He disappears for an instant and comes back with a bottle of water. I take it with weak, shaking fingers and gargle twice before taking a few sips. The nausea is gone and the world has settled back into place, although the acrid aftertaste is lingering on my tongue.

“Here.”

I look down in shock at the cold can of lemon sofa he’s offering me. “You had that in the car?”

“I have it everywhere now.”

I take the soda can reluctantly at first. But the moment I pop it open, the smell alone drives any hesitation out of me. I down half the can in a matter of seconds.

“Thank you,” I say in a small voice as I wipe my lips.

Kolya just nods. A blast of lightning zig zags through the sky, followed by a rolling boom of thunder.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get back in the car.”

“I don’t want to.”

He’s already half-turned towards the vehicle when I speak. He pivots back in my direction, his eyebrows coming together in frustration.

“Jesus Christ, June. Are you so easily swayed?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we were fucking engaged,” he growls. “I asked you to marry me.”

“No, you ordered me to marry you.”

“That was before.”

“Before what?” I snap. “Be specific.”

He clenches his jaws and his fists as tight as they’ll go. “You know how I feel about you.”

“Do I?” I ask. “Because I can’t remember you telling me in plain English. In black and white.”

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters again.

“You told me you cared about me, and I took that to mean you loved me. But now, it feels like I was just a naïve idiot who was hearing what she wanted to hear.”

“You’re overthinking.”

“No, I’m just plain thinking,” I retort. “Finally. You told me from the beginning that you needed my baby. Somehow, I lost track of that because I got so caught up in… in you.”

“So now, you’ve convinced yourself I’m only interested in you because of the baby?” he presses. “Is that it?”

“Well, what other reason do you have to be interested in me?” I ask. “Apart from the fact that it’s obvious I’m so ridiculously easy to manipulate.”

Raindrops start peppering the tree overhead. Drops leak off the leaves to splash against us one at a time like cold little kisses. But I ignore them and stand my ground.

“So tell me, Kolya,” I insist. “Tell me why you want me around at all.”

He glares at me, pride and anger turning his blue eyes black. “We don’t have time for this.”

I throw my hands up in the air. “That’s a good enough answer. You know what, thanks for the ride, but I think I’ll walk home.”

I turn and start stomping away from him, aware of what a colossally bad idea that is. But I’ve thrown down the gauntlet and now there’s no going back.