Because the truth is complicated. The truth is, I’m standing here watching my children love their father and feeling something crack open inside my chest. The truth is I don’t hate him anymore and that terrifies me more than the hate ever did.
“I’m working on it,” I say finally.
He nods. Accepts the non-answer for what it is.
Then he steps closer. Close enough that I have to tilt my head back to look at him.
“Anna—” A phone rings. His phone. He pulls it out, looks at the screen, and his entire expression changes. “I have to take this.”
He walks away before I can respond. I hear his office door close down the hall.
I stand alone in the hallway where moments ago everything felt different. Upstairs, I can hear Mila talking in her sleep. Nonsense words about flowers and rabbits.
I go to my room and close the door. Sit on the edge of the bed and put my head in my hands.
Something is changing between us. Has been changing for weeks. Tonight felt like the moment it became real. The moment I couldn’t pretend anymore that this was just survival. Just making the best of a bad situation.
My children love their father.
And I’m starting to feel something for my husband that isn’t hatred.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
“Anna.” Luca’s voice through the wood. “I need to go out. Pavel is handling something, and I need to be there.”
I open the door. He’s already changed into a suit. All business.
“How long will you be gone?”
“A few hours. Maybe longer. Don’t wait up.”
“Be careful.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
He pauses and looks at me. “Why?”
“Because the twins need you. They just got you. It would hurt them if something happened.”
“Just the twins?”
I don’t answer.
He reaches out and touches my face. Brief. Gentle. Then he’s gone.
I close the door and lean against it.
My heart is pounding, and I don’t know why.
21
LUCA
The Kestrel Maritimefiles spread across my desk look different than they did three months ago.
Same documents. Same numbers. Same acquisition strategy I’ve been executing since before the wedding. But sitting here at two in the morning after reading dragon stories to my son, the whole plan feels wrong.
I pull the integration timeline closer. Phase one complete: marriage secured, debt restructured. Phase two in progress: operational assessment, redundancy identification. Phase three pending: full transfer of controlling assets, Viktor relegated to figurehead status.
Clean. Efficient. Exactly what I planned.
