Chapter 1
Viera trembled as she struggled to catch her breath, trying to recount to me her short but exhilarating interaction with Knox, her newfound favorite artist whose existence had been unknown to us until that very day.
We stood amidst the sea of people at the festival, basking in the euphoria of the performance and still reeling from the few precious words we had managed to exchange with the tall, handsome, and unexpectedly shy musician from Estonia. Even now, Viera remained in a state of disbelief, excitement radiating from her shifty eyes and wide grin. Her childlike wonder, coupled with her dusty-rose dress that accentuated her big blue eyes, made her look like a little girl.
Viera raised her eyes at me and extended her arm, lifting her phone toward my face. I leaned over closer to the phone and squinted. As I looked at the photo on her phone, I couldn’t help but admit that she and Knox looked cute together.
“I promise, your husband will never know how excited you were after taking a photo with this random man,” I teased with a grin.
“He is not a ran... Oh, stop, Janina!” Her cheeks flushed, and then she broke into a cheerful laugh.
It had been an incredible day, and my heart pounded with happiness. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. With everything going on with Raman, his addiction and a few overdoses, the past few months had felt like a never-ending descent into darkness, with no glimmer of hope. But now, with Raman sober and me being back in Miensk with my best friend by my side, things were finally falling into place. I felt lucky and happy, marveling at how the universe always seemed to put everything in place.
As we pushed through the crowd, I screamed in Viera’s ear how happy I was, but she couldn’t hear me. We laughed and hurried out of the stifling atmosphere of the dance floor, eager to talk.
Stepping away from the crowd, I took a deep breath, relishing the crispness of the fresh air. Together, we headed toward the coffee tent, my heart still racing from the thrill of the day.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a text message from Natasha.
>
Call me when you have someone with you
Boom. Boom. Boom.
In the sudden silence around me, I could only hear the steady thud of my own heart. Dread clawed at my insides. It had to be about Raman. No, no, no. Please, no.
I looked at Viera, who had stopped laughing and was staring at me with a perplexed expression. My blood ran cold as I called Natasha back.
“Hello.” Natasha’s voice sounded raspy, as if she hadn’t spoken in a while. For a second, I stopped breathing, waiting for her to speak. “Janina, are you with someone right now?”
“Yes!” I shouted. “Natasha, what happened?” I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
“Raman is dead.”
