Chapter 31 Vera #2
Relief floods through me with such intensity that I nearly sob.
The crushing weight of financial desperation that has driven every decision for months suddenly lifts, replaced by hope for my brother's survival.
Elvin will have every possible advantage in his fight against the disease that threatened to take him from me.
"How much will it cost?" I ask, though I suspect the answer will be beyond my ability to repay.
"Already handled. The bills will be paid in full, no debt incurred, no future obligations created. Consider it a wedding gift."
"Wedding gift?" The words catch me off guard, sending my pulse racing. My eyebrows rise and my shoulders tense.
"Did you think I'd let the mother of my child remain unmarried?" His smile warms his entire face. "We'll need to make this official, both for the child's sake and for your protection within the family structure."
The proposal isn't romantic in any conventional sense. There are no flowers, no ring, no declarations of undying love spoken under moonlight. But I can respect that it's as practical as the man sitting in front of me, as practical as the life I need to live to survive. And I feel comforted by that.
"Is that a proposal?" I ask, grinning at him.
"It's a statement of intent. I want to marry you, Vera. I want to give our child my name and my protection. I want to build a family that can survive whatever challenges come our way."
Misha leans forward and studies me intently. His dark eyes are stormy but nothing like the gunmetal of the sky out the windows behind him. The desire in his eyes is penetrating, reaching my soul.
I think about my old life, the simple routine of stable work and quiet evenings at home with Elvin and Batya.
The predictable rhythm of days defined by honest labor and modest aspirations.
That life seems impossibly distant now, separated from my current reality by months of violence and moral compromise and dangerous love.
"I love you," I say quietly, and this time, I'm choosing them carefully.
Because I'm not some teenage girl with a lovesick heart.
I'm a woman with needs and desires, and I'm walking into this with full knowledge of who he is and what it means for me.
"I love you despite the danger, despite the violence, despite everything that makes loving you complicated and terrifying. "
He rises from his chair and moves around the desk to where I sit, pulling me to my feet and into his arms with gentle insistence. His embrace surrounds me with warmth and the familiar scent of expensive cologne mixed with the more primitive smell of male exertion.
"I love you too," he murmurs against my hair. "More than I thought I was capable of loving anyone. You've become my weakness and my strength, my greatest vulnerability and my most powerful motivation."
His arms tighten around me, and I feel the solid reality of his body against mine, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under my cheek, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath.
These simple physical facts ground me in the present moment, anchoring me to what we have together rather than the uncertainties of what might come.
"What kind of life will our child have?" I ask, voicing the fear that lurks beneath my happiness.
"A better one than either of us had," he promises. "Protected, privileged, educated to handle whatever challenges emerge. Strong enough to defend what belongs to him, smart enough to avoid unnecessary conflicts, wealthy enough to buy solutions to problems that can't be solved through force."
The vision he paints appeals to maternal instincts I didn't know I possessed.
A child who grows up secure in his identity and protected from the desperate circumstances that drove both his parents into dangerous choices.
The kind of stability that money and power can provide when applied with sufficient wisdom and restraint.
"And us?" I continue. "What kind of marriage can we have when your work involves killing people?"
"The same kind of marriage my parents had, and their parents before them. Built on respect, loyalty, and the understanding that some things are more important than individual comfort or moral purity."
His response doesn't entirely satisfy me, but I recognize the honesty behind it. This world operates by different rules than the conventional society I knew before, and surviving within it requires adaptations that might seem impossible from the outside.
The office window reflects our image back to us, two figures embracing in the aftermath of violence and victory.
We look like survivors, marked by the experiences that brought us together but not broken by them.
There's something beautiful in that reflection, a promise of resilience that gives me hope for whatever comes next.
"I want to try," I tell him, making the commitment despite my remaining fears. "I want to build a life with you, raise our child together, see if we can make this work."
"We can make it work," he assures me, his voice carrying absolute conviction. "I'll protect you both with everything I have. No one will ever threaten our family again."
The promise carries weight because I've seen what he's capable of when protecting the people he cares about. The cold determination that turns him into a killing machine when circumstances require it. That same lethal focus will now be dedicated to our safety and happiness.
"When?" I ask.
"Soon. We'll need to observe certain formalities for the family's sake, but nothing elaborate or public. A simple ceremony that makes our commitment official without drawing unnecessary attention."
The practicality of his approach appeals to me. Grand romantic gestures seem inappropriate given the circumstances that brought us together, and I have no desire to be the center of attention in a world where visibility often equals vulnerability.
The extraordinary events of this night will fade into family legend, another chapter in the ongoing story of survival and success that defines the Vetrov organization. But for me, it represents the beginning of something entirely new.
A life with the man I love, despite the danger that comes with loving him. A child who will grow up protected and privileged in ways I never was. A future that seemed impossible when I first walked into this office months ago, desperate for any solution to my brother's medical bills.
"I'm exactly where I belong," I whisper against his chest, surprising myself with the certainty in my voice.
"Yes," he agrees, his arms tightening around me possessively. "You are. And no one will ever take you away from me."
The vow resonates through his chest into mine, a promise sealed in blood but rooted in love deeper than either of us expected to find. We've both traveled dark paths to reach this moment, but the destination justifies whatever prices we've paid along the way.
I finally understand what home feels like. It's not a place, but a person. Not safety, but the certainty that whatever dangers come, we'll face them together.
The future remains uncertain, filled with challenges I can't yet imagine. But for the first time in months, I'm not afraid of what tomorrow might bring. Because tomorrow will find me in Misha's arms, protected by his love and surrounded by the family we're building together.
That's enough.