Chapter 56 #2
“Beautiful? You’re fucking stunning, Avelina.
Your grace when you glide across the ice, your elegance when you do those endless spins, and the way you fly through the air like an angel when you jump.
Fuck me, you’re utter perfection. And I think I was in love with you from the moment I first saw you skating in that video.
” He pauses for a moment before carrying on.
“It sounds to me like you were massively underweight when you were training in Russia. Because now, all you look is healthy and perfect. You have no idea what you look like through my eyes. You’re stunning.
Every single inch of you. The way your body fits against mine like it was made for me.
The way your curves move when you laugh.
The way your thighs squeeze around me when I hold you. ”
My lip trembles, and he brushes his thumb across it. “You think those things make you too much? They’re the things I crave. The things that ruin me. You’re not too much—you’re everything. And I want all of you if you’ll let me have it.”
My eyes widen as I struggle to take in his words. “But you could have anyone,” I murmur, my voice small. “All these women who work in your compound. They’re all so perfect and…slim. I see the way they look at you. And then there’s me. Why would you even look twice at someone with a body like mine?”
“You think I want them?” he growls. “You think I want plastic smiles and hollow eyes that look right through me? Those women are invisible to me. Because all I ever see is you.”
My breath catches, but he doesn’t stop. “Every part of your body is perfect. Your thighs are my undoing, your ass makes me lose control, and your boobs make me think I’ve died and gone to heaven.
I look at you because you’re real. Because you blush when I stare too long.
Because you care about people even when they don’t deserve it.
Because you possess beauty, softness, and heart. That’s what I see.”
I shake my head. “But my body—”
“Is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever touched,” he interrupts gently. “Do you have any idea what you do to me? The way I lose my mind when you walk into a room? The way I can’t focus when you bite your lip or push your hair behind your ear?”
My tears spill over now. He cups my face, his thumb brushing them away. “Those other girls might turn heads,” he says softly. “But you? You stop my entire world and turn it upside down. You’re not background noise—you’re the whole damn song.”
I let out a shaky laugh, and he kisses my forehead.
His hand rests over mine. His skin is warm. Grounding. “And you survived everything,” he says quietly. “And you didn’t let it take away your sunshine.”
I look at him, really look this time, and there’s no judgment or pity in his eyes. Just the same steady resolve I saw in the conference room.
Something cracks wide open inside me.
Not breaking or crumbling. But like roots taking hold through a sidewalk.
“I survived,” I repeat, savoring the words.
No one has ever heard that story from me. And Viktor’s response, the way he says it, makes it sound like something else. Like I didn’t just endure. Like I actually fought.
We sit like that for a while. Outside, the city moves on. But in here, it feels like time has stilled.
“I know I’m not good for you,” Viktor says suddenly, breaking the quiet. His voice is low and almost pained.
My head jerks toward him. “What?”
He stares ahead, jaw set, “You said you couldn’t have a dangerous man in your life. And I understand that.”
I turn to look at him again. “And yet, you’re the only one I feel safe with,” I whisper.
His gaze finally meets mine. There’s a shadow of disbelief in his eyes as he shakes his head. “You think I’m safe? You’re wrong, Avelina.”
“No.” My voice is louder this time. “You make me feel safe. There’s a difference.”
The silence after that is heavier, and I know he’s trying to figure out what that means.
“And it means I love you, Viktor.” The words are out before I second-guess them. “This has made me realize that even if you have a dangerous life, you make me feel safe. I feel protected when I’m with you. I feel like my children are protected around you.”
He’s completely still.
“You don’t need to say it back,” I say quickly, “I just…I’m trying to be upfront.
You’re not just a man who helped me out once.
You’ve been there in all the little ways that matter.
Your empathy for Sofia. The way you looked after Leon.
The way you watch out for me, even when you think you’re doing it wrong.
You remember what kind of coffee I like.
And the flowers.” I smile. “Yes, I know they were from you. And that’s not nothing.
I know now that you’re exactly the man I need. And exactly the man I want.”
He turns his hand beneath mine, so our fingers lace together. “I can’t love you the way other people do,” he admits. “My heart is different. I think, act, feel differently.” And that’s him. Raw. Honest.
