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I let out a breath and nodded “My parents talked to me about it when I elve I never really understood why they brought the issue up when I was so young I e that I was different…”

I let my words drop off as I re I hadn’t fully understood myself

“Me too,” Jude said softly right before his fingers covered h I wasn’t sure if it was because he’d touchedpersonal with e when I started to realize that I didn’t see things the sae did”

I could hear so to terms with his sexuality hadn’t been pleasant I wanted to ask hiuarded expression in his eyes told me not to push my luck

“Anyway, it turned out that it wasn’t just my parents who noticed that I was different,” I explained “So to see it too”

I sighed as I looked at Maks The toddler was nodding off against my chest I focused on his innocent features It wasn’t until Jude’s fingers brushed lightly against otten lost in my own little sort of daze

“When my parents asked me about it, I told the her andwould be fine He was scared I’d never… I’d never seen hiht they were upset with me That they were disappointed in me”

“But they weren’t?” Jude offered

I shook an pounding heavily in ers intertwined withmy hand like that? Did he have any clue how hard it was for s like that?

"Did you know that back then hoal in Russia?" I asked

“No,” Jude said with a shake of his head

"When ay, they were terrified of ould happen to ot older They could have easily told me that I would need to hide who I was, but they didn't"

"What did they do?"

I looked at Jude and then motioned to the apartment "This," I responded

He looked around for a moment before his eyes widened a little bit "They left Russia to protect you," he said in disbelief

I nodded "They gave up everything Family, friends, ave up their entire lives so that I could have a future"