The line went dead quiet for a moment.
The accident.
The nightmare that had ripped Phei's parents away and dropped him straight into a house full of people who spent the next ten years making sure he knew he didn't belong.
"So it's no wonder he doesn't remember you," Victoria finished quietly.
Nastya exhaled, slow and heavy.
"No. It really isn't."
Victoria let the silence sit between them for a beat. Then a mischievous little giggle snuck out—small, playful, the sound of a girl who'd just had a deliciously evil idea she couldn't keep bottled up.
"But the video of him swearing that promise. is safe, right?"
"Oh, it absolutely is. Backed up on three different devices and a private cloud server, Victoria. I'm not some amateur," Nastya replied, sounding almost offended at the question.
Victoria grinned into the darkness, teeth flashing even though no one could see it.
"I can already picture his face when he sees it."
