“You don’t apologize to me. You apologize to them.” She nods toward the garden. “And if you make them cry again, I don’t care who you are. You leave, and you don’t come back.”
“Understood.”
We go outside. The twins are still playing. They don’t notice us immediately.
Then Alexei looks up. Sees Maxim. His entire body goes tense.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “Maxim has something to say.”
Mila moves closer to Elena. Alexei stands his ground, but his hands clench into fists.
Maxim walks toward them slowly. Stops a few feet away and crouches down so he’s closer to their height.
“Hi,” he says. “I’m Maxim. We met at dinner a few weeks ago.”
Neither twin responds.
“I was mean to you and your mom that night. I said things that weren’t true, and I made you upset. That was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“You were really mean,” Mila says quietly.
“I know. I was angry about things that had nothing to do with you. And I took it out on you and your mom. That wasn’t fair.”
“Are you still angry?” Alexei asks.
“No. Not anymore. I understand things better now.”
“What things?”
“That you’re my siblings. My little brother and sister. And I should have been nicer to you.”
“You’re our brother?” Mila sounds skeptical.
“Half-brother. We have the same dad.” Maxim glances at me. “Which means I should protect you and be nice to you instead of scaring you.”
Alexei considers this. “Do you like trains?”
“I don’t know much about trains. But I’d like to learn.”
“I’m building a train track that goes around the whole estate. Do you want to help?”
Maxim looks surprised. “Yes. I’d like that.”
“Okay. But you have to follow my plan. I’m the engineer.”
“Deal.”
Alexei heads back to his dirt blueprint. Maxim follows, listening carefully as my son explains his vision.
Mila stays where she is. Still wary. “Do you like flowers?” she asks.
“I guess so,” Maxim says. “I don’t know much about them either.”
“I can teach you. If you want.”
“I’d like that.”
She considers him for another moment. Then she picks up a yellow flower and holds it out. “This one is for you.”
