Lying in bed later that night with Sasha wrapped in my arms after another intimate session in the bedroom, her question is still churning in my mind.

I want to answer her. She deserves to know.

She lets out a soft satisfied moan as she snuggles closer to me, her arm around my waist as she lies in my arms.

“Sasha,” I whisper.

“Mm?”

“Your question, from earlier tonight, about what I meant when I said it isn’t like that anymore…"

She leans a little away from me so that she can look into my eyes. “Yes?”

I take a slow breath.

“The truth is, and I know some of it is obvious, but I never really got over the death of my family. Losing my parents and my sister when I was too young to really deal with it alone—it caused me to close off in a lot of ways. I’ve never stopped mourning them because I didn’t know what else to do. Even after all these years, I still can’t stop blaming Danil. I needed somewhere to point all of my anger and pain, and he was the obvious target. I wanted him to suffer for what he did.”

I pause, letting my thoughts catch up with me. “But now—I like what is happening in my life right now. I like this. Us. I like where it is going, and I want—I just want to ask you if you can be patient with me while I work all of this out.”

She props herself up on her elbows, lying on stomach as she listens to me.

The soft smile on her lips is warm and happy. “I can be patient,” she whispers.

Immediately a smile spreads across my face.

She wiggles forward and presses her lips against mine.

“I’ll be here, I can work through this with you or just support you in any way you need,” she says softly.

My heart overflows with emotion and I pull her tightly against me. Kissing her forehead, I whisper, “Thank you, for everything.”

I hold her all through the night as we lie close together, enjoying each other’s warmth and comfort.

Sasha falls asleep long before me, and I stay awake, wondering how exactly I am going to be able to let go of this consuming thirst for revenge.

I’ve never had a reason to think about anything else before, but now I do, and I have to figure out a way to let it all go. I need to figure out how I can move on.

Chapter 24 - Sasha

After our incredibly romantic date last night, I’m feeling completely love-struck. My heart is so happy and full and content. I’m nervous about it because I’m falling so deeply for him, and even though he has told me I just need to be patient, it’s still risky. But it’s a risk I think is worth taking.

Because of how Leon opened up to me, I have decided that I am fully ready to tell him about our baby. I’m not scared of his reaction anymore.

I’m sure it will still be a big thing to process—I mean, we are bringing a little life into this world—but I think he will be as excited as I am.

I didn’t ever intend to keep the pregnancy a secret for this long, and now that he has given me the reassurance I needed, that things have changed, I want to tell him.

I’m really excited to tell him about our baby—and that I am in love with him.

I want to make it special.

Leon had to go into the office today, so I’ve snuck out with two guards to go and find him a very specific watch that I overheard him talking to Maxim about. He’s mentioned it more than once, and Maxim even teased him about not having one yet.

I think it will be a good way to let him know that I’ve been paying attention to the things he likes, and it’ll be a nice gesture if I can get it for him as a surprise.

I've asked the guards to take me to a part of town that I know my father can’t be seen in due to territory borders, so I will be safe, and I know my baby will be safe.

We park the car on the open street, and I walk with both of the security guards following me through the main street. I’ve been stopping at each jewelry store to see if they have the watch I’m looking for, but so far, I haven’t had any luck at all, and each of them has told me that there is a waiting list for it.