They got into his car.For a long moment, Dimitri just sat there, doing nothing. His hands were on the steering wheel but he continued to stare over the hood of the car. It was as if he was suddenly struggling to remember how to even drive the fucking car. It boggled him that he was struggling this much. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way? It was a car for fuck’s sake! And she wasn’t even his type. So why did she seem to make his blood boil so much?He could see her from his peripheral vision and he could tell she was just as confused. The only reason why he wasn’t acting like an idiot right now was because she was being quiet. If she said something stupid, he was sure he’d end up being an asshole to her.The silence was suffocating and it made his skin itch with uneasiness. He wasn’t good at small talks and this was no different. He needed to say something to get her to speak, but he was at a loss.Then sudd
[IVAN]Exactly after three days, Junior would be leaving for his boarding school, and to say Ana had been a complete mess, was an understatement.I understood her pain. I loved my son just as much.Well, maybe my love for our son could never match up to the motherly love Ana held for Junior, but it was love all the same. I felt for her and I wanted to make sure that she knew that when it came to our kids, we were always in this together.We were a team.After dinner, I took a small walk around the estate with the kids. Tati was a bundle of energy, running around while we all laughed, but Ivan was calmer than usual, sticking to my side.I ruffled his hair whenever I got the chance to, talking about this and that, and the little one would always look up at me with so much love in his eyes.I couldn’t believe that a decade ago I would have laughed even at the thought of having a family, of having a kid. But now I h
When Nikolai entered Kremlin Keg House, a high-end bar, it was a little after dinnertime and a little before nightfall.The place was crowded with people, which wasn’t surprising, since Kremlin was a very famous place among the town’s people and tourists as well. He took a deep breath and looked around the place, searching for the man he was there to see.The place was very luxurious-looking. Women served drinks and walked around in skimpy skirts and crop tops, showing off their assets, and many men seemed very interested in that. The bartenders wore black formal shirts, and everyone around the place seemed to be either enjoying themselves or trying to find someone to have fun with.The sight wasn’t foreign to Nik’s eyes. He had been part of this world once. He had seen it all. But that was not why he was there. No. Not even in the slightest.Nikolai approached the nearest waitress and gave her a smile. She looked to be around his
[ANASTASIA] “Are you ready?” Ivan asks, holding me from behind while I am all dressed in front of the dressing table. I nod. But truth be told, I’m not ready at all. At least, I don’t think I am, or could ever be. Just the thought of parting with my son is enough to make me break down into tears. I just…I just don’t know how to be okay with this, with letting my son go so far away from me. Ivan says there’s nothing to worry about, that the school is the safest place and that I’m worrying for nothing. But I’m a mother. No matter how much assurance you give me, I’ll always worry. Always. “You’re about to cry, aren’t you?” Ivan whispers into my ear, probably noticing how my eyes glitter in the mirror. “Sweetheart, you have to get a better grip on yourself. You can’t let Junior see you like this. Or he wouldn’t want to go. Would you like that?” “No!” I shake my head, my chest feeling heavy. “Of course, not. It’s just…” “It’s normal. You’re going to miss him. And so am I. But, you
[IVAN]The dinner at the fine dining restaurant goes more smoothly than expected.The kids are behaving surprisingly well considering the situation they’re in, and Ana is trying her best not to cry and ruin her makeup again. She’s smiling and laughing with the kids, trying to enjoy the night despite the obvious sadness. She’s even talking to Dimitri, who’s not exactly thrilled to be here tonight, and neither is she. But since he can’t exactly say no to his boss, he has no choice but to grin and bear it.I feel sorry for him, but I won’t tell him that. Sometimes it’s good to just watch him being his miserable self.Alright. I’ll be honest. I just want him to know what he’s missing out on: a family.Dimitri lost his parents at a very young age, and since then he has been all alone. He doesn’t like to talk about them, nor does he welcome anyone new into his life.At fi
[ANASTASIA]The moment we are back home and I enter our bedroom after tucking the kids into their beds, Ivan’s hands are all over me.He tugs me close to him, kissing my neck as he peels off his own suit jacket and drops to the floor. I hold onto him when he lifts me in his arms, our lips fusing together in a searing kiss as he walks us towards the bed.“I have been waiting for this all night,” he murmurs against my mouth, laying me on the bed and hovering over me, his eyes filled with hunger and desire.I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as our lips meet again. His kiss is so full of need and passion that my whole body tingles with a rush of pure pleasure.“Ivan…” I moan, his fingers slipping inside my panties, and I feel myself already dripping for him. He slides his hand between my legs, rubbing my pussy with his fingers while I arch my back off the mattress, pressing my body
