“Was Nikolay always brooding like this?” I asked.
She nodded before taking a bite of her apple. “Oh yeah, definitely. He doesn’t talk much.”
Placing the last plate in the cabinet, I turned toward Maddie. “And Phoenix?”
Her expression changed the slightest bit, and she shrugged. “He’s quiet but is much more easy-going than Nikolay. When he was a new recruit, he was with Viktor a lot. So you can say he is a second Viktor now.”
Whenever the conversation would change to Phoenix, Maddie would shut down and change the topic. I was curious why, but she wouldn’t say anything.
“They are all really close. Viktor, Artur, Phoenix, Nikolay, and Alessio. The loyalty they have toward Alessio is really endearing,” I said, leaning against the counter.
“He trusts them a lot,” Maddie agreed with a nod.
Getting up from the stool, Maddie walked away. “I’ll go change, then we can watch something.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you in my room.” I nodded at her. I watched her leave the room.
Giving the cleaned kitchen a final glance, I walked out with a smile, but my steps faltered on the first step of the stairs when I saw Isaak coming down, his phone to his ear.
When he caught sight of me, he stopped mid-stride, his gaze roaming over my face. My throat was suddenly dry with nervousness, and I looked down quickly before continuing my way upstairs. As I got closer to where he was standing, my body went cold, the tiny hairs at the back of my neck standing in fear and panic.
I buried my trembling hands in the skirt of my dress as I passed by Isaak, my shoulders sagging in relief when I walked ahead of him.
But my relief was short-lived. His voice stopped me in my tracks, my body freezing at his words. “Have we met before?”
Closing my eyes tightly in horror, I swallowed several times. Did he figure out my truth?
I took a deep breath and made sure my face was a mask of indifference before turning around to face him.
Giving Isaak a blank look, I shook my head, trying to look convincing and not guilty. “No. That wouldn’t be possible. I don’t remember meeting you,” I replied. At least that wasn’t a lie. The truth was easier to speak.
Isaak cocked his head to the side and took a step up. His eyes skimmed over my face before nodding. “You remind me a lot of someone I knew,” he elaborated.
His words were a surprise, and I stayed frozen as he stopped in front of me. Even though I was a stair above him, we were almost the same height.
Isaak brought a hand up to my face, his finger moving under my eyes, but he didn’t touch me. As if he realized what he was doing, his arm fell down. His face presented a resigned and almost painful expression.
“You have my Leila’s eyes,” he murmured so low that I almost missed it.
I sucked in a harsh breath at the name. Leila. That was my mother’s name. How was this possible? But then I realized he said my Leila. The person couldn’t be my mother.
“She had a daughter name Ayla too,” he continued in the same bleak tone.
A coincidence like this was impossible. My mother died when I was just a baby. Isaak was the enemy, so how would he know my mother? He called Leila his, claiming her as his woman.
“I’m sorry. My mother’s name is not Leila.” The lie slipped past my lips effortlessly, but panic welled inside of me. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “She couldn’t be me.”
Isaak stared at me for another second before letting out a harsh and emotionless laugh. “Of course she isn’t you,” he agreed without a second thought, surprising me even further.
My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress, and I sent him a shaky smile. He took a step down, putting his hands in the pocket of his black slacks.
But his next words were enough to send a chill down my spine. “The other Ayla is dead.”
What? My mind screamed at this new revelation.
I stared at him in shock, but he didn’t notice. Isaak was already turning around and walking down the stairs, but not before I caught a flash of pain in his expression. I stared at Isaak’s retreating back, feeling completely horrified and appalled at his words.
His last words to me kept ringing in my ears as I walked into my room.
The other Ayla is dead.
I didn’t know anything about my mother. No one ever talked about her. It was like she never even existed. But was it possible? Did Isaak know my mother?
“No, it couldn’t be,” I whispered. He said the other Ayla was dead. And I was alive. It was all a big misunderstanding. I tried to soothe myself with that thought.