Arsen
Two Days After the Arrest
“Arsen,” Kyrylo waves at me from the car. His face is etched with worry as I approach. “How are you holding up?” He offers me a pack of cigarettes.
“Let’s go,” I say, sliding into the passenger seat and declining the smoke. Not here.
“Where to?” He gets behind the wheel. “You look like you need some sleep.”
“To the apartment. Where’s Victor?”
“I told everyone to stay at the office to keep things calm. Work’s been on track yesterday and today. The office is fine, but your place is a mess.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, nodding.
I don’t have the energy to talk or even think. For two days, they’ve been messing with my head, grilling me, waiting for confessions I had no intention of giving. They dug for evidence of financial schemes but came up empty-handed. Then they showed me a statement that made everything else irrelevant. It claimed I kidnapped Veronica Sakevych and held her against her will. When she managed to escape, she went straight to the authorities. “Pull over,” I snap, shaking off the haze of my thoughts.
I step out immediately and light a cigarette, filling my lungs with nicotine in a desperate attempt to calm down. It feels like I’m about to explode from the burning helplessness inside me. Like I’ve been killed, yet somehow I’m still breathing, walking, thinking. But I don’t want to—because the images flashing through my mind are driving me insane with the need to know the truth. How? Why? For what? When did she plan this, and with whom?
Kyrylo gets out too but stays silent, letting out a heavy sigh as I smoke. I don’t know what to say to him. Words fail me. I feel sick to my stomach. My chest aches. I want to smash something, tear it apart, crush it.
“Don’t feel like talking?” he asks quietly.
“Not now.”
“Fair enough. I’m heading out tomorrow, but if you need anything…”
“I’ll manage. I’ve only been gone two days,” I say, tossing the cigarette butt and getting back in the car.
We drive the rest of the way in silence. I let Kyrylo go and head up to the apartment. The moment I’m inside, I dial Victor’s number.
“Yeah, Arsen,” he answers on the first ring.
“Fifteen minutes. Be here.”
“Got it,” he says, hanging up as I head to the shower.
Afterward, I have to step into the bedroom to change. I fight hard to keep the memories at bay. Her scent still lingers here, and yet she betrayed me… so quickly, without hesitation. So skillfully. So cruelly. So calculated.
I wait for Victor outside, chain-smoking. I haven’t eaten, so I feel a bit off, but that’s the least of my problems. Under my skin, there’s a fire. It demands revenge. It twists my insides with such pain that even breathing feels like a struggle.
“Arsen,” Victor says as he pulls up and steps out to give me a quick hug. “What the hell happened? Kyrylo said she filed a statement…” He trails off.
“Take me to her place.”
He nods and doesn’t ask any more questions on the way. What’s there to ask when it’s all so clear? I don’t hold out much hope that she’s there, but I need to check. I need to ask why, to look her in the eye. I ring the doorbell for a long time, then step outside and call her number. At first, I don’t register the faint melody nearby, but then I realize it’s coming from the dumpster. Maybe I did have a shred of hope after all, because at that moment, a sharp pain grips my chest, like someone’s squeezing my insides tight.
“She threw out her phone,” Victor says, walking over. “Arsen,” his face is full of confusion.
“Who are you looking for?” a voice calls from above. A woman on the second floor leans out of her window, watching us closely.
“A dark-haired girl, about twenty, who lived on the first floor,” Victor replies. “Have you seen her today?”
“She wasn’t alone,” the woman says. “There were two of them, both dark-haired, around the same age. They left this morning. I’m not good with car makes, but it wasn’t anything fancy. One of them even snapped at me while carrying out some bags.”
“Thanks,” Victor says, glancing at me before heading back to the car. I follow suit. I’m numb. Yesterday, I had a million plans. Today, I’ve got none. Nothing matters anymore. “I don’t get it,” Victor mutters irritably as we drive off.
“Find out everything you can about Veronica Sakevych. If you need to, go to Dnipro. I want to know everything about her.”
“Is this Eva?”
“Eva. I’m most interested in how she might be connected to Oleg. And if possible, her current address.”
“Don’t lose it, Arsen.”
“A woman named Veronica approached Biletsky with an offer to buy land,” I say, my voice cold, though my chest is boiling with emotion. “I saw the signed statement with my own eyes,” I add, my voice rising despite my efforts to keep the anger in check.
“Damn it…” Victor slams his hand on the steering wheel. “How could this happen? How? Do you think her friend is the real Eva, and Oleg was pulling the strings from afar?”
“I don’t want to think about her right now.”
“You won’t be able to avoid it. It’s like ripping off your own skin. It hurts.”
“Then I’ll rip it off,” I snap.
“So, maybe you don’t need the info? Got it,” he says, catching the look in my eyes.
He drops me off at home and leaves. Ignoring the mess in the hallway, I head to the kitchen and grab a bottle from the bar. I pour a glass of liquor and down it in one go. Then another. And another. I slump onto the couch, trying to drink myself into a stupor, hoping sleep will take me and stop her face from haunting me. As if she’s scared and lost. As if she’s mine—but she never was. A stranger, a liar, hungry for money. I don’t even have words for her. They haven’t invented them yet. I wanted to protect her, but I should’ve sent her packing the first day the guys dragged that snake into my house. For such an “important” cause, she even gave me her innocence.
I need to know who’s behind her, or I’ll never have peace. If it’s Oleg, the last thing he’ll see in this life is my fist. I should’ve finished him off. And she got so worked up about it. Even stepped in to protect him. What a fool I’ve been. I’ve never felt so stupid. In an instant, my eyes were opened, but it’s too late to change anything. The pain has spread through every inch of me. I crave revenge on everyone involved. Especially her. I want her to feel what it’s like when your heart is ripped out of your chest while you’re still alive.
I don’t know when I pass out, but a loud doorbell jolts me awake. Irritated, I stumble to the door.
“Victor, couldn’t you have come in the morning?” I rub my face with my hands.
“Didn’t know you’d be this hungover. I’ve been waiting out here for half an hour. Do you want the info now, or should I come back when you’re sober?”
“You got it already? How long was I out?” I’m still trying to get my bearings.
“It wasn’t hard. Didn’t even need to go anywhere. Arsen, I’m a bit shocked, and I’m not sure if I should even tell you.”
“Spit it out,” I say, heading to the hallway and pouring myself another drink. “Want some?”
“No, I’ll pass. It won’t help you anyway.”
“So,” I snap, “what did you find?”
“Veronica Sakevych is the daughter of a well-known businessman in Dnipro. They own a chain of supermarkets across the country, but they’re in financial trouble right now. Maybe that’s why she got tangled up with Oleg?”
“I don’t care why,” I reply sharply. “What else?”
“That’s it,” he says, avoiding my gaze.
“Do I need to drag it out of you with pliers? Or just punch you?” I’m boiling over in an instant.
“She’s… been engaged for a while.”
“Is that so?” It doesn’t surprise me, but it still stings.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Arsen,” he says sternly.
“Me? Do something stupid? Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m just going to destroy everyone involved. That’s all.”