Page 53 of Possession of the Bratva

He opened the door and assisted me to get in. Getting in on the driver’s side, he gave me a warm smile but said nothing. As we drove, I wondered how much he had heard. I must have hurt him badly. He caught me snooping but didn’t know how long I’d been doing it. If he heard what I said, how would he feel about me now?

My heart felt heavy and my throat tight. My mind was still whirling from all the revelations, emotions, and events of the day.

Aleksandr stopped the car close to the front door. As we got out, I saw my siblings pulling up as well. I was relieved that it wouldn’t only be me and Aleksandr. Piotr, Leon, and Konstantin came running towards me. They pulled me into a big family hug.

Feeling their love surrounding me, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I allowed my tears to flow. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“Let’s go inside,” I heard Aleksandr speak behind me. Turning, he pulled me into his warm embrace. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he added softly. He held me around my waist as we went into the house. Maybe he didn’t hear, I thought.

We headed through to the lounge area. “Please have a seat,” Aleksandr said. He sat down on one of the single couches and pulled me onto his lap. Having him hold me made me feel loved, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Mila,” he said once everyone was settled. Looking at him, I saw that familiar sparkle in his golden eyes. “I have to say, your idea about having so much intel on us to distract them was fantastic. You really thought on your feet during this catastrophe. It was brilliant.”

He kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly. “I’m so relieved that we got to you in time, that you are now safe where you belong.”

I was stunned at his words. He truly believed I made it all up. He wasn’t mad. He appeared to be happy. Feeling my tears building up again, I knew I had to come clean. Glancing at the others, I had hoped to do this in privacy, but I couldn’t keep it in. They were all looking at us expectantly, and I had to say something.

As I spoke, the tears started flowing again. My heart ached. I have never felt so sick inside as I did in that moment. “Aleksandr,” I breathed out slowly.

He shifted, taking my face in his hands. “No, dear, why are you crying? It’s over; you’re safe. Are you hurt?” he asked tenderly.

My throat felt like a clogged nozzle. I battled to get any words out. He started wiping at my tears and kissing my forehead. Taking a deep breath, I tried again. “I’m so sorry, I feel so bad for lying to you.”

“No, no, why? You did nothing wrong,” Aleksandr added, kissing my forehead. He was so calm, and his tone warm, it made me feel like screaming.

Taking a couple of jagged breaths, I calmed the worst of my crying. Swiping at the tears on my cheeks, I looked into his amazing eyes as I spoke. “Aleksandr, I have been gathering information on you and the family even before our forced marriage. I dug into your life before you caught me. I wanted to use it against you.”

Aleksandr pulled me into his arms. I felt him breathing hard before letting out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his chest, feeling the ocean of tears building again.

Pulling back, Aleksandr lifted my face and stared deep into my eyes. “I love you,” I managed to get out as the next wave started coming.

He searched my face, wiping gently at the tears. “I love you, Aleksandr Dubow. I no longer want to hide my feelings for you. I want to be your wife in every sense of the word. I give you my heart fully. I am sorry for any trouble I may have caused…”

Before I could continue, Aleksandr kissed me passionately. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I didn’t care who saw or what they thought anymore. Pulling back for air, Aleksandr spoke. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear those words. I love you, Mila. I always have and always will. Nothing you do could ever change that.”

Glancing at the family gathered around us, I noticed them all smiling. “Please tell you brothers there’s no need to kill me anymore,” Aleksandr said jokingly.

Everyone burst out laughing. “This was not what we expected,” Piotr said, standing up. My other two brothers also rose. They held out their hands as they came closer. Aleksandr moved me up a little as he shook hands with them.

I could feel all the eyes in the room on us. “I’m so happy for you,” Dahlia added as she came closer.

Getting up, I hugged her. “Thank you for helping me open my eyes,” I replied.

Tasha and all the others also rose, and the room filled with warm hugs and speeches of congratulations.

I could see everyone was finally at peace with each other. My siblings had completely welcomed Aleksandr into the family. Seeing the two families chatting and visiting without any frowns or angry words filled my heart with warmth.

Chapter 27 - Aleksandr

Leaning against the car, I watched as Mila went inside. As the door closed behind her, my phone rang. Taking it out, I saw it was Piotr. “Hey there,” I said, answering.

“Hi Aleksandr,” Piotr replied. “I have spoken to Ashan. He is setting up a meeting with the Morozov family. However, you will have to meet them on their turf.”

I smiled. It was great news. I felt sure we could conclude our alliance with them. They had already assisted us in getting rid of Jason and the enemy Bratva. After we drove them away, they have been very quiet over the last six months. I hoped they would stay away.

“No problem, please let me know when and where,” I replied, walking toward the house. We had to conclude the alliance, should the enemy return, we would be stronger.

“Right,” Piotr replied. “I’ll keep you in the loop.”

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