[IVAN] “Mommy, why can’t I come with you?” Tati cries her heart out, tears streaming down her little face as we all get ready to leave, to drop Junior to Kazan, for his school. “I want to come with Mommy. Mommy, please.” Ana holds our crying daughter tightly in her arms as she kisses her small face. “Baby, Mommy will be back by tomorrow. Please don’t make this harder for Mommy than it already is. I told you how long the flight is. Besides, you don’t even like flights, do you?” Tatiana starts to scream and cry even louder after hearing this and Ana hugs her tight as she whispers something in her ear. It calms her down a little and she stops screaming but doesn’t let go of Ana. “Come on, baby girl,” Ana whispers into her ear again as she kisses Tatiana’s head. “I promise, Mommy and Papa will bring you lots of presents if you are a good girl.” Our little girl sniffs a couple of times. “Really?” Ana smiles and nods her head. “Yes, baby. Anything you want. Just say the word.” Tati lo
[ANASTASIA]“Do you like your room?”I look around the dorm room Junior has been assigned, ensuring that everything is as it should be. I mean, everything is well-placed and in perfect condition, but I still can’t help but worry. What if there’s something missing? What if there’s something he’s scared of? Spiders, for instance. However, after a quick sweep of the room, I can tell the brochure of the school wasn’t lying about its cleanliness policy.I’m checking the bathroom for the tenth time and still find nothing. Everything is squeaky clean. And the best part? He doesn’t even have to share his room with anyone. It could be Junior’s little escape from the world whenever he feels like being alone and not being disturbed.“Mom, I like everything about it,” Junior reassures me with a huge grin on his face as he watches me run around the room from where he’s sitting on his bed.I turn to look at him and find him just as calm as he has been during the entire flight to Kazan. I have no cl
[NIKOLAI]Once we finally get to his office, Konstantin takes his seat behind the desk and raises an eyebrow. He looks kind of pissed, but not enough to end me right here and now.He might have the power to do that and carry on with his day as if nothing happened, but I know in my gut he won’t. He made a promise to our parents that no harm would come to me. And if there’s anyone I know who keeps their word, no matter the circumstances, it’s him. My very own, very infuriating brother.“So,” he drawls, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. “What do you want to talk about?”I don’t sit in the chair in front of me; instead, I start pacing the room. I glance around and find it exactly how our father designed it. Not a single thing has been changed or moved. It’s like walking into a museum of old memories.“I want to challenge Madam Volkova,” I say, almost expecting him to scoff.But he doesn’t. Instead, he tips his head to the side. “Wh
[NIKOLAI]I hang up the phone and stare hard at the ground.“Fuck you, Dimitri!” I growl, clenching the phone tighter and huffing out a heavy breath.The bastard has the audacity to make me responsible for everything that happened to Ana and Ivan. But is it? Am I really the one to blame?I look away, peeling my back off the car and slipping inside.I put my hand on the steering wheel, unable to shake his words from my mind.Shit. If only I had known the consequences of my actions, maybe this day would have never come. Maybe Ana would still be safe, and Ivan would still be breathing on his own, not with the help of some fucking machine.“Fuck!” I punch the steering wheel, growling louder.I turn the key in the ignition and drive away from the motel. I’m not sure if what I’m about to do next is the right choice, but it seems like the only option I have left. I can’t go back to Madam Volkova after my fallout with her, and Dimitri doesn’t seem interested in having me by his side either.I
[DIMITRI]I storm out of the building and light a cigarette, unable to think of anything else.I breathe in the smoke and then blow it out, hoping it will take away the stress pressing on my chest, making my lungs incapable of doing their job.I don’t know what to do anymore. Ana is finally awake, which is good news, of course.But what the hell do I tell her when she wakes up next time and asks the same questions all over again? How do I give her the answers that are sure to crush her?Maybe I’ve developed a new weakness these days—maybe falling in love makes you a fucking weak asshole—but I can’t seem to bear seeing that woman cry. I just can’t.It fucking stabs me right in the throat to see those tears streaming down her face, to see that fear in her eyes that seems to linger around her whenever she asks about Ivan.I take another big breath of smoke and then drop it, crushing it under the tip of my boot.“Fuck!”My phone rings just then. I thank God for the fucking distraction and
[ANASTASIA]“Mommy!”One word, and my heart shatters into a million pieces.Before I even turn my gaze to the door, warmth floods through me, and tears well up in my eyes.My little girl comes running into the room, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail bouncing with every step. Her eyes are sharp, excited, and filled with so much love. Her face is a canvas of every emotion I’ve ever seen her wear in my entire life.I don’t even realize it, but my arms open on their own, my chest aching to feel her little heart against mine.But just when I think she’s about to jump onto the bed and throw herself into my arms, she stops and stands there with her hands behind her back, her little legs fidgeting as she looks up at the doctor, her small eyes seeking some kind of permission.I suppose the last two months have changed a lot. My daughter, who used to storm in and out of any place she wanted, now suddenly looks afraid of hurting me.Tears race down my face. I wipe them as quickly as I can,
