“War is chaos,” he continued. “And chaos kills children first. Vanya would become a shield. A bargaining chip. A body.” His eyes locked on mine, burning. “I will not risk him.”
My breath fractured. “Then what do you expect me to do?” I cried, tears finally burning free. “Sit here while my son is held hostage? While God knows if he’s been fed or if he’s crying himself to sleep?”
“Pen—”
“No.” I spun on him. “Take her. Let Seraphina move in. Let her warm your bed, poison your house—I don’t care. Just get Vanya back.”
The room went dead silent.
Dmitri stared at me like I’d offered him a loaded gun.
Slowly, deliberately, he crossed the space between us.
He stopped inches away.
“You have no idea what you’re asking,” he said, voice stripped bare. “Once I let her in, I may never get her out.”
I lifted my chin, tears streaking freely now, unashamed. “Then you’ll have your serpent. And I’ll have my son.”
His eyes searched my face—rage, guilt, something darker twisting beneath it all.
“Say it again,” he demanded quietly.
“I don’t care who you fuck,” I said, my voice shaking but steady. “I care about my child. Get him back. However you have to.”
The fire cracked loudly behind us.
Dmitri’s face hardened, the firelight carving him into something brutal and immovable.
“I won’t let that woman under my roof,” he said flatly. “She’s poison. A burden to you and to Vanya. A listening device wrapped in silk.” His eyes cut to mine. “She’ll report every breath you take back to her family. She’ll contaminate this house.”
I stopped pacing.
My hands were shaking now—no longer from anger, but from something rawer. Fear. Need.
“I can’t spare one night without Vanga. Not one.” I said hoarsely.
The words landed heavier than shouting ever could.
Dmitri studied me in silence, his gaze sharp, calculating, like he was weighing lives on a scale only he could see. The room seemed to hold its breath. Even the fire crackled lower, as if listening.
Finally, he exhaled through his nose.
“Fine.”
The word was quiet. Final.
“I’ll grant the Orlovs’ request.”
Relief slammed into me so hard my knees nearly buckled. I sucked in a breath, dizzy with it—relief so sharp it hurt. But it didn’t come alone. Fear followed close behind, coiling tight in my stomach.
Seraphina in this house meant danger.
To my secrets.
To Vanya.
To the fragile lie holding my life together.
