of the door opening. I see Adam trying to slip into the room so I wouldn't hear.
- I’m not sleeping. - The man comes closer and kisses me. His eyes are red and tired.
- How are you, Kitten? - there’s so much pain in his voice that my whole body starts to convulse.
- Fine. I want to go home. - Well, what am I supposed to say? Of course, I’ve been waiting for our baby more and more lately, but deep down, I wanted to be alone with Adam. You can call me a sick egoist, but at least I'm honest with myself.
- The doctor said that after the morning examination we can go home. - This makes me feel better. I've hated hospitals since childhood; there's always an atmosphere of fate in them.
- Adam.
- What, Kitten?
- And how are you? - I see him clench his jaw and look away. - Look at me. Don’t pull away, please. - I take his hand, and he lifts his eyes. I didn’t expect it to be so hard and painful for him. I see reproach in his gaze.
- You’re not to blame for this. - Adam kisses my hand and then leans his head against it.
- I should have been there with you. I should have protected you both.
- Adam, you’re not to blame for anything. Nothing can be changed now. - I stroke his cheek with my other hand.
- Will you tell me what happened? - I look at him, trying to remember, but the images in my head look like frames from a cheap melodrama.
The day before (the situation at the auction)
He's hiding something from me again, but it’s okay; once we get home, he won't have any other option but to tell me everything. And I need to share the story of Marina, maybe it’s not as important as the mystery of Korniyev, but still.
Suddenly, behind me, I hear a voice.
- What are you doing here? - I turn around and see Karina.
- Damn, I just needed her here, - a warning flashes in my mind as I look at the expression on the woman’s face and realize that things won’t be so simple.
- Hello to you too. - I say sarcastically, realizing that the woman clearly didn't come just for a chat.
- You ruined my wedding. Do you think this will just end like that? - She steps closer, and I take a step back towards the stairs.
- I didn’t ruin anything. If you didn’t notice, Adam chose me, even though you were so sure that you had love. - It’s funny because I know that Adam has always loved only me.
- To hell with love. I needed his business and his status. - Karina’s face is twisted by a smile that makes me want to slap her.
- God, what a stupid girl you are if you think that money can truly make you happy. - Not that I don’t appreciate money, but it’s never been the goal of my life. So, looking at girls like Karina, I realize that in their heads, aside from the dollar sign, there’s nothing else.
- You do realize that he’s with you only because you’re pregnant, right? - How dare she say this? She doesn’t know me, doesn’t know Adam, doesn’t know our history. And she thinks she can decide something.
- It doesn’t matter. He’s with me, and you just need to go to hell. - I turn to leave, but feel a sharp push in my back.
I don’t manage to react in time, tripping and falling down the stairs, rolling down them. A sharp pain in my abdomen and head prevents me from getting up. The only thing I see is Karina descending towards me. She’s holding something in her hands. I can’t even sit up, so I just lie there, instinctively covering my belly with my hands. As the woman approaches, a smile appears on her face.
- Well, darling, this is the end. No baby, no problems. - She raises something to hit me in the stomach, but suddenly falls herself. I don’t understand what’s happening, but I see blood. Behind her stands Marina, holding a vase. And at that moment, I lose consciousness...
And only now does it dawn on me that, in fact, it was Marina who saved me from Karina’s next blow. The same woman I was so jealous of Adam for, the same woman who wouldn't leave him alone, and now she’s just saving me. I don’t think she did it out of great love for me, but she did it. Maybe because of what awaits us next weekend, or maybe she has much more humanity in her than I expected.
I look at Adam watching me carefully as I recount the story and see something completely unfamiliar in his eyes.
- And after that, I just don’t remember.
The man’s gaze falls back to the floor.
- But I know what came next. - I look at Adam and don’t understand what he means.
- Did Marina tell you something? - She’s the only one who could have seen what happened next.
- Yes, she ran into the room and said that you fell down the stairs. She called for an ambulance and then I took her with me. And at night, while you were sleeping, she told me the whole story. The girl is very scared because she’s afraid of the consequences of what she did to Karina. - Adam exhales tiredly.
Now I realize that indeed Marina could have many problems because she hit Karina. And of course, I’ll do everything I can so that nothing threatens her. But we both know who Adam’s ex-fiancée's father is, so we need to be very careful.
- Where is she now? Is she okay? - I’m really worried about Marina, at the very least because I’m grateful to her for the so-called rescue.
- Yes, she’s fine. I sent her to one of the hotels where she’ll be safe, provided security. Don’t worry. - We don’t have time to finish our conversation when the doctor enters the room and takes me for a check-up.
I keep thinking about one thing - what awaits us next. I still need to hear the story about Korniyev. Because, although it may not be the most important thing right now, I need to know if he was involved in the death of my parents. And in general, it’s time for me to sort this story out. When I left, I thought I would never return to the past. I didn’t want to know the truth, I didn’t want to uncover all the secrets of my birth, my existence. But now I understand - you can’t escape the past. And to build a future, I need to know everything. I need to piece together this puzzle that has been tangled for 25 years, which is simply unreal.