12. Lacey
12
LACEY
I’m still curled against Vadim's chest when I wake up, my body still boneless and soft from our shared release. His heart thunders beneath my ear, strong and steady. My fingers trace idle patterns on his skin, following the paths of tattoos and scars.
"I have something for you," he murmurs, his voice still husky.
Before I can respond, he reaches into his nightstand drawer. My breath hitches when he withdraws a familiar glint of silver and diamond.
"My Mom's necklace..." The words barely escape my throat.
The delicate chain that had once been broken when Sayanaa yanked it from my neck is whole again. The three small diamonds shimmer in the weak light.
Fresh tears well in my eyes as I touch it with trembling fingers.
"How?" I whisper.
"Demyon found it at the docks and brought it to me..." His voice trails off, and I feel his arms tighten around me. "I had it fixed."
I cradle the necklace in my palm, remembering how it used to rest against Laura's throat, how she'd touch it whenever she smiled. The middle diamond catches a ray of moonlight streaming through the window, sending prismatic sparkles across my skin.
"Thank you," I breathe, unable to say more past the lump in my throat. When Sayanaa destroyed it, it felt like losing Mom all over again.
But here it is, whole again.
Just like me.
Vadim's fingers brush against my neck as he fastens the clasp, sending shivers down my spine. The familiar weight of Mom's necklace settles against my collarbone, and for a moment, I feel a sense of normality returning.
"Look," he whispers, turning me toward the mirror.
My reflection shows me wrapped in nothing but sheets, the three diamonds catching the moonlight. Vadim's large frame towers behind me, his gray eyes intense as they drink in the sight. His hands rest possessively on my shoulders, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin near my throat.
"Right where it should be," he murmurs, bending to press a kiss on my shoulder. "Right where you should be."
I lean back against his chest, watching his expression in the mirror. There's something different in the way he looks at me now—not just desire or possession, but a tenderness that makes my heart ache. His hand drifts down to rest protectively over belly.
The diamonds shimmer as I breathe, three perfect points of light against my skin. They're exactly as I remember them.
Our eyes meet mine in the mirror, and I see the same emotions etched on both our faces. Vadim's fingers trace along the chain, following its path across my skin.
My hand drifts to meet him, and our fingers intertwine where Mom's necklace rests against my throat.
So much has changed since that first day at Mrs. Klossner's when I struggled with Nathan's ring. The woman I was then feels like a stranger now—na?ve, uncertain, desperate to belong somewhere.
Now I belong here, with Vadim. With our child growing inside me.
But even as his warmth seeps into my skin, dark thoughts creep in. Olga is still out there, probably plotting her next move against us. The memory of her leading me into Sayanaa's trap makes my stomach clench. And Sayanaa... that twisted, obsessed woman who crushed Mom's necklace under her heel while telling me I was nothing but merchandise.
Behind them all lurks Kirsan, patient and calculating like a spider in his web. The same web that Nathan helped build, that almost caught me too.
My thoughts drift to Dad and his empty house, and even Freddy. With both Megan and I playing our parts in Vadim's war, they're more exposed than ever.
The thought of Kirsan or Sayanaa getting their hands on either of them makes my blood run cold.
I know if that if I just ask, Vadim's protection would extend to them too. The same way he's protecting Polina's new family, keeping them safe from the shadows of his world.
The same way he'll protect our child.
"What are you thinking about, zvyozdochka ?" Vadim's voice pulls me from my spiraling thoughts. His hand hasn't moved from my belly, as if he can shield our child from all the dangers surrounding us.
I lean back against his chest, seeking the solid comfort of his presence.
"About how fragile everything feels," I admit softly. "Olga, Sayanaa, Kirsan... they're still out there. And now there's so much more at stake."
Vadim's arms tighten around me. "Yes, that's true." His breath stirs my hair as he speaks. "But they don't understand what they're up against."
"What do you mean?"
"Us." His voice drops lower, rougher. "Together. There's nothing in this world that can stop us, zvyozdochka . Nothing that can drive us apart."
The conviction in his voice makes my chest tighten. I remember how I felt in that shipping container, certain I'd never see him again. How even in that moment of despair, some part of me knew he would come for me.
I take his hand in mine, bringing his fingers to my lips. They still bear the marks from where I bit him that day on the stairs. The memory no longer fills me with shame—we've moved past that darkness together.
His other hand slides up to cup my breast, thumb brushing over my sensitive nipple. "I have one more thing for you," he murmurs against my ear.
Vadim pulls away and the sudden absence of his warmth sends a chill through my body.
An unexpected thought suddenly crosses my mind.
What if his war with Kirsan takes him from me? From our child? My arms wrap instinctively around my middle as cold fear grips my heart.
But then he's back, his solid presence chasing away the darkness threatening to consume me. "Give me your hand, zvyozdochka ," he murmurs.
I extend my left hand, watching as he slides my engagement ring back onto my finger. The familiar weight returns, and I look at the pink diamond catching the moonlight—just like Mom's necklace.
This is where I belong.
Where I've always belonged, even if I didn't know it that when I met Vadim at Mrs. Klossner's.
My throat tightens as I stare at the ring. It represents so much more now than it did when he first put it on my finger. Back then it was just part of our ruse, another prop in our elaborate performance.
Now it's a promise, a future, a reminder of everything we've built together.
But even as Vadim's arms wrap around me again, I can't completely silence the voice in my head whispering about all the dangers still lurking out there. Kirsan, Sayanaa, Olga—any one of them could take him from me. The thought makes my heart stutter in my chest.
I press closer to him, relishing in the warmth of his body and trying to ground myself in the present moment. His hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining over my stomach where our child grows. The ring catches the light again, sending sparkles dancing across our joined hands.
"Look at us," he breathes against my ear, his hands sliding possessively down my sides. "This is what I've been fighting for all along."
I catch Vadim's eyes in the mirror, dark and intense as they drink me in. His large frame dwarfs mine, making me feel delicate and precious in his arms. The three modest diamonds of Mom's necklace and the massive pink one on my finger dot my body, shining like a constellation in the night sky.
A shiver runs through me at the raw emotion in his voice. His fingers trace patterns on my belly where our child grows.
"You're not just a means to an end anymore," he continues, his voice thickening with each word. "You never were. You're my wife. My life."
My heart thunders in my chest at his declaration. All those weeks of uncertainty, of tiptoeing around each other after that day on the stairs, melt away under the heat of his gaze.
"Your zvyozdochka ," I whisper, testing the word he's called me so many times on my tongue.
"Yes." He presses a gentle kiss against my cheek. "My little star."