Kons didn’t want to talk to the woman either, and he regretted going back to his seat. In situations like this, it would be better if they could be allies and then go their separate ways afterward, but she was really angry at him. What woman would be happy if her groom didn’t show up at the altar? If their wedding had gone through, would they have a child by now? There’s no use thinking about it, but there are days when that thought crosses his mind. Vanessa grew up in Russia, and they were classmates. She was naturally intelligent, so even though hhe was a year older, she was still in the same class as him. Vanessa’s parents were separated, and her mother, Valya, was Kons’s godmother. Valya was friends with Alexander—Kons’s uncle who raised him—and Stan, who he later found out was his

