“They become ghosts before they even die.”
Yannis swallowed.
He was absorbing every word.
“You deserve better,” I continued. “You deserve a normal life.”
“Peace. School dances. College. A job that doesn’t require carrying a gun or scanning rooms for threats.”
His gaze stayed fixed on mine.
“You deserve to walk outside without looking over your shoulder. To fall in love without calculating risk.”
“To build something that doesn’t explode under pressure.”
My hand reached across the console.
I squeezed his hand gently.
“You deserve to be safe.”
A beat. “You deserve to be happy.”
My throat tightened slightly.
“And I’m going to make sure you get that.”
He stared at me.
Gray eyes.
So similar to Ruslan’s.
He searched my face carefully — like he was measuring whether I believed what I was promising.
Whether I had the power to protect him from destiny.
Finally —
He nodded.
Small. Uncertain.
“Okay,” he signed.
The acceptance wasn’t enthusiastic. It was thoughtful.
I squeezed his hand again.
“Okay.”
I pulled the car back onto the highway.
The mansion came into view minutes later.
High gates. Security cameras. Armed guards stationed at intervals.
The system scanned our vehicle automatically.
