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“I owe you an apology.” I swipe a hand over my face. “Fuck, I owe you more than an apology, and it should have come much sooner, but I didn't know what to say.” My lips tip up at the corner. “Apologizing is new to me,” I admit.
She crosses her arms and lets out a small, almost imperceptible sigh. "If you’re going to stay a married man, it’s a good thing to get used to.”
I hunch forwards, resting my elbows on my knees. "Abducting you, threatening your loved ones… It was wrong. In my mind, it was to keep you safe, hoping you'd eventually be happy by my side. I see now how wrong I was."
Alyona smiles sadly. “I know you were doing what you thought was best, but it felt like being caged, not protected. You can't force happiness.”
Alyona's words stir a part of me buried under layers of pain and regret. Ilya's death was a wound that never truly healed. But now, sitting across from my daughter, knowing that I have forever with Kira and our child, I feel more whole than I’ve felt in a long time.
“I’m a slow learner,” I admit. Nerves alight under my skin—Alyona deserves the full story. "There's something you should know. I had a son named Ilya. He was the light of my life, the best thing to ever happen to me.” The next words emerge ragged and sharp, tearing at my insides. “When he was four years old, he was killed by my enemies in a car bomb meant for me."
Her hand rises to her mouth. “I’m so sorry," she whispers. After a moment, she adds, “I had a brother.”
“It was why I couldn’t bear for something to happen to you.” I sigh. “When I learned I had a daughter, after that loss… It waseverything. So I tried to protect you in my own backwards, fucked-up way.”
Alyona reaches out, her hand tentatively finding mine. “I can't imagine the pain of losing a child.”
“Hopefully, you’ll never have to. I know Leo will protect you and any future children with his life.” A small smile grows on my face. “I'll be the first to say the road here was bumpy as hell, but having you and Kira by my side is the best possible outcome.”
“I’ve never seen Kira happier,” Alyona admits, huffing out an amused breath. “But it’ll always be a little weird that my best friend and father … you know.”
Oh, I know.
Speaking of the devil… My phone buzzes with an incoming text.
Kira: I require a sponge bath. With your tongue.
Apparently, Kira is feeling a lot better than I realized. I’m more than happy to play nurse.
“It seems the patient requires my assistance,” I say, standing.
Alyona rises as well, and to my surprise, she steps forwards and wraps her arms around me in a tentative hug. "Thank youfor telling me about Ilya. I’d like to learn more about him when you’re ready.”
My eyes search hers for a sign of acceptance before I manage to ask, “How about a drink tonight? We have a lot to catch up on."
“I agree,” she says, her voice soft. “I’d like that.”
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
KIRA
“Okay, so … we have news,”I announce, glancing at Maxim and linking our fingers, aware of all eyes on us.
The room's full of expectant faces—our friends and family gathered in the Kozlovs’ Long Island mansion. Everyone's on edge for our big announcement, the one I've been itching to share.
Andrei's got his arm around Georgia, looking every bit the protective husband, while Georgia's hand rests on her baby bump. Their toddler whirlwind, Anya, is doing laps around the room, her giggles bouncing off the walls. Daniil and Bianca are making themselves cozy by the fireplace, and over in the corner, Leo and Alyona are lost in their own little world.
“Don’t tell me you’re breaking up already?” Daniil frowns, causing his wife Bianca to hit him on the shoulder.
“Let the woman talk, will you?” she says with a smirk.
Maxim shoots Daniil a joking—I think—death glare. “We’re not breaking up,” he confirms. “In fact, it’s the opposite.”
Taking a deep breath, feeling the steadying presence of Maxim's hand on my back, I announce, "Maxim and I are expecting a baby."
Cheers sweep through the room. Georgia is the first to rush over, her eyes shining with happiness, pulling me into a tight hug. “Oh, Kira, that’s wonderful! A cousin for Anya and the bun in the oven,” she says, pointing to her round belly. Having just passed the twelve-week mark, it looks like our little ones will be close in age.
