From: Eva Stoll

To: Mia Stoll

Subject: What’s up?

Hey Little Sis,

So how’s life in sunny Martinique? Are my friends taking good care of you? Did you get the job? Did your thesis supervisor agree to the long-distance thing?

I went over to Alsace last weekend. Màma and Pàpa had received your postcard. They must have read it so many times they’d learned it by heart before putting it in the center of the family-room mantelpiece. They’re a bit puzzled by your “quarter-life crisis,” as you described it, but they say they’re happy if you’re happy.

Most importantly, they haven’t received any emails from Gaspard. I’d wager he hasn’t posted the video on the Internet, either. He was bluffing, Mia. He’s a cheap, sad, pathetic loser who tried to play smart and failed. Now he knows you’re gone, and he doesn’t have your postal or email address. No more leverage. In a week or so, he’ll return to Australia with his tail between his legs. I hope he understands that the Stolls don’t negotiate with blackmailers!

Hugs,

Eva

* * *

From: Mia Stoll

To: Eva Stoll

Subject: Martinique

Hi Evie,

Life is good here, as good as it gets under the circumstances. It rains a lot, but the showers are warm, and they don’t last long. I love the sun, the sea, the beaches—all the stuff that makes me feel like I’m on an extended vacation somewhere in the Caribbean. Oh wait, I am in the Caribbean! And yet I’m still in France. Everyone speaks French, all the signs are in French, the TV is in French, not to mention all the familiar restaurant chains and shops. I love it.

Sandrine and Henrik have been so very kind to me. I don’t know how I’ll ever pay them back. You’re lucky to have friends like that, and I’m lucky to have a sister like you.

And now, drumroll please… I got the job! I can’t believe how easy the whole thing was. Starting next Monday, your fugitive sister will be a substitute history teacher at one of the Fort-de-France junior highs. The other great news is that Professor Guyot agreed to the “distance thing,” even if it wasn’t quite kosher. We’ll do our tutorials over Skype. This means I’m still enrolled in my PhD program and still on track to defend my thesis in a year.

You have no idea how happy I am to hear that Gaspard hasn’t carried out his threats—at least, not yet. It’s a load off my shoulders.

xoxo,

Mia

* * *

From: Eva Stoll

To: Mia Stoll

Subject: News

Congrats on your new job and on Professor Guyot’s leniency! Well done, baby sis.

You won’t believe who called me the other day. Sebastian d’Arcy. He introduced himself, apologized for bothering me, and then inquired after you. I had no idea he knew about your existence. Or mine, for that matter. Anyway, as per our script, I gave him the yada yada about your impossible-to-refuse job offer in Quebec. Then I went off script and asked if he was calling because his brother was “heartbroken.”

I’m sorry but I couldn’t help myself.

Sebastian said he doesn’t seem to be and added that, in fact, Raphael is in such high spirits one might think he was consuming if one didn’t know him better.

I asked him why he called. He was silent for such a long time I almost hung up, but then he said never mind and something about his wife being right about him worrying too much. After that, he said good-bye and hung up.

Wasn’t that weird?

That’s a rhetorical question, by the way. What I really want to know is if being far away is helping you forget Raphael. I hope it does. Maybe I should do the same to get over Adam…

And now for the most important question. Are you still pregnant or did you go through with the abortion plan?

Love,

Eva

* * *

From: Mia Stoll

To: Eva Stoll

Subject: RE: news

Hi Eva,

I’ll answer your rhetorical question first. :-) Sebastian d’Arcy’s call is weird. But it’s good to know Raphael is doing great. When I texted him that I was moving to Canada, he replied, “Good for you! Appreciate the heads-up.” I thought he was being sarcastic.

But now it looks like he meant it.

As for my getting over him, it’s a work in progress. To speed it up, I read self-help books. It’s called bibliotherapy, and you should definitely try it to help you get over Adam.

Another trick I’ve found is buying tabloids, where I almost always find photos of him in the company of dazzling creatures. I put a finger on his face and focus on the women, trying to guess which ones he has or will sleep with. And if I catch my finger caressing the paper, I bite it really hard.

It’s brutal, but it’s necessary.

To answer your most important question—yes, I’m still pregnant. I don’t think I can go through with the abortion. Not because I suddenly feel Raphael should have a say or anything like that.

I’m not too eager to be a mom, either.

If I miscarry, it would be a relief. A huge relief. But I’m almost three months along now, and the amalgamation of cells in my womb already has a heart. A tiny little beating heart, Evie. Blame it on our family background and education or my stupidity, but that means something to me. The critter is a product of lovemaking, not of mindless drunken sex or rape. I just can’t go to the hospital, have doctors silence its heartbeat, and then carry on with my life as if everything was fine.

It’s one of those “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situations, and it looks like I’m going to go with a “don’t.”

xoxo,

Mia