I keep silent. I don't understand what he's talking about, but I’m determined to find out and listen to everything he says.
"Alright. I'm listening, " I glance over his beloved face, noting Andriy's tired look and the short stubble on his chin that I'm just dying to touch with my fingers.
I clench my hands into fists and take a deep breath in, breathe out.
"When we were already on our way to Wroclaw," I received photos from the detective agency I had contacted before the trip. I needed to clarify the situation as quickly as possible, as it was becoming increasingly tense.
"And what was in those photos?
"Not what, but who..., " he responds sourly. " My sister and my friend.
"Lukash and Nadya? I thought they didn’t keep in touch, " I say thoughtfully, recalling Andriy's words at that time.
"They didn’t, " he confirms and adds angrily: " At least that's what I thought. But then it turned out they had been having an affair. For a long time. They got together and broke up many times, just like Bianka and I, but they kept it all secret. Nadya was afraid I wouldn't approve of her choice. And I wouldn't have, " he grits his teeth and unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt. " Eventually, Nadya couldn't take it anymore and moved to Warsaw a year ago.
" Wow, " I let out, stunned, and then, after digesting the news, I add: " But Andriy, they are adults, and no matter how angry you are, it’s up to them to decide whether to be together or not, " I say reasonably.
" Yes, I understand, though I can’t say I’m thrilled about it. After all, she’s my younger sister.
I think of that vixen and decide to keep quiet about how someone like her could easily swallow an opponent without even choking.
"Okay, so what does this have to do with her?
"She was the primary cause, you could say, " he sighs. I can see how uncomfortable he is speaking this truth, but nevertheless, he continues: " To forget after the breakup," Nadya went wild. I won’t talk about the clubs and what she did there. It's good that it didn't last long. And I probably wouldn't have found out, but now, when all this crap came out, Lukash confessed to me, obviously attempting to protect her somehow. In the new environment, she got involved with shady types who organized illegal bike races. Nadya bet on the winners several times and won decent sums. The adrenaline, the euphoria of quick wins, clouded her mind so much that she began to participate more actively and place bets... The last few times," on money she didn’t have but couldn’t stop gambling away. And debts had to be paid back because these weren’t the kind of people who would turn a blind eye. So she went to Lukash, " he clenched his fists tightly. " In these hard times, she went to him and not to me, " he grumbles angrily.
"And what about Lukash? " I inquire curiously and catch myself unconsciously reaching out and sympathetically covering Andriy’s clenched fist.
I wanted to support him, calm him, and I blindly followed my instincts. But this touch struck us both like an electric shock. We moved away simultaneously, and our eyes clashed. Mine " shocked and confused; his " darkened and searing. I nervously run my tongue over my lips and withdraw my hand. Andriy coughs slightly, and I see how hard his broad chest rises and falls. Then he continues:
"To his credit, Lukash gave her the money and even tried to settle everything. But it continued. One of those times, when she came to Krakow, and he was giving her money again, their argument was overheard by our lawyer Bartek, because Nadya was foolish enough to come to the office and start an argument with Lukash there. He said it would be the last time. Nadya was angry and didn’t watch her words, and Bartek recorded it all on video and took advantage of the situation.
"Did he demand money for that video? " I widen my eyes in sudden conjecture, and Andriy shakes his head no.
"No. Even by then, it turned out, he was sometimes engaged in dealings with forged documents. Minor ones. Neatly cleaned up every trace, so we wouldn’t have noticed. But Bartek also owed some serious people huge amounts of money he had lost on slot machines. And these bastards didn’t negotiate. They pressed him. And at one point, they offered him a way out, "cooperation," for which all his debts would be cancelled. But for that, he needed silent approval from someone in the office management, because the scheme could be uncovered in three seconds.
"And so Nadya came along just at the right time, " I whisper understandingly. " He blackmailed Lukash with that video?
"Yes. Only that fool Lukash didn’t think to come to me either, " he lets out angrily. " Bartek told him it would just be a few fake document bundles, " a small favor for his acquaintances…. and everyone would forget about it.
"So Lukash wasn’t aware it wasn’t even about the documents? " I was surprised.
"No, it was confirmed. Fortunately, he recorded all his calls and communications with Bartek. So, he was only accused of forging documents, not human trafficking.
"And Bianka? " I wince involuntarily as I pronounce her name.
" She wasn’t involved and really only knew about one forgery. But she knew about Lukash and Nadya’s affair… from the very beginning. And she didn’t tell me anything.
I see how angry he is. No wonder. All his closest people betrayed his trust at the same time. Then suddenly it dawns on me that Lukash didn’t organize the assassination attempt, and I hurry to voice my guess aloud:
" So was the assassination attempt also ordered by Bartek?
"After our conversation back then at the Krakow office," he began to suspect that I knew everything. But he was only sure when Lukash followed us to Wroclaw. That’s when he contacted the scoundrels who were blackmailing him and informed them. He realized WHAT he was facing if he got busted. And those people acted swiftly, but fortunately, incompetently, because they found an amateur. If they had more time and hired a professional, " I doubt I would be sitting here now.
From that unspoken thought, my skin crawls, and a shiver runs down my back. Then suddenly another thought pops into my mind:
"Why didn’t you tell me anything earlier? I was looking for information in the press. Constantly. But there was nothing…, " I said quietly with a hint of accusation in my voice.
"The risks were too high. I was under investigation, and the firm was checked inside and out. We barely got out of it…, " he explained tersely, and my eyes widened in surprise, "because indeed no word of this was ever mentioned anywhere. They only wrote that the investigation was ongoing, but how? what? where? "
Silence. Then he added: "And involving you, thus putting you at risk, would have been the height of selfishness, so I did what I had to, " he finishes and looks at me directly, and I feel a vague discomfort in my chest.
" What do you mean? " I whisper. " What did you do?"
He sighs heavily, but doesn’t look away. Looks directly into my eyes as he says:
"I didn’t lose my memory..."