Julia glanced to Alex, wondering if she should mention the photo and the Russia connection, but saw by the almost imperceptible shake of his head that he thought it would be better to keep that information to themselves. But she could give the police something. "There was a man watching me when I left work today. He made me so nervous, I didn't go to my car; I went and got coffee with my friends. When I came back a half hour later, he was gone." She gave them the description of the man, although she could tell by their expressions that they believed it was a stretch to connect some man who might have been watching her to the vandalism done in her apartment.
"Are you going to tell them about the picture?" Liz whispered to Julia.
"There's nothing to tell yet," she murmured. "I don't think we want more media attention, do you?"
"No," Liz replied, a scowl on her face.
"We're done for now," one of the officers said. "You should both be careful. If they didn't find whatever they were looking for, they may be back. Stay with friends tonight, and if you think of anything that will help us investigate, give us a call." He handed Julia his card.
Julia slipped it into a pocket, her fingers coming into contact with the card Christine Delaney had given her earlier. She had a feeling she wouldn't be calling either one of them, but she said, "Thank you."
Michael arrived as the officers were leaving. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the state of their apartment. "What happened?" He looked from Julia to Liz, his gaze settling on Alex. "Who are you?"
"This is Alex Manning," Julia said, realizing they'd never actually met. "Michael Graffino."
The two men sized each other up, then connected for a brief, wary handshake.
"So, what's going on?" Michael asked again.
"Isn't it obvious?" Liz asked. "Julia's search has now put us in danger."
"Someone broke into your apartment because of the photograph?" Michael echoed in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"No, we're not sure," Julia replied. "We don't, know."
"What we do know," Liz cut in, "is that nothing was taken, but everything was ripped apart by a big, sharp knife."
Michael's attention shifted to the cushions on the couch. His skin turned pale. "God! What if you'd been here when they came? You could have both been killed."
That thought had crossed Julia's mind as well. And she could see that his words had stirred Liz up even more.
"We're lucky that didn't happen," Julia said.
"Lucky? You call this lucky?" Michael asked sharply. He shot Alex a hard look. "What do you think about all this? You don't seem to be saying much."
"I think Julia has it covered."
"And I think Julia needs to stop this craziness before something worse happens."
"She can handle herself," Alex replied.
"And she can speak for herself, too," Julia interrupted, drawing their attention back to her. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions until the police finish their investigation." Actually, she was already jumping to conclusions, but she didn't want to share them with Michael or with Liz. She needed to talk to Alex alone. But Michael would have none of that.
"Why don't you leave?" Michael said to Alex. "I'll take care of Julia and Liz." He put a protective and proprietary arm around Julia's shoulders.
She could hardly knock it off, but she didn't like the way Michael was staking his claim, or the way Alex was looking at her, as if he couldn't believe she was standing there letting Michael take control. She sensed the situation was on the verge of exploding into something even worse.
"Maybe you should go, Alex," she said quietly, silently pleading with him to understand.
Alex hesitated, an unreadable look in his eyes. Then he shrugged. "Sure. Call me later."
Julia had to fight the urge to run after him. She was far more interested in talking to him about what this break-in might mean than in dealing with Michael and Liz, who were both annoyed with her. But she knew she couldn't leave. She had to talk to them first. She owed them that much.
Liz walked over and shut the door behind Alex, then put her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she stared at Julia and the destruction surrounding them. "This is scary," Liz said. "What kind of people are you mixed up with?"
"I don't know," Julia muttered.
Michael pulled her around so he could gaze into her eyes. "Julia. Please. I'm asking you. Let this search of yours go. Call the newspaper. Tell them they were wrong. You're not that girl. And your family needs to be left alone."
"Don't you understand, Michael? It's too late. Everything is in motion. I told the reporter I wasn't that girl. She didn't believe me. And it's obvious that someone who saw my picture in the newspaper thinks I am that girl. And it looks like that someone believes I have something that I'm not supposed to have."
"What? What do you have?" he asked impatiently. "Is there more you haven't told me?"
She couldn't even remember what she had told him. Her head was spinning with bits and pieces of information. "I don't know what I have that they want, Maybe it's the swan necklace. Maybe it's the matryoshka doll. It's possible that it's old and valuable. Your guess is as good as mine. I'm just glad they were in my bag, not the apartment."
"So they might come back looking for them, looking for you," Michael said.
"I hope not. And I'm just guessing that that's what they're looking for. I really don't know." She still needed to go to the Russian shop and talk to Dasha's cousin, Svetlana, about the doll. She'd forgotten all about that part of the story. Maybe that's what she would do next.
"Julia, this is too dangerous," Michael said. "If you come forward, if you make a public statement that you're turning over these items to the police, whoever did this might back away."
"Or they might not." She could see the disappointment in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Michael, but I don't want to turn over my necklace and that doll to the police. They're the only clues I have to my past. I have to finish my search."
"At what cost? You and Liz could have been killed. If you aren't thinking about yourself, what about your sister?"