[ANASTASIA]“How long was I out?” I whisper, lips trembling. “How long was I unconscious?”Lena, now standing in front of me, looks like the words are stuck in her throat. She swallows thickly and squeezes my hand, a sad smile playing on her lips.“Two months,” she says, but it feels like she’s talking about someone else. “You’ve been in a coma for two months.”This can’t be true. It can’t be.Tears burn my eyes. My heart feels like it’s on fire. “What the hell do you mean by that? How can I be… how is that even… I can’t… I mean… this can’t be…”I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but I know I don’t believe her.Frustration grates beneath my skin. “Just call Ivan. If he says the same as what you’re all saying, then I’ll believe you. Just call him, Lena. Where is he anyway? Shouldn’t he be here? Sitting next to me, taking care of me? He promised he’d never leave my side again. He promised, Lena. He fucking promised.”“I know,” she sobs, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
[DIMITRI]A week later, we both sit in the car and stare at the huge gates ahead.“This is it, I guess,” she says softly, for the first time not so eager to talk about leaving.It’s strange how the last few days changed everything. They changed me. Who would have thought an asshole like me could ever fall for an angel like her? Nadia is an angel. She’s the most beautiful, pure-hearted, a little fiery, but the best of the angels out there. In fact, if you ask me, she’s the only angel out there.My angel.I let out a sigh. “Yep. This is it.” I turn to look at her and can’t help grabbing the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss. A long, deep, and passionate kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her—her lips, her body, everything about her. “I’m going to miss you like hell.”She grins, her pale blue eyes twinkling, her stubborn blonde curls escaping the trap of her knitted cap. “I’ll miss you like hell too. In fact,” she brushes her nose against mine, “I think I’m going to mi
[NADIA]I’m not sure what to say.And if I look like someone who has been slapped across the face with a hand as cold as ice, then maybe I do look like that person, because apparently, I feel like that person.Every word coming out of Dimitri’s mouth is like slap after slap.But not in a bad way, of course. More like a slap of surprise. Or shock. Or whatever I’m feeling right now that has no name.“What did you say?” I can’t help but ask. There’s still a chance I heard that wrong. Never before has Dimitri talked about my Uni of his own free will. So, to think he not only brought it into the conversation but also seems happy about it is a little hard for me to believe.He gives me a look—of course, he does—but doesn’t try to argue. “I said you’re going back next week. They’re expecting you to continue your semester and sit for the final exams.”“But what about my attendance? I’m way behind—”“It’s been taken care of,” he says, but the smug look on his face is scary as hell.I tilt my h
[DIMITRI]I should’ve known my words would get twisted like that. And of course, it would end up hurting my woman in the worst way possible.But God knows that wasn’t my intention. I just have a crude way of speaking and often forget not everyone can take it. It’s an old habit, one I need to work on changing.I cup Nadia’s face, wiping her tears with my thumb. I should be comforting her after everything she just blurted out, but instead, I can’t help it—I start laughing. I can’t stop until she looks up at me like I’ve completely lost it.Her eyebrows snap and her lips upturn in a deep frown. “You think it’s funny?”“No!” I shake my head, meaning it, but laughter simply bubbles out of me. I turn around to take a breather, and when I think I’m in better control of myself, I turn back around to face her.Only to find her gone.Whatever lingering smile on my face dies right away. “Nadia?”I glance toward the door and see her rushing out of the room.“Shit!” I bolt after her down the hallw
[NADIA]After getting another round of hot sex out of our system, with both stayed sprawled out on the carpeted floor of his office, with me using his arm as a pillow.I sigh. “I can’t believe the kind of stamina I suddenly have.”Dimitri chuckles, the deep sound vibrating through my entire body. “And I can’t believe I get to make love to a woman without her screaming within five minutes how she can’t handle someone like me.”I turn over my stomach, resting my chin on his chest. “Really?”“Yep!” He says, casually, entwining my fingers with his and kissing the tips of each one. “You’re the only one to never have complained about anything. Not even my ugly face.”“Hey,” I shush him, placing my finger on his lips. “Never say that again.”He quirks up a brow. “Why? You want me to say I’m fucking beautiful instead.” He rolls his eyes.“You ARE beautiful,” I say, more stubbornly because he seems to be in the mood to not take me seriously. I can tell. I sure as hell can. “Sure, you have scar