Page 350 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

"Divorce your wife," Dimka said again. "Which of those three words are you having trouble understanding?"

"Fuck me, is that all?"

"Yes."

"You can marry her. I wouldn't touch her now anyway."

"If you divorce her, I'll leave you alone. I'm not a cop, and I'm not running a crusade against corruption in the USSR. I have more important work to do."

"It's a deal." Nik opened the door. "I'll send her up."

That took Dimka by surprise. "She's here?"

"Waiting in the car. I'll have her things packed up and sent around tomorrow. I don't want her in my place ever again."

Dimka raised his voice. "Don't you dare hurt her. If she's even bruised, the whole deal is off."

Nik turned in the doorway and pointed a threatening finger. "And don't you renege. If you try to screw me I'll cut off her nipples with the kitchen scissors."

Dimka believed he would. He suppressed a shudder. "Get out of my flat."

Nik left without closing the door.

Dimka was breathing hard, as if he had been running. He stood still in the small hall of the apartment. He heard Nik clattering down the stairs. He put the ashtray down on the hall table. His fingers were slippery with perspiration, and he almost dropped it.

What just happened seemed like a dream. Had Nik really stood in this hallway and agreed to a divorce? Had Dimka really scared him off?

A minute later he heard footsteps of a different kind on the stairs: lighter, faster, coming up. He did not go out of the apartment: he felt stuck where he was.

Natalya appeared in the doorway, her broad smile lighting up the whole place. She threw herself into his arms. He buried his face in her mass of curls. "You're here," he said.

"Yes," she said. "And I'm never going to leave."

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Rebecca was tempted to be unfaithful to Bernd. But she could not lie to him. So she told him everything in a convulsion of repentance. "I've met someone I really like," she said. "And I've kissed him. Twice. I'm so sorry. I'll never do it again."

She was scared of what he would say next. He might immediately ask for a divorce. Most men would. Bernd was better than most men, though. But it would break her heart if he were not angry but simply humiliated. She would have hurt the person she loved most in the world.

However, Bernd's response to her confession was shockingly different from anything she had expected. "You should go ahead," he said. "Have an

affair with the guy."

They were in bed, last thing at night, and she turned over and stared at him. "How can you say that?"

"This is 1968, the age of free love. Everyone is having sex with everyone else. Why should you miss out?"

"You don't mean that."

"I didn't mean it to sound so trivial."

"What did you mean?"

"I know you love me," he said, "and I know you like having sex with me, but you mustn't go through the rest of your life without experiencing the real thing."

"I don't believe in the real thing," she said. "It's different for everyone. It's much better with you than it was with Hans."

"It will always be good, because we love each other. But I think you need a really good fuck."

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