"Yeah, what about your sister?" Liz echoed. "Listen to him, Julia. He's making good sense. Yesterday some man called here. He had a Russian accent. He kept calling you Yulia. And he seemed agitated when I couldn't put you on the phone. He scared me. There was something in his voice." She paused. "I wonder if he was the one who did this."
Julia wondered if he was the same man who'd been outside the radio station. Maybe she shouldn't have run from that man. Maybe she should have stayed and confronted him, instead of taking off like a scared child.
"You need to back off," Michael urged. "If you show complete disinterest in the story, perhaps the press will move on to something else."
"I think Michael has a point. Without you, the story has no teeth," Liz added.
How could she fight both of them? Julia wished Alex hadn't left. She could have used another person on her side. "I'm sorry," she repeated, with a helpless wave of her hand, "but I can't stop. The reporter told me today that she spoke to someone who worked at the orphanage in Russia. She's digging deep and digging fast. She's determined to solve the mystery of that little girl with or without me. Even if I do nothing, she's moving forward. I need to stay ahead of her, just in case…"
"In case what?" Liz asked.
She drew in a breath. "In case I have to protect Mom's reputation."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure yet, but there's a good chance that Mom and I were in Russia when that picture was taken."
Liz's gaze darkened with some emotion. "How do you know that? Do you have proof?"
"I'm working on it."
"What did the person at the orphanage tell the reporter?" Liz asked. "Could she identify you?"
"No, apparently she just said that the employees were threatened with death if they spoke of the girl at the gates."
"Oh, come on. That's a little dramatic, isn't it?" Michael scoffed.
Julia tipped he
r head at the mess surrounding them.
"And this isn't dramatic? I think someone made a very powerful statement here today."
He couldn't argue with that. "All right. What are you going to do next?"
"Start cleaning, I suppose," Julia replied.
"You can't stay here. You'll have to come to my apartment. We'll go from there."
"There's no room at your place. You're living with your brother. And what about Liz?"
"Yeah, what about Liz?" her sister echoed again.
"You can stay with your father," Michael told Liz. He glanced back at Julia and shook his head. "And you—I guess I might as well tell you this now. I was going to wait until it was ready—until you were ready—but since you need a safe place to stay…"
"What are you talking about?" Julia asked, confused again.
"I'm going to start cleaning up the bedroom," Liz said, interrupting them. "I'll be in the other room if anyone needs me."
Her sister certainly seemed eager to be gone all of a sudden. "You don't have to leave," Julia said.
"Yes, I do," Liz said with a nod. "Believe me, I do." She hustled out of the room, making a point of closing the bedroom door behind her.
Julia turned back to Michael. "What is it? What do you want to tell me?"
He took a moment, then said, "I bought us a house, Julia. Near the Marina. It has two bedrooms and a garden. You're going to love it."
His words came out in a rush. She blinked, sure she hadn't heard him correctly. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"I think you heard me."
"I don't think I could have," she said with a definite shake of her head. "You better say it again."
"All right." His chin lifted and his shoulders went back as he said, "I bought us a house, Julia, a place for us to raise our children and grow old together. It's what you've always wanted. It's your wedding present."
Stunned by his words, she didn't know what to say, how to react. It was all too much. The day had been one bad surprise after another.
"Say something," Michael instructed.
"What should I say? I can't believe it. You bought us a house?"
Michael's brown eyes lit up with eagerness as he grabbed her shoulders. "It's great, Julia. It's a fixer-upper, which is the only way I could afford to buy in that neighborhood. There's a school nearby, about three blocks away. You'll be able to walk with the kids. And the recreation center is close by. You can take your yoga classes there, and I can play in the basketball leagues. It's the perfect place for us to start our life together."
"I already go somewhere for yoga," she said, not sure why it seemed important to tell him that in the face of everything else he'd said.
"So maybe you'll change your mind, and switch to the rec center. I can't wait to show you the house. I wanted it to be completely done before I did. But this is better. You can help me fix it up the way you want it."
"Does it matter what I want?" she asked.
"Of course it does," he replied, the light dimming in his eyes. "I love you. I want you to be happy."
"Then why didn't you tell me about the house? Why didn't you show it to me before you bought it? Don't you think we should be making these decisions together? A house is a huge purchase."
"I'm the man. I want to provide for you and our children. It's the way I was raised."
"First of all, we don't have children yet. You make it sound like they're already here." And that little fact had drawn goose bumps down her arms. "Second of all, I want kids, but not yet, not really soon."
"You're almost thirty. How long do you want to wait?"
"I don't know. Until I'm ready. My God, Michael! You bought us a house without telling me. Don't you think that's crazy? How did you even afford it?"
"I've been saving for years. I've always wanted a place of my own, real estate, my land, my house, something I can put my mark on. And no, I don't? think that's crazy. I think it's smart. I think that kind of foresight makes me a good man."
"Except you just said 'my,' like, three times. What happened to 'our'? What happened to us making decisions together as partners?"
