I nod slowly. "Yes. I thought maybe he was starting to make good on his threats, that he was going to kill everyone I care about until I went back to him."
He sighs, shifting slightly in the bed. "I understand why you care about him the way you do, I really do, he's magnetic in his own twisted way, but you need to be careful with that man, Iris, he's dangerous in ways you haven't fully seen yet."
"I know," I whisper, looking down at our joined hands.
"But," he adds, his tone softening unexpectedly, "I will tell you this honestly, if you weren't such a complete psycho magnet who attracts the most dangerous men in the criminal underworld, I might've actually considered him a decent match for you someday, the way he fought to get you back, threatening an entire country, that kind of devotion is rare even if it's completely unhinged."
I look at him, genuinely surprised. "Really? You would consider him?"
"Really," he says with a small smile. "But he's still not stable enough for my liking, he needs years of therapy at minimum, I definitely know this shooting wasn't his work though, Ilay doesn't use assassins to carry out his jobs, he shows up himself to do the killing personally, that's why he's been in this game for so long and stayed alive while so many others died, the man is relentless when he wants something."
I nod slowly, absorbing everything he's telling me. "I understand."
He squeezes my hand one more time with more strength than before. "Now I want you to go get some actual rest, you look exhausted, when was the last time you slept in an actual bed instead of that chair?"
"I don't know," I admit. "Maybe three days ago?"
"Then go," he says firmly despite his weakness. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be right here when you come back."
"I will," I promise, standing up slowly. "After I make absolutely sure you're okay."
He smiles at me, that warm fatherly smile I'm still getting used to. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart, I promise you that." I stay by his side for another hour, watching him drift in and out of sleep, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat on the monitor.
When I finally leave his room, Roman is waiting in the hallway. "He's awake?" he asks, hope lighting up his face.
"He's awake," I confirm, smiling through fresh tears.
"He's going to be okay." Roman pulls me into a tight hug, relief evident in the way he holds me. "Thank God." That night, lying in my bed at the estate, I stare at the ceiling while my mind races.
My father was right about one thing. Ilay didn't send that assassin. He wouldn't use a hired gun. If he wanted my father dead, he would come himself. I know that now. I know him well enough to understand how he operates. But that doesn't change the fundamental problem. I'm still the reason people around me get hurt. My presence puts targets on their backs.
As long as I'm here, Ilay will always be a threat hovering over my family. If I stay in Russia, there will always be danger.
I look at the ceiling in the darkness, making a decision that breaks my heart even as I know it's the right one. When my father is strong enough to be left alone, when he's recovered enough that I know he'll survive without me, I'm leaving Russia forever.
I'm going far away where Ilay will never find me, where my presence won't put targets on my family's backs, where my father and brothers can live without constantly looking over their shoulders waiting for the next bullet meant for me.
I'm done with the blood spilling over people I love. I'm done with the monsters who follow me wherever I go.
I'm never looking back.
Chapter 34
?
IRIS
It has been a full week since my father returned from the hospital to recover in the safety of the estate, and the house has been quiet until my phone rings to interrupt my reading. I look at the caller ID and feel a drop in my stomach when I see Ilay's name, I don't know what tempted me to pick up, but I do.
"Iris." His voice comes through smooth but edged. "Can you hear me?"
"What do you want?" I ask, keeping my tone flat.
"Now, that's no way to speak to your husband," he says.
"Cut the crap," I snap. "What the fuck do you want?"
There's a pause, then his voice drops lower. "When are you coming back home?"
