"I love you too." He closed his eyes, voice thick with long-suppressed emotion. "More than my own life."
We stayed like that for a long time, neither speaking, just feeling each other's warmth and breath.
All the misunderstandings, all the hurt, all the pain—in that moment, everything dissolved.
Finally, Nikolai spoke.
"Vivienne, I promise you—from now on... I'll try to change. I'll try to trust you, give you freedom, protect you in better ways."
He paused, meeting my eyes.
"But you have to promise me too—no more taking risks alone. If something happens, tell me. We'll face it together, okay?"
I nodded hard.
"Okay. I promise."
He exhaled with relief, lips pulling into a weak smile.
Then his gaze dropped to my belly, turning incredibly tender.
"The baby... how is it?"
I froze, then realized—he'd heard everything.
All those things I said, he'd heard them all.
"You... how long have you been awake?"
"Since the moment you said 'I'm sorry.'" He confessed honestly, looking both sheepish and expectant. "So... we really have a baby?"
"You already know, don't you?" I felt a little embarrassed. "Natasha told Derek, Derek told you..."
"I want to hear it from you." He interrupted, gaze intensely serious. "Vivienne, tell me—is our baby here?"
I looked at the anticipation and anxiety in his eyes, heartmelting.
"Yes." I took his hand and placed it on my belly. "Our baby's here. Still tiny, maybe just the size of a pea... but here, between us."
Nikolai's eyes instantly welled up.
He trembled as he touched my stomach, the gesture so careful, like he was touching the world's most precious treasure.
"Our baby..." he repeated in a murmur, voice filled with disbelieving joy. "I'm going to be a father..."
"Yes." I smiled through tears. "You're going to be a father, Nikolai Volkov."
He looked up sharply, eyes blazing with light I'd never seen before—wild joy, shock, the relief of survival, and infinite hope for the future.
"Come here." He pulled me into his embrace with what strength he had, carefully avoiding his injured left arm.
I lay against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, feeling his warmth.
"Thank you, Vivienne," he whispered in my ear. "Thank you for forgiving me, thank you for giving me a child, thank you for... giving my life meaning."
"I need to thank you too," I choked out. "Thank you for not giving up on me, thank you for being willing to change, thank you for... loving me."
"I'll love you forever." He tightened his hold, like he wanted to merge me into his bones. "From now on, no matter what happens, I'll never let go of your hand."