“Viktor, you have a bigger heart than anyone else I know. You take in stray animals, take in stray single moms and their kids, show them that they aren’t alone. You have the perfect heart. And you’re all that I need.”
I see another SUV pull up, and one of Viktor’s men and Babulya climb out of it.
“What are they doing here?” I ask in surprise.
“I asked them to come. You’re shaken. If you’ll let me, I’m going to take you back to the compound, and Babulya is going to bring the kids.”
I nod in response. And after getting the kids settled in the SUV with Babulya, Viktor drives to the Kremlin.
We pull up the familiar drive and enter the house without a word.
Babulya takes care of the children for me, and she’s just as thrilled to see them as they are excited to see her.
Men pass us in the hall. Viktor doesn’t acknowledge them, and his hand stays on the small of my back.
Finally, we’re in his room. It’s clean and just as precisely ordered as I remember. I peer out the window, but it’s the backyard that catches my eye.
My chest tightens.
Daisies.
I can see that the vegetable garden is full of the white blooms. But it’s not just that. A huge area of the lawn has also been dug up and planted with even more of my favorite flowers. It must have taken him ages.
“You did that?” I ask, jerking my head toward him.
His shoulder lifts in the faintest of shrugs. “Yeah. They’re your favorite, and they reminded me of you.”
It’s such a simple statement. But it feels like something much bigger.
I sit on the edge of his bed, not sure if I’m more exhausted from tonight’s events or wired from the adrenaline.
He steps in front of me. “You should sleep. I have some work to do. Then I’ll be out in the hall.”
“Wait,” I say, my voice quiet. “You can stay…”
His jaw flexes. “If I stay, Avelina, I won’t leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
And just like that, that unspoken thing between us settles. I’m here because I want to be. Because being here makes me feel like I’ve finally found home again.
The bed dips slightly under his weight as Viktor sits beside me. The room is silent.
“I didn’t think I’d be back here,” I murmur.
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want.” He says it quickly.
My fingers curl into the soft blanket. “That’s not what I mean.
” I look up at him. “What I mean is that I’m glad I was wrong.
” I know I have to explain. “I came back here with you today, not because I’m reckless.
Not because I forgot what danger feels like.
But because even after everything, this is the one place that feels like safety for me.
And now, I fully appreciate and see everything that comes with you.
” I swallow hard. “When I left, I told myself I was choosing safety for myself and for my children. But tonight proved that safety isn’t something I can guarantee—no matter where I run. ”
His jaw tightens. “Avelina—”
“I was attacked at my job, Viktor. By a man with a clean record and a tie. The kind of man I thought would be safe.” My voice cracks. “But when I screamed, it wasn’t the cops or my coworkers who saved me. It was you.”
“I hate that happened to you, Avelina. You shouldn’t have needed saving.”
“I know.” I meet his eyes. “But you came anyway.”
His voice is low but certain. “We took out the Albanians and made a deal with the Russian government that guarantees they’ll leave you and the kids alone. I can’t erase every risk, but I’ll die trying to stop any harm coming to you ever again.”
Something warm breaks loose in my chest because I know that he means every word—that he really loves me in a way that Geliy never did and that he also wants to protect me in a way I never had from my ex.
Because my life, whether I like it or not, will always have a threat of danger.
From the Russian government and the FSB, if they ever renege on the deal and decide to come after me or my kids again.
And there’s also the danger from people Geliy crossed during his work, and I don’t know how big that threat is.
There’s just too much in my past to guarantee a life free of danger—but I also know that Viktor will always protect me and the children, however he can.
“You never scared me, Viktor. Not once. The world around you did. And maybe I was too broken to see the difference.” I take a slow breath. “I used to think leaving was strength. But maybe it’s strength to stay—with someone who actually fights for my safety.”
His fingers brush mine, tentative, reverent. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure I want to stop running.” I squeeze his hand.
“But we’ll have to do things differently this time.
I want to be part of decisions that affect me and the kids.
I want to know what precautions you’re taking.
I want to sit in on security briefings and see threat assessment reports. I want to be involved.”