In physics.
In strategic thinking.
He climbed to the top of his class within a year.
Now he had just completed an accelerated high school program.
He was accepted into university in Athens.
Top tier.
Prestigious.
Ruslan insisted on escorting him personally.
Part fatherly duty.
Part symbolic return to his homeland after years of exile and imprisonment.
And maybe —
Part quiet attempt to rebuild a bond with the boy who had grown up watching his father from a distance.
We were now sitting on a large smooth boulder at the edge of the private waterfront behind the mansion.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon.
The sky was painted in bruised shades of violet and soft rose.
The ocean below us shimmered as gentle waves lapped against the rocks.
Our feet dangled above the water.
The air smelled of salt.
Eucalyptus.
And faint jasmine climbing along the trellis behind us.
Lanterns lining the pathway flickered like small fireflies in the dusk.
A cool breeze lifted strands of my hair.
Without hesitation —
Ruslan reached over and tucked them gently behind my ear.
His fingers lingered against my skin.
Reverent.
Protective.
I turned slightly toward him.
And for a moment —
There were no enemies.
