Around dawn, as she was finally drifting off, she was jerked awake by a phone call. It was a man she barely knew named Ilya. It took her a moment to place him. He was an acquaintance of Nikolai’s from college whom she’d met in passing a few times over the years. After reminding her of who he was, he said, “You probably expected something like this, didn’t you?” His tone was harsh and unsympathetic. “Like what?” Julia asked. “Not this call, but what happened to Nikolai.… How is Nikolai, by the way?” he asked, almost as an afterthought. “Not well. He’s in intensive care.” “Are you planning on
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