Chapter Twenty #3
You can’t survive being with my sons for as long as she has without being strong.
“So are my sons.” I say. “That is what happens when you raise fighters.”
There’s silence again, but it’s different now.
Here, we sit as two fathers who are tired of burying pieces of themselves.
Outside, life waits.
Whatever comes next, our children will face it together.
And for the first time in a long while, it feels like enough.
francesco
My chest tightens as I watch Chiara.
She remains seated between the two men who took her, and the two sons of the woman who is responsible for her mother’s death.
It is a special kind of hell watching her like this.
She is laughing at something Mikhail has whispered into her ear, and Nikolai is watching her like she is the only thing in the room.
They love her.
It is obvious.
But it does not mean that I have to like it.
Leaning against the doorframe, I watch her.
My little girl.
Not so little any more…
She is a woman now.
And the worst part of it all is that she does not need me any more, not when she has them.
I see it in the way Mikhail’s hand brushes hers, casual but protective, and the way Nikolai positions his body to keep her covered.
They notice everything.
Each glance she makes.
Each breath she takes.
It is not perfect—it is far from perfect—but it works.
And if my daughter is happy…that is all that matters.
Even if it kills me inside.
I stand there, watching them.
Chiara.
Mikhail.
Nikolai.
If she truly loves them…I will try to understand.
Even if it means biting my tongue, even if it means swallowing down all this old bitterness, I will do it.
For her.
I will not pretend that this is easy. It will never be easy.
They have taken my daughter from me, but I see what she has with them.
It is real.
My hand tightens around the doorframe as I swallow hard, forcing myself to carry on breathing.
If Serena was here…
She would see it too.
She would see the way Chiara lights up whenever she talks to either one of them, and the way she feels so at ease with them.
She would see the way our daughter belongs with them.
Our little girl is all grown up now, and she has found her place, even if it is not the place I ever imagined for her.
But for her, I will try to accept it, because she deserves to be happy.
If this is what she wants…then I will be here.
Always.
I will watch her.
And maybe, just maybe, I will learn to let go.
Just like Serena would have wanted.
She is happy, I think to myself, closing my eyes briefly to take heavy breaths.
Chiara is happy, and that is what matters the most.
Chiara
The English air is cool as it bites at my bare skin.
The streets I once grew up on stretch out before me, familiar yet distant all at the same time.
In a few hours from now, I’ll be back in my new home.
New York.
I shiver, but it’s not because of the cold.
Mikhail shrugs his jacket off, draping it over my shoulders, his warmth lingering in the fabric as I feel my body melt into it.
“Are you feeling cold, beauty?”
I look up at him, smiling.
“Only a little, but I was actually thinking.”
Nikolai joins us, standing close enough that our hands brush by our sides.
“Thinking about regrets, darling?”
My smile only stretches wider as I look between them both.
“Absolutely none at all.”
They’re pleased, judging from the way they both breathe a little easier now.
Dario calls my name from behind me, and as I turn around to face him, I see him stepping out from his car once again.
For just a moment, I see the anger crack.
“Be happy, sorellina mia.” He says. “If you’re not—”
I smile at my brother, feeling my chest becoming lighter.
“I am happy, fratello mio.”
I tell him.
He nods at me as he smiles.
It’s small. Pained. But it’s also real.
I raise my hand to wave him goodbye as he gets into his car again, then I turn back around, slipping either one of my hands into Nikolai’s and Mikhail’s, feeling warmth blooming in my chest.
They both help me up the stairs and into the jet.
I don’t hesitate to sink into the chair at once, glancing around to find Isaak in the corner, sipping on a drink.
Nikolai sits beside me, scrolling away on his phone.
Mikhail sprawls on the opposite side, his feet propped up, his eyes locked on me with that playful glint shining in them.
As we take off, I notice Isaak lean back into his chair, his sharp gaze shifting between us all.
When he speaks…it makes my stomach twist with nerves.
“What does the future look like for the three of you?”
There’s a moment of silence.
Being tied down to two men who will eventually lead the Bratva means that things aren’t so simple for us.
I’ve thought about it too—numerous times—but the truth is that things are different now.
What I once considered as normal is definitely not possible in my case, not when I’m the daughter of a former underboss, and they are the sons of the Pakhan.
My fingers tremble in my lap until Nikolai’s hand covers mine, grounding me.
He brushes his thumb slowly against my skin, wrapping his fingers around each of mine.
I release a heavy breath, wondering what they’ll say.
Nikolai speaks first.
“Our future contains Chiara as our woman—the woman who will stand by our side. Always.” He looks from his father to me, and I notice the way his gaze softens for me. “Not only as the woman we love, but the woman who is part of everything that we are.”
I swallow hard as Mikhail speaks too.
“Chiara will always be there for us…and we will always be there for her. No matter what comes, we’re doing this together.”
Their words immediately ease all of my worries at once.
I didn’t realise just how badly I needed their reassurances until I heard them now.
I won’t be perfect, but I’ll try to do everything that I can, because they deserve it.
And maybe, just maybe…I deserve it too.
Isaak nods slowly, approval glinting in his eyes.
“That is exactly what I wanted to hear.” He tells his sons before his gaze shifts to me. “You will be cared for, Chiara. Not just by my sons, but by me too.”
I manage a small, grateful smile in his direction, feeling my throat becoming tight with emotion.
This life isn’t one I ever imagined, but maybe, just maybe, it’s where I’m supposed to be.
Isaak continues speaking, his voice a little rough, but kind too.
“You will be safe in our territory.” He tells me. “You will be looked after like a daughter by me.” He looks to both of his sons. “And you will be loved like a woman deserves to be loved by both of my sons.”
Heat floods my cheeks.
Mikhail winks my way, whistling low, and Nikolai squeezes his hand around mine.
Isaak stands, ready to head into one of the rooms that are available on this jet.
“Look after her, my sons.”
He murmurs to both Nikolai and Mikhail, the command in his tone undeniable.
“Always.”
Nikolai promises without any hesitation.
“She’s stuck with us now.”
Mikhail adds.
I find myself laughing softly.
It’s half filled with nerves, and half filled with something so tender I barely recognise it as mine.
I can’t believe that this is really my life.
Taken from my old world, and thrown into this one.
And yet…I don’t want to go back.
I have no desire to.
This is where I belong.
With Nikolai.
With Mikhail.
With both of them.
I don’t know what the future holds for us.
There will be challenges, that is undoubtable, but as I glance between them both, I know one thing is for sure.
I’m not alone.
And with both of them by my side, I never will be.
Hours after we’ve returned to New York, Isaak’s words still echo in my mind.
Family.
Loyalty.
Love.
These are words I never would have imagined after the situation I found myself in.
Was I taken?
Yes.
Was I changed?
Of course.
I find myself smiling as Nikolai wraps one strong arm around my middle, tugging me all the way into bed with him, whilst Mikhail turns over to press a kiss to my temple.
This isn’t the end.
This is just the beginning.
And this—them, this life, this love—it feels like coming home.