"And how the hell would I get you to make such a decision? You can't even focus on our wedding, much less the rest of our life," he snapped back.
"That's not an excuse for leaving me out of the loop. Not on something this big."
"I thought you'd be happy that I took care of it for you."
"Happy? How could I be happy? You didn't consider my feelings."
"And you've been considering mine? I've asked you to give up this search a half dozen times now, and your answer has been hell, no. You don't care what I think at all. And you're not even giving this house a chance. You might love it."
"It's not the house. It's the fact that you bought it without telling me. That you're planning our lives without my input. That's not right, Michael." She knew the moment of truth had finally come. She had to face their relationship head-on. "We're not right."
"Just stop there—"
"No." She shrugged out of his hold. "I can't stop. I have to tell you how I feel."
"It's that guy, Alex, isn't it?" he demanded furiously. "He's the reason you're pulling away from me. You're attracted to him, aren't you?"
"This isn't about him," she said, sidestepping the issue of attraction. "It's about you and me. Us. It's my fault, Michael. I let things go on for too long. And I'm sorry about that."
He shook his head. "Don't."
"You're one of the best men I've ever known. The way you took care of me and Liz during Mom's illness was unbelievably kind and generous. But I've known for a while now that you and me… that we're not right for each other."
"We're perfect for each other," he said desperately. "How can you say that?"
"Because it's true. Because you don't see me the way I am. I never said I wanted a house. I never said I wanted kids in the next five years. You just assumed I did. And I should have corrected you a long time ago."
"I know you want kids."
"But I want other things first," she said passionately. "I'm beginning to realize how narrow my life has been. Mom was so strict about things I could do or not do, who I could see, where I could go, and I let her control me. And I started letting you do the same thing."
"I love you," he said with genuine, heartbreaking sincerity.
"I love you, too," she whispered, "but not the way a woman loves a man she's going to marry." She knew she was hurting him, and she felt horrible. She'd never wanted to bring him pain.
"You're just confused because of your past and this mystery you're chasing," he said, not willing to let go of his dream. "You'll feel differently when it's over, when that guy is out of your life."
"I won't. It's true I'm confused. But the one thing I've come to realize in the past few days is that I want to live my life to the fullest. I don't want to have regrets. I don't want to stop myself from asking questions or stating my opinion because I'm afraid the person I'm talking to will get hurt. I want to be free, Michael. I want to travel. I want to work on my music, on my goals. And I don't want to cheat myself or you. That's what I'd be doing if I married you."
"You're making a mistake," he said flatly. "A big one this time. Has he offered to travel with you? To help you with your music? To show you the world?"
She shook her head. "Alex hasn't done any of those things."
"But if he asked you to go with him, you'd go."
"It's not about him," she said, refusing to let herself even consider that question.
"You can protest all you want, but I think you're lying." He paused, his jaw tight, his mouth set in a hard line. "I guess it's over then."
She glanced down at her left hand and slowly pulled off the engagement ring he'd given her almost a year ago. She handed it to him. "You're a great guy, Michael. I hope you find someone who really deserves you."
"Yeah, yeah, nice guys always finish last," he said bitterly. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Juli
a." He paused. "If you change your mind, I might still be around. Or I might not. You never know."
Julia blew out a sigh as Michael left the apartment. She felt drained of emotion but also relieved that she'd finally broken it off. She glanced down at the tan line on her third finger and knew she'd done the right thing. That ring had been feeling heavier and heavier the last few days.
"What happened?" Liz asked, returning to the room. "I heard yelling."
"We broke up," Julia said, steeling herself for more criticism from Liz, but for once her younger sister was silent. "Did you know about the house?"
Liz gave a sheepish nod. "Michael wanted it to be a surprise. I've been helping him fix it up. That's what I was sewing—curtains." She picked up the fabric on the floor and set it on the table.
"You should have told me, warned me."
"It wasn't my place. You're always telling me to stay out of your relationship, so I stayed out of it."
"You've been helping him fix up the house. How is that staying out of it?"
"I didn't tell him what to do. I just painted and scraped wallpaper. I knew you were going to be pissed."
"Of course I'm angry. What woman would want her fiance to buy a house without her input?"
"A woman who saw it as a romantic, loving gesture," Liz suggested. "Didn't it please you at all to know that this man wanted to take care of you, protect you, make your life easier?"
Liz's words made Julia feel foolish and a little guilty. But she had to remind herself that she and Liz were very different women when it came to men and relationships. "It made me feel as if Michael had no regard for my opinion or my feelings," she said. "Maybe to some women it would have been a romantic gesture. That just proves we weren't right for each other."
"You should reconsider, Julia. See the house at least. You might love it. And perhaps if you talk things through, you'll be able to compromise, find a way to work things out. Unless you don't want to work things out? Did you break up with him because of the house—or because of something or someone else?"
Julia knew it would be smarter not to answer Liz's question, but she had the sudden reckless urge to con fide in someone, and the words came out before she could stop them. "I kissed Alex last night."
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