Page 67 of Arranged to Marry the Bratva

She blushes at my confession but seems pleased.

A knock on the door interrupts our conversation, and the doctor enters with a reassuring smile. "Well, Mrs. Anoushka, I have good news. Your condition has improved significantly, and you're now stable enough to go home."

"Really?" she asks, her eyes widening in surprise and happiness.

"Absolutely," the doctor confirms. "Just take it easy and follow the prescribed medication and rest routine, and you should continue to improve. It’s important to do as instructed, for you are with child, after all."

"Thank you, Doctor," I say gratefully, shaking his hand. "We truly appreciate everything you've done for our family."

"Of course," he nods before leaving us alone once more.

"Can you believe it, Nikolai?" Anoushka exclaims, her excitement palpable as she cradles her belly. "We get to go home!"

"Believe it or not, my love, I'm even more overjoyed than you are," I admit, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "And there’s all that work to be done on the nursery.”

"The nursery," she whispers, tears glistening in her eyes. "I can’t wait!”

Her excitement is infectious.

Her hand reaches for mine, our fingers intertwining as we share a connection deeper than words can express.

"Remember our wedding day?" she asks, her voice soft and nostalgic. "We were practically strangers. And now… look at us—intertwined, inseparable, planning a nursery for a baby. Our baby."

"Every day, I thank the stars for bringing you into my life," I confess, my thumb gently caressing her hand. "You moved me in ways I never thought possible, Anoushka. I can’t believe I’ve never told you this before. I’ve been a bloody fool to wait so long, but I love you, Anoushka Zolotov. I absolutely fucking love you," I let out a pained groan, taking her hand to my mouth and giving it a long, lingering groan.

Anoushka's eyes well up with tears at my heartfelt confession, and she cups my face in her hands, her touch gentle and loving. "Nikolai, I love you too. And you were a bloody fool for never telling me before.”

I get into bed with her, take her in my arms, and give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I tell her over and over again. “And never a day shall pass by without you knowing that.”

She looks up at me with wet, dewy eyelashes and flutters them shut. I place a hand on her chin and pull her toward me, tasting those soft, cherry lips, knowing that I would never feel another pair of lips against mine again.

And feeling blessed for the same.

Epilogue - Anoushka

The shrill cry pierces the quiet of the morning. I jolt awake, bleary-eyed, as my breasts ache with the letdown of milk. Another hungry wail from the bassinet, and I push myself up, wincing. My body is still recovering, but my heart swells at the sound of my daughter's voice.

I lift her gently, cradling her downy head against my chest. Her tiny fist clutches at my nightgown. "Shhh, my love," I whisper. "Mama's here."

I change her diaper with practiced hands, then settle into the rocking chair to nurse. Her lips root hungrily, and I caress her petal-soft cheek as she drinks. A fierce protectiveness wells up in me for this tiny, perfect being that Nikolai and I created.

Nikolai appears in the doorway, hair rumpled with sleep. His eyes soften as they land on us.

"How are my best girls this morning?" His voice is gravelly but warm.

"Tired and happy," I say, smiling up at him.

He kneels beside me, brushing a kiss over the downy crown of our daughter's head. "I can't believe we made something so beautiful."

"She has your eyes," I say. And your ruthless ability to wake me at ungodly hours, I think wryly. I had hardly slept the previous night.

Nikolai chuckles. "Poor baby. She got my temper, too, I think. When she wants something, she tends to cry until she gets it."

“When does she not get something she wants?” I cluck with displeasure. Nikolai spoils her way too much.

Although, at this age, it hardly matters. But I know I’ll have a handful to deal with if this excessive coddling continues by her father into her later years.

The baby finishes nursing and drifts back to sleep in my arms. Nikolai gazes at her, his expression tender.

---