I decided to tell Sadiq that I wouldn't be able to go along with him in the train that would take us to Istanbul the following night and have some time to explain it to my sisters and sort some things that I didn't know how to do before I left, shortly before I agreed to go with him. I assured him several times that I would meet him in Istanbul when I could and he agreed to go along with my plan. After asking permission to one of the servants, Sadiq was able to use the General's old carriage to take me home. The coachman was a short and fat old man with a red scarf around his neck and walked with a limp towards the wooden carriage. He opened the door for me to step in and I could feel Sadiq staring at my backside from the ground, I could see his smirk when I sat down and he climbed in.

We departed towards my house and the entire trip was spent in complete silence, I felt it was awkward for me, but Sadiq didn't take his eyes off me. He had a fond smile in his face and, when we hit a bump in the road, he put his hand over my gloved hand, which was resting on the seat, keeping us apart. I turned my head to look at him in the eyes and I could feel the weight of his gaze over me.

"I love you"

I was frozen in my spot and didn't know what to say back to him. His gaze weighted much more now than it did before he opened his mouth and I didn't want to disappoint him by saying I didn't love him back. I wasn't sure what I felt for Sadiq, I knew I felt a great fondness for him, just like I had for the General. When I thought of the General, I remembered what had been written in the letter. The fact that he had killed himself thinking that he would let me free to share my love with Sadiq was what drove me to spoke, without further ado.

"I love you, too"

His smile was blinding and I smiled too. He inched closer to me and put his hand over his chest. I could feel his beating heart and I blushed, knowing that I was the cause of his rapid pounding. His lips were inches apart from mine and I could feel his breath on my rosy lips. I felt hot under the collar. Just when he was about to kiss me, the carriage stopped in front of my house and the coachman climbed off, opening the door for us. Sadiq stepped out and held out his hand for me to come out. The air felt gelid against my heated skin as the snow fell over the ground. My sisters had come out of the house when they heard a carriage pulling up at the entrance and smiled upon seeing me.

"Brother"

Sadiq told the coachman to wait for him outside as we made our way into the house. I felt a little embarrassed because I imagined that Sadiq must had a lot of money and so would live in a large palace back in his country and, so was accustomed to luxuries that we didn't have in our home. It was a humble house, but it was my home. I had told myself that I wouldn't change it for anything, but I had been lying to myself. I wanted a big and luxurious house like the General's, which was technically ours. I visibly flinched when I though back of the General, again that night.

"Are you alright, Vanya?"

"Oh, yes. Just thought of something bad"

I said as I sat down in the table after kissing my sisters' cheeks. Natasha hugged me and sat down next to me, latching her fingers onto mine over the table. I felt a little uncomfortable, but that was now natural, after years of exposure to her overwhelming affection. Sadiq noticed that I was uncomfortable and smiled at me from the other side of the table, where he had sat down while Ekaterina was making tea for us. I sighed, knowing that it was time for me to speak and inhaled deeply before speaking up.

"Ekaterina, Natasha, I have something to tell you two"

Ekaterina left the teapot in the stove and sat down across from me in the wooden table, worry in her eyes. Natasha looked up at me, still clung to my arm tightly.

"I have decided that we must move into the General's manor tomorrow morning"

Ekaterina looked at me in shock and Natasha didn't seem to care.

"I don't agree. That house belonged to the General and it's not correct that we take advantage of..."

"We are not taking advantage of anything. The General left that house to me, to us"

I took both her hands into mine and looked right in the eyes. I knew she couldn't deny anything to me when I gave her the "puppy eyes" as she so called it. She sighed and looked down at the table. She nodded and looked up at me.

"Alright... after all, it's only fair"

She said, not all too convinced, I could tell that. Natasha looked between me and her and spoke up with a blank look on her face, as if she was stating a simple fact of life.

"So we are going to leave this hell-hole?"

"Natasha!"

Ekaterina said, sternly, and I just laughed. Sadiq looked at me with a smile and laughed, too. Soon we were all laughing, except for Natasha, who kept her blank face on. She looked a little bit confused, to say the least.

"Think about it, with the money the General left us, you can continue your studies and become a doctor like you wanted"

I told Ekaterina, really excited about our new bright future, but suddenly I was brought back to reality when I realised that I had to tell them I was going to be leaving soon. Ekaterina and Natasha seemed to notice my abrupt change of emotion. I twirled my thumbs and decided to speak up.

"Sadiq... he has invited me to live with him... in Istanbul. I want to go; I need a change of life"

I said, mostly to convince myself than them, who looked at me in complete shock. Natasha attached herself to my arm tighter and Ekaterina took my hands with both of hers.

"What are you talking about, Vanya? You can't leave us! What will we do without you?"

Ekaterina said, desperately holding to my hands.

"You can't leave, big brother, I love you"

Natasha said with that creepy aura that always seemed to surround her when she was around me. Sadiq looked uncomfortable and a little scared when I saw how Natasha glared daggers at him.

"Why do you want to take big brother away from me? You want him for yourself!"

She jumped from her seat and grabbed Sadiq by the collar, making him fall off the chair and pinned him to the floor. Ekaterina screamed and kneeled down to try to take Natasha off Sadiq. I tried to help her, but she had a pretty good grip on him and she kept banging his head on the floor.

After a while and when Natasha had finally calmed down and was sobbing in a faraway corner of the living room while Ekaterina and I applied ice to Sadiq's bruised head.

"Are you sure that you want to live with him in Turkey?"

Ekaterina whispered to me as we stood behind Sadiq, who was sitting on a chair in the kitchen. I looked at her fondly. I couldn't bring myself to leave her behind, and I would be glad to put some distance between Natasha and I, even though I didn't fancy the thought of leaving any of my sisters in Russia.

"I am sure, even though..."

"Even though what?"

I kept pressing the ice bag to the back of Sadiq's head as I looked at my sister.

"I don't want to leave you"

She put her hand on my hand and sighed. She approached to me and looked up at me fondly, with a little worry in her blue eyes.

"Look, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Sadiq, but as I told you before, I want you to be careful with this"

"Don't worry about it, Katyusha, I will be fine"

"But I won't be there to protect you if you go to Turkey with him"

She whispered back, emphasising the "him" and nodding towards Sadiq, who was absentmindedly looking at Natasha crying in the far corner of the house and twirling his thumbs with his hands on his lap.

"I can protect myself, Katyusha"

I kissed her cheek and she hugged me tightly. I still kept my hand on the ice bag on Sadiq's head. I could feel some tears spilling out of her beautiful eyes.

"If you are happy and content, then I'm happy"

She separated from me and looked directly into my violet eyes.

"You can go to Turkey with him... as long as you send letters everyday"

We both smiled and Sadiq got up, telling us that it was getting late and I decided to accompany him to the carriage. Ekaterina said goodbye to him and Natasha didn't even look his way.

"You... did know that I could hear all your chat, don't you?"

Sadiq asked a little uncomfortable, looking at me and rubbing the back of his head. I blushed a little and looked down at the snowy ground as we made our way to the carriage that was waiting outside.

"Yes, a little"

Sadiq smiled at me and kissed me on the lips before hopping in the carriage and departing back to the General's mansion. I gingerly touched my lips with my gloved fingertips as I looked the carriage leaving my house behind.