Despite the fallout and work happening to keep everything as calm as possible, none of it seems to matter while I have her against me. She’s warm, solid, and tangible, and that alone keeps me moving.
It will be some time before our day is done, and before I can take her away from here, but for now, being by her side is enough.
Whatever comes next, and regardless of what it costs me, nobody will bring that kind of fear to her again.
Nobody will make her question just how much she’s worth.
Chapter 28 - Mila
The room smells even stronger of antiseptic and medical supplies now while I sit on the patient table, dressed in my clothes again. In this part of the hospital, you wouldn’t even know there had been a lockdown, as everything sounds so normal, but I can still feel it in the way my hands shake subtly while I lightly touch my stomach.
After the doctors were made aware of what happened, they checked me first, going over everything with me before making sure nothing happened to the baby.
With Ivan next to me, I couldn’t help the tears when the nurse told us everything still looked good and healthy. In stable condition, there’s nothing we need to worry about.
That was all we both needed to hear.
Once the nurses finished their jobs and let us know we were free to go, Ivan stepped out to speak with the officers while I got dressed out of the hospital gown. I don’t know what he’s telling them, or just how honest he can be in this situation, but I’m grateful to have that weight off my shoulders anyway.
Now, the room is incredibly still and quiet, leaving me with too much time to think.
Even if my brothers clearly didn’t have enough love for me, it’s still hard to fathom what they did, and the fact that Carlo is gone now, and Cesare is being sent away.
Growing up with them never made us close, but a small part of me had always hoped we might build a bridge between us and grow closer as a result. I wanted that especially after Dad died, but today only proved how in too deep Carlo really was.
With every chance to make things right, he wouldn’t. But now, I don’t need to question what might’ve been. Now I know I’m exactly where I should be, with someone willing to risk his life for me.
I glance up when the door is pushed open, and Ivan steps in, giving me the hint of a reassuring smile despite how tired he looks.
“Everything’s taken care of,” he murmurs, pausing at the window instead of coming closer like I expect him to. He’s quiet while his hands go into his pockets, and he looks out with nothing short of contemplation weaving through his features. “There shouldn’t be any more questions.”
I take a slow, steady breath at that and nod, but a touch of uneasiness settles in my stomach since he hasn’t looked back at me yet. I shift in place, hearing the paper crinkling beneath me.
“Ivan.”
After a beat, he looks back at me, blue eyes swimming with something so raw that it nearly catches me off guard. There’s no edge to his expression, or instinctive armor to keep himself guarded. Instead, there’s just exhaustion wrapped up in guilt.
He swallows hard, then lets his shoulders drop as he comes closer, stopping nearby without reaching for me yet. His eyes focus on the table, then his jaw clenches and unclenches.
“I’m sorry,” Ivan says softly, not afraid to let his regret come through. “For dragging you into all of this. For not paying enough attention and even letting them get close to you again…for putting you and the baby in danger when I promised you it would never happen.”
My throat tightens around the words I want to say, causing me to stumble at first. “You didn’t. It was Carlo and Cesare.”
“But I did, whether I meant to or not,” he says, sounding harder on himself than I’ve ever heard before. “I made you trust me, and I couldn’t do the one thing I said I would. Today could’ve ended much worse, and I’m damn lucky it didn’t. I never would’ve forgiven myself.”
My expression softens at the way he so readily puts all the blame on his shoulders, despite how he was the one who came to find me. The one who stood up to my brothers without ever pulling a weapon on them. “Ivan…”
Pulling in a breath, he averts his gaze again. “After this, you’re free to go.”
I pause, blinking back at him. “What?”
“You can leave,” he begins, voice tight like he’s trying to hold himself together. “Take the baby and decide where you want to be. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of…money, security if you want it…whatever you need. I won’t follow or interfere. You’ll be free to live your life like you should’ve been able to from the start.”
Free.
That word echoes in my mind, like the taunt it used to be. The very thing I wanted more than anything before.
But as it starts to die down, fading into the back of my head, I can only stare at him in quiet confusion and disbelief.
