“Of course.” I give Anastasia’s hand a gentle squeeze before Leif and I make our way to the living room. “What’s going on, Uncle?”
He bites the inside of his lip and glances over his shoulder like he’s checking that we’re completely alone.
When he looks back at me, I note the concern in his eyes. “I’m sure you’re thinking it’s beyond strange that she’d know the code to the secret passage.”
“Of course, I am. I just don’t know what to make of it.”
“Consider this as a possibility: Zakh contacted me earlier with some information we should consider. It makes sense to me.”
My scalp prickles with heat. I asked Zakh to look through the records again because I felt he might be able to find things that Gytha couldn’t. “What did he find?”
“Some medical records of the Butyrskayas when they lived in Austria. They had another child, Desmier. A girl they called Mischa. Of course, she disappeared the same time they did, but she’d be nineteen now. The same age as Anastasia.”
Shock crowds my lungs, then they squeeze as if tightened by a mooring rope. “What are you saying?”
“I think you know what I’m saying. Safety was a big deal for Pavel and Vittoria. Knowing them, the first thing they would have done is teach their kids that code, especially with a song.”
“Uncle, you think that she’s their daughter?” Just saying the words rattles my brain.
“I’m saying it’s a possibility we need to consider. Especially since Zakh also found out that Anastasia’s medical records were tampered with.”
“In what way?”
“He found two sets of blood groups for her. One that would make her Uther’s daughter, and one that doesn’t. Guess which one was hidden.”
“Fuck....”
“The details of her accident were tampered with too. There’s something sketchy about the location and the reports the police took from the driver who hit her. It looks like there were different reports but we can’t find the original. I didn’t want to talk about it in there with her. This is the main reason I came over. You need to talk to her about it, Desmier.”
“How the hell do I tell her that her parents might not have been her real parents?”
“She’s your wife. You have to find a way to tell her. The deeper we dig, the more darkness we might find. If that happens, everything will get harder. Don’t keep her in the dark. Not about this.”
“Okay. I’ll speak to her later.”
“I’ll check in later, too.”
I nod, and he rests a hand on my shoulder. “Take care of yourselves and try to stay focused. It’s all you can do.”
“I will.”
He leaves me, but I stay where I am with a million thoughts racing through my mind.
Anastasia…
She might not be who I thought she was.
But she’s still mine.
ChapterForty-Two
Anastasia
The cool night air wraps around my body, soothing my mind like ice against fire.
It’s the only thing that can balance me and calm the myriad of thoughts clashing in my head like the rough waves against jagged rock in a tempestuous storm.
And yet, my chest still hurts, my lungs still feel tight, and my heart is still fragile, like it might shatter if I think too much.