— No… No. What the hell are you doing?
— What does this even look like?
My heart pounds so hard it drowns out the sound of water running from the faucet. Steam settles in my lungs and fills them with heaviness.
— Oleg, are you out of your mind? — my voice trembles.
— No. But I think it’s not far off. Two years without…
He doesn’t finish. He punches the wall. And then he convulsively sobs, pressing his forehead to my shoulder.
— She’s my daughter!
— Then help her. — His loud, emotion-choking breathing makes my hair stir. And even more so the realization of what he’s pushing me toward. — Better you than some stranger, right?
— No! I cut him off harshly.
— Yes. Sasha, yes… You understand it in the depths of your soul.