"Sofia, Alex is tired and needs to rest."
I looked at her in surprise. I wasn't tired at all, and spending time with my daughter was what I treasured most. Why was she preventing this?
Sofia's lower lip trembled. "But I wanted—"
"Be good," Anna cut her off. "Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed."
Under her mother's firm insistence, Sofia had no choice but to say goodnight, though her confused little eyes darted between Anna and me, clearly sensing the tension.
Anna picked up Sofia and headed upstairs without so much as a glance back at me. I stood in the empty living room, my confusion deepening.
What was wrong with her? Had something happened on the terrace? Had she discovered something I wasn't aware of?
I thought about Tatyana's appearance tonight, and unease twisted in my gut. Surely she hadn't said something to Anna?
I waited a full thirty minutes before Anna emerged from Sofia's room. I was in the master bedroom, determined to resolve this issue.
But she entered and immediately turned away from me, beginning to change clothes while dismissing my inquiries with claims of exhaustion.
"Anna, we need to talk," I said. "Your behavior tonight has been unusual."
"I'm just tired," she replied without turning around. "There's nothing to talk about."
Her cold demeanor escalated my anxiety. I moved behind her, attempting an embrace, but she recoiled as if burned.
"I need some space."
That obvious rejection ignited my simmering anger.
"Anna, we're partners. We're a family," my voice turned sharp. "What can't you share with me? What is this cold treatment supposed to accomplish?"
"I'm not giving you cold treatment," she whirled around, eyes blazing with anger and a hurt I couldn't decipher. "I simply need personal space. Why can't youunderstand that?"
"Personal space?" I scoffed. "You've been pushing me away all evening, avoiding my touch, refusing conversation. That's personal space?"
"Yes!" Her voice rose. "I need time to process certain things. What's wrong with that?"
"Process what?" I stepped closer. "Did Tatyana say something to you?"
Her expression shifted instantly, that wounded look becoming more pronounced.
"Of course," she laughed bitterly. "Of course you know she sought me out."
"Anna, let me explain—"
"Explain?" she interrupted. "Explain why you're so attentive to your ex-girlfriend? Explain why you allowed her to wear your family heirlooms? Or explain why everyone else knows about your past relationship while I stand here like a fool, completely ignorant?"
Her words left me stunned. Heirlooms? What was she referring to?
"Anna, you're mistaken—"
"I'm mistaken?" Tears gathered in her eyes. "Then what about those sapphire earrings she was wearing? Didn't you give those to her?"
Finally, I understood her fury. But the truth wasn't what she believed.
"Those aren't my family's jewels," I explained. "Tatyana's family also possesses extensive jewelry collections. Those earrings belong to her."
"Do you expect me to believe that?" She laughed coldly. "And the way you helped her with her coat—so natural, so practiced. Those society women were right. You two truly are a perfect match."
