RUSLAN
I unlock my phone the moment I sit down at my desk. It opens to the picture that Emma sent me last evening.
Those four smiling faces stare back at me and I’m struck by how happy they all seem. And for what?
A ten-minute drive?
A little ice cream?
Basketball?
I considered them small gestures on my part, so inconsequential as to be damn near meaningless—but those messages from Emma make me feel like I’ve transformed their lives somehow.
All I can say is—thank you! I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
I don’t know what the f**k to call the way that makes me feel.
It’s only 8:20 A.M. when Emma arrives at the office. Not that I should be surprised she’s here so early; I gave her a car citing that specific reason. She slips into my office and walks right around my desk.
I ca
