“No, thank you, ma’am,” I replied while Sarah merely shook her head.
“Okay then.” Taking Hollis by the arm, Grace began leading him to the kitchen.
Once they were out of sight, I went over to Sarah. Before I could ask her how she was holding up, she exhaled a ragged breath. “Well, that was…”
“Chertov b-besporyadok,” I answered.
“What does that mean?” Sarah asked curiously.
“A fucking mess.”
She threw her head back with a laugh. “I would so agree.”
With a grimace, I replied, “I d-don’t want to discredit what you and your parents went t-through tonight.”
“You’re not.” She rubbed her forehead. “There’s no reason to sugarcoat matters. It’s a complete mess. Both literally and figuratively.”
“I’m so sorry, Sarah.”
She gave me a weak smile. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. You have t-the weight of t-the world on your shoulders.”
“Trust me, I’m used to it. I’ve lived in fight or flight mode since I was a teenager.”
“It doesn’t make it right,” I argued.
“Neither does a young man having his birthright taken from him because of a stutter,” she said softly. When I didn’t respond, she gently placed her hand on my arm. “We all have trauma,Maksim. Some more than others, but regardless of the weight of the load, it’s not easy.”
“No, it's not.”
A faraway expression came over her face. “You know, I haven’t seen my dad that animated in months.”
“I’m g-glad I got to see him on a g-good day. Well, despite what happened with Silas.”
She smiled. “He really took a liking to you.”
“Except for my tattoos.”
She laughed. “He’s such a traditionalist. He freaked out when Silas got his ear pierced when he was fourteen. Not to mention when I got my belly button pierced in college.”
Wagging my brows, I teased, “I would’ve liked to see that.”
With a roll of her eyes, she mused, “Oh, I’m sure you would have. But it was a period of teenage rebellion.”
“He obviously has ESP since he p-pegged me for a g-gangster.”
Sarah brought her hands over her mouth. “I know. I almost died when he said that.”
“It didn’t bother me.”
We stood around for a moment with the weight of the evening hanging heavy around us. “Right. Well, I need to get going.”
At the panic in Sarah’s eyes, I said, “Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to come back to the mansion with me tonight.”
“You don’t?”
“It’s very obvious how much you’re needed here, especially with your mother.”
