You truly never realize how oppressive the silence that follows bad news is until you can feel it in your own flesh. And what I always feel after bad news is an indescribable cold.
That disturbing stillness that followed what Rex said was horrible.
But it must have been worse for Alexander—my figure.
I brought my hand to my mouth, and immediately felt my heart drop into my stomach. She was dead. Alexander’s wife, the children’s mother—Anya—was dead. My throat tightened and for some reason my eyes started to sting badly, but it must have been from the brutal shock of the moment; or maybe because Sasha was playing with a lock of my hair, tickling my neck. My whole back burned when I became aware again that I was still holding the baby in my arms. It comforted me a little on her behalf to
