The weather was rainy and gloomy—just like the mood of everyone in the house. Maura had been unusually pensive since morning, staring out the window at raindrops streaming down the glass. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get her to talk.
We both settled in the living room to have some tea, but the whole idea turned into a kingdom of awkward silence.
“Are you very upset that the wedding was called off?” she finally asked.
“No. I’m just glad I stayed alive.”
Maura looked at me with pity—and that was worse than our uncomfortable silence.
“Let’s not talk about it, please.”
She nodded. Just then, several cars pulled up to the house. Kirill had returned home. That alone lifted my spirits. Over the past few days, we had tried to spend time together, but our plans were constantly inter
