Epilogue —Lev
I wished Viktor hadn’t forced my hand. But if wishes were horses, right?
He’d thought he was one step ahead when, in fact, he was two steps behind. I found no comfort in his death, only pain and anger. He wasn’t supposed to have gone down like that—not in that manner. But he was too reckless and too stupid.
If he had just come to me as my brother and aired his grievances, we could have worked it out. We could have found a way to move past it, but he chose violence—he chose to attack my wife.
His death was quick and painless. I didn’t pull the trigger myself, but I was there when my sniper’s bullet hit his chest. His heart stopped instantly, and his lifeless body hit the floor with a thud. It was a merciful death compared to what he deserved.
I’d made people suffer for far lesser crimes than what he did; however, because he was family, I bent my rule. The only reason he lived long enough, even after I found out what he’d done, was because I was trying out Ravyn’s method. The same Ravyn he believed was my weakness.
It wasn’t until after his death that I realized how far he’d actually gone just to discredit me. Viktor had poisoned the minds of some of the Bratva Elders, telling them that I was walking in Valarian’s footsteps.
I spent the next few days tightening my hold on the Bratva. I didn’t need to clear my name or prove myself to anyone. I just ensured no one ever questioned my leadership again. Ever. And all those who were in bed with Viktor—those who plotted against my demise—they received no mercy from me.
They said I was weak, so I made an example of them—showed them what real strength and power look like. I didn’t kill them because they didn’t directly come after me or my family. Still, I made sure they faced a fate far worse than death.
As for my wife’s presence at my side, it was no longer a point of contention. It was an unspoken fact that she belonged there.
Tonight in the quiet of the penthouse, I decided to come clean about my feelings and everything else I needed to get off my chest.
She was seated on the couch across from me, hands on her lap, her gaze holding mine.
“This marriage,” I began, my heart pounding like a drum, unsure of how she’d take it. “It meant nothing to me at first. It was just a revenge strategy for the embarrassment you caused my family the night you humiliated Viktor at one of my parties.”
She didn’t say a word—didn’t move or even flinch.
I continued regardless, “It was also a means to forge a false alliance with your family just so I could have access to your father’s assets. That was the plan.”
Her eyes misted, her throat bobbing as she swallowed hard. “Past tense noticed,” she said, her eyes never leaving my face.
I nodded gently. “Yes. Because that’s no longer the plan.”
She hesitated for a second, her expression as blank as a sheet of paper. “Then what is?”
I locked my jaw, my heart sinking into my stomach. “Spending the rest of my life with you—starting over on a clean slate.”
“Why?”
“Because somewhere along the line, I did something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager.” I let the words sink in first, bracing myself for her reaction. “I fell in love.”
Her expression softened ever so slightly, her cheeks flushing at my words. “With who?” she asked, her blue eyes boring into mine.
“The one I least expected,” came my response. “You.”
Her lips curled into a faint grin, eyes sparkling with a glint of mirth.
I rose to my feet and walked over to the couch she was seated on, then sank into the vacant space beside her. Her perfume lingered in the air, blending seamlessly with the scent of my cologne.
She looked into my eyes, as if searching for any sign of dishonesty or insincerity.
“I’m not the kind to admit their feelings, but I’m doing that now,” I said, placing my hand on her lap, my eyes locked to hers. “You’re my anchor, Ravyn, my strength and the light in my dark. I wasn’t sure at first, but now I am. I cannot function without you because you complete me.”
She stared at me in silence, her expression softening by the second. She didn’t say anything, just sat there, listening.
“You might find my confession hard to believe,” I added. “But I assure you, everything I just said is the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Silence.
I let out a soft exhale, wondering if my honesty had just ruined everything. “I can understand if you don’t feel the same and—”
“Shhh.” She shushed me, her index finger resting on my mouth.
Ravyn leaned in and claimed my lips, our kiss sealing a vow that needed no verbal promise. With my forehead against hers and her fresh breath warm against my face, she whispered, “I love you too, Lev Tarasov.”
My lips curled into a genuine smile, and my eyes crinkled at the corners. I hadn’t felt more fulfilled in a really long time, and to think my joy was birthed from a woman’s approval? Crazy!
Maybe they were right all along. Maybe I had changed more than I wanted to admit. To the outside world, I was still the same brute whose name sent shivers down my enemies’ spines.
But to my wife at home, I wasn’t just her husband; I was her protector and defender, the one who’d rather watch the world burn than let anything bad happen to her.
*****
THE END