"You have a funny way of showing it. I was unaware that loving someone means abandoning them for a game. But right, it was my own fault for not saying anything in the first place. I should have seen what was happening but I wanted to believe in you. I wanted you to prove me wrong. And then..." Shaking her head, Svetlana pressed her lips together and closed her eyes as she turned her head to the side. She was getting too worked up. If she got this worked up, the ice would crack and she'd be yelling at him. Which really was not an option at the moment when she had two children sleeping down the hall, both confused as to what had happened. They knew they'd been shot. They remembered that. They just didn't understand why they woke up in the morgue.
Oh, she could tell in his voice what he meant. Even with everything else going on... Both in that reality, here and in general of what the reality switch meant. Svetlana had spent years protecting her daughters. Had given up the last of her dignity and self respect in that other world and yet, she still had failed to protect the girls. Part of her had been thankful for Lawrence. She was away from the hold of the KGB, oh Molokov was there, but he did not have the government backing him. And here, they could work on things. But now? Oh, she had seen some of the insanity this place brought, but to this extent? To realize there really was no control? She realized how insignificant she truly was. But even with all of that, she could hear it in his voice that he was serious and stubborn and was going to fight.
Then he was saying that he wasn't here for Florence and all she could see was the awkward display from that stupid musical. The stupid lines of hold me and tell me we'll meet again. That had been what had set her off while she was sick. And now it was running on repeat in her mind. Oh, she knew Anatoly all right. And she knew that both Freddie and Florence had their issues with the man before her, but she also knew that they were wrong. Still, hearing him say he wasn't there for Florence just had Svetlana roll her eyes.
And that was when she'd been burned and had started focusing on tending to the burn. Of course, she hadn't expected Anatoly to take her arm in his hand and to help with the cold water. She hadn't expected him to show any sort of emotion, let alone love and tenderness. It wasn't the first time he had helped her with an injury or illness, not even the first time here, but it made her breath catch in her throat. She felt dizzy and couldn't focus. She went rigid, her breath stopping. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't handle this. So she remained still, having gone pale, eyes locked on the way he held her arm, as if searching desperately for any sign of deceit to prove she was right.