She smiles—small, tired, but real. "Creepy."
"Probably."
She shifts onto her back, wincing slightly at some ache I can't see. I'm on my feet immediately, moving to the bed, my hands hovering uselessly over her.
"I'm fine," she says. "Just stiff. How long was I out?"
"Most of the day. It's evening now."
"God." She rubs her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."
"Then sleep for a week. There's nothing you need to do right now except recover."
She looks at me—really looks, her eyes searching my face for something I'm not sure I can give.
"What happens now, Misha?"
It's the same question she asked at the hospital. I still don't have a good answer.
"Now we rest," I say. "We heal. We figure out the next steps when you're stronger."
"That's not a plan. That's a delay tactic."
"It's the best I can offer right now."
She's quiet for a moment, her fingers plucking at the edge of the blanket. Then she reaches out and takes my hand, pulling me down to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I'm scared," she says. "Not of the Morozovs or the danger or any of that. I'm scared of... this." She gestures between us, at her stomach, at everything the gesture encompasses. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to be a mother. I don'tknow how to be with you, in this world, building a life I never imagined."
"Neither do I."
"That's not reassuring."
"It's honest." I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I can't promise you I know what I'm doing. I can't promise you it will be easy, or safe, or anything like the life you planned. But I can promise you this: I will do everything in my power to protect you and this child. Whatever it costs. Whatever it takes."
Her eyes glisten in the dim light. She doesn't say anything—just squeezes my hand and holds on.
It's not a resolution. Not a plan. Not even a proper conversation about the future.
But for now, it's enough.
I stretch out on the bed beside her, pulling her into my arms, feeling her warmth against my chest. She fits there perfectly, like she was made for this space, this moment, this life we're stumbling into together.
Outside, the night settles over the estate. Guards patrol the walls. Repairs continue in the morning. Enemies plot in the shadows.
But here, in this room, there's only her. Only us. Only the tiny heartbeat growing between us, a promise of something new.
I close my eyes and let myself rest.
Tomorrow, the work begins again. Tomorrow, I'll be the commander, the protector, the man who keeps the wolves at bay.
But tonight, I'm just a man holding the woman who carries his child, trying to imagine a future he never thought he'd have.
It's terrifying.
It's everything.
Chapter 27 - Bianca
