Page 96 of Mafia King's Bride

I blink hard, certain I must be hallucinating. This morning, I could have sworn I saw him sleeping beside me, but when I reached out, the bed was empty.

Just another cruel trick of my desperate mind.

But this . . . this feels different. More solid. More real.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. “This can’t be real,” I whisper, more to myself than to him. “You can’t be here.”

“Anastasia,” he says, so softly it brings tears to my eyes.

Then he’s holding me, and I’m engulfed in his warmth, his strength. My hands roam his body, needing to make sure I’m not dreaming.

“Oh my God,” I choke out, touching his face. “It’s you. It’s really you, Dmitri.”

“Kotyonok,” he whispers, and then we’re kissing. I pour everything into it—my fear, my longing, my love.

As I break down in his arms, he covers my face with kisses, wiping away my tears. He doesn’t need to say anything. Him being here is enough.

“My love,” he murmurs, “I thought I was a dead man without you.”

I want to tell him how sorry I am, how I wasn’t really living either, but suddenly, panic grips me. “Dmitri, you can’t be here. My father threatened to kill you if I came back. He’ll start a war. I can’t let that happen. I can’t lose you.”

My mind races. How did Dmitri find me? Did Viktor crack under pressure and tell him? Or worse, did my father somehow set this up as a trap?

“We have to leave,” I insist, pushing away from him even as every fiber of my being screams to hold on tighter. “It’s not safe. My father?—”

The room starts to spin, black spots dancing in my vision. The stress, the lack of sleep, the shock of seeing Dmitri—it’s all too much. My knees buckle, and I feel myself falling.

“Ana!” Dmitri’s voice sounds far away as everything fades to black.

When I come to, I’m in an unfamiliar bed. For a moment, panic sets in. Where am I? Did my father’s men find us? Then I hear Dmitri’s voice, low and soothing, guiding me back to reality.

I blink awake, disoriented and panicked. “Dmitri, we have to go! My father?—”

“Shh,kotyonok,” Dmitri soothes, his hand warm on mine. “Everything’s alright now.”

I shake my head frantically. “No, you don’t understand. He’ll hurt you. How did you even find me?”

Dmitri’s eyes darken. “Viktor told me everything.”

“Everything?” I whisper.

He nods, jaw clenching. “About your father’s threats. The ultimatum he gave you.”

I close my eyes, shame washing over me. “I’m so sorry, Dmitri. I thought I was protecting you, but?—”

“Hey,” he cuts me off gently, cupping my face. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

As I lean into his touch, I notice a bandage peeking out from his shirt. “You’re hurt,” I gasp. “What happened?”

Dmitri hesitates, conflict clear in his eyes. “Ana, there’s something you need to know.”

My heart races as he recounts his confrontation with my father. The threats, the hidden gunman, the sniper. By the time he finishes, I’m numb with shock.

“Papa’s . . . dead?” I whisper.

Dmitri nods solemnly. “I’m sorry, Ana. I never wanted it to come to this.”

I don’t know how to feel. The man who raised me, who I once adored, who then used me as a pawn, is gone. Part of me wants to grieve, while another part feels relief.

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