26

I internally shake my head and take the seat opposite him. He pours me a cup of tea, and I thank him for it, then take a sip, even though I’m not a fan. “She’s a strong young lady.” Nicholas’s voice rises over the TV, whose volume is already low. Unlike his wife, he speaks in a serene tone, soothing and welcoming. “Strong?” I ask. “Yes. She’s out of danger now, but when I first saw her, I thought she wouldn’t make it through the night.” I actually thought that, too. She’s still a bit pale, but it doesn’t compare to the pasty complexion and blue lips she had when we arrived. “It takes a lot of willpower to hang on to life like that.” Nicholas fingers the rim of his cup. “It could be due to either a strong love or a strong hate.” “Why do you think it would be one of the two?” “An intuition.” He smiles. “I assume it’s the love part that kept her going.” Nah. It’s definitely hate. From the first day I met her, Sasha has been fighting and trying to be strong, and that’s only because she’s n