Of all the situations he wanted to avoid, running into his wife was right at the top of the list on the best of days. Now, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

He checked at the sight of Svetlana, but made himself go over to her, his head held high and shoulders squared. There was no point in running anymore, not if he was only going to end back where he'd begun.

"Svetlana."