[Isolde]
Nikolai tried to reach out toward me, his hand extending slowly.
I flinched back instinctively, and his hand immediately withdrew as if I’d burned him.
In the coldest voice I could muster, I asked, “Why do you suddenly care about my well-being? Haven’t you done enough already? Why not just continue keeping your distance like you’ve been doing so perfectly all this time?”
He lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked back up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
“Doctor Monet told me,” he said quietly. “She explained that your phone was stolen by your husband. That’s why he answered when Phoebe tried to call you that day.”
He paused, searching my face.
“Is that true?” His expression had shifted to something more serious now.
I c****d an eyebrow at him, confused. “
