“Was there ever a time when you and Adrian were close?” I ask suddenly.

Kolya plays another soft arpeggio. “We had only each other growing up,” he says. “In hindsight, it was less about connection and more about survival.”

That rings true for me in a strange way. “I used to think that Geneva and I had more of a reason to be close because of the way our parents were,” I admit. “I mean, like you said, we had only each other. And no one else understood what it was like to have Luke and Bridget Cole as parents.”

I inch closer to the piano and rest my palms flat on the closed lid. I can still feel the vibration of the chord as it dies inside the instrument’s belly.

“But for some reason, we never managed to be close. Not as kids, not as teens. Just couldn’t bridge that gap, I guess. When I was little, I used to slip into Geneva’s bedroom hoping she would make me feel better about whatever disappointment I’d caused our parents that day. She’d just tell me to go back to my room. She wanted peace and quiet, she said. She wanted to be alone.”

He doesn’t say anything for a long time. I wonder if he’s lost in memories of his past or if he’s just ignoring me altogether. But his eyes are too focused. Too present.

“Adrian used to do the same thing,” he says at last. “Sneak into my room at night when Otets took the belt to his back.”

I blanche instantly. “H-he… did what?”

Kolya nods, as emotionless on the surface as ever. “Our father was a cruel motherfucker, and he didn’t hold back when he was angry. Even if he was dealing with a five-year-old.”

“Five?” I gasp.

Kolya shrugs. “That’s my earliest memory. The crack of the belt.”

A shudder scrapes down my spine. It leaves ghostly pain, as if from another lifetime. “And h-he… made you watch?” I ask tentatively. “Or did he make you… do it yourself? Like in the video?”

He shakes his head. “My father meted out his own punishments more often than not. The video you saw of us as boys, that was different. Otets wanted us to train, and Adrian wasn’t the most natural fighter. He’s always been scared of physical pain.”

“Most people are.”

“That’s just it—Otets wanted us to be more than most people. He wanted to raise warriors. He wanted to raise dons. He never managed to see that Adrian’s skills were in his mind, not his fists. He was smart, calculating. Cunning.”

It makes me wonder if Adrian was forced to be manipulative as a result of his father’s cruelty, or if he had been born with those characteristics.

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Which comes first, the abuser or the abuse?

“But before he was any of those things, he was a little boy who didn’t understand what was expected of him. So… he came to me at night. He’d slip into my bed and take my hand.”