Page 54 of Forced Pregnant Bride

I didn’t bother to ask her what she meant by “took care of;” the meaning was all over her face.

“I’d seen them when the men took them out of the car in the parking lot: a mother, father, and a teenage girl. She was around Timur’s age then. Under the rain, I snuck around the hidden passages and caught Rafayel watching through the cracks. The screams were terrifying, and the sound of gunfire continued echoing through every wall that night. Timur walked out of that room with blood on his clothes and splashes on his face, deadly silent. Till today, only he and his brother know the exact details of what went down in that study. But I know his father made him watch the torture and forced him to sit through it while he murdered that young girl and her parents. The only evidence that he was there was the incessant nightmares he battled with every night afterward. Rainy days only made it worse. All that man cared about was having his sons rise in the ranks, becoming top leaders in the Bratva. And he succeeded in making Timur the man he wanted him to become: successful, powerful, ruthless, and vain.”

I remembered what he’d said to me that night about their father.

My father wasn’t crazy about children. I believe he probably wouldn’t have given a fuck if he had none. If he did, he might have…. My brother and I would have had a better parent.

Considering the gravity of Klavdia’s confession, Timur had been putting it very mildly for my sake. Everything made sense now: the scars on his body, his hatred for the rain, the reason he acted like a monster to others.

I wanted to throw up all the contents in my stomach until there was nothing left.

How could a father do that to his own sons?

I wanted to cry for him, wishing I could do something to turn back the hands of time and restore his childhood. I wished that maybe, just maybe, I could have a chance to reignite the happiness in him before he was robbed of his humanity. I had a hard time believing that Timur had to endure such horrible tortures when he was young.

“Until now.”

The sound of hope in Klavdia’s voice reeled me back to the present, and I stared at her through a blurry vision. Distracted, I blinked back tears, wiping my eyes with the back of my hands. “Until now, what?”

“He has not had a single nightmare since your arrival in this house, and I think I am the best person to bear witness that there’s been a lot of changes as well. Before you came, I’m afraid, he was more like his father than the man you see today. Oh, my, his temper…. You didn’t want to be anywhere close to him. Such a short fuse he had. But he’s changing now….”

“Changing?” I wasn’t quite following. The Timur I’d gotten to know was intimidating enough to condone, and she was saying he was, what, worse?

“Yes.” She nodded. “Everyone around here has noticed the way he looks at you—it’s softer, gentler, more considerate.Where you’re concerned, he’s not rash. He even smiles.” She laughed. “There was a joke that used to fly around here; whenever the master smiled or laughed, it meant someone was in the worst trouble, and whoever they were would most definitely not come out unscathed. But not you. With you, he tries to be genuine and more present than I think he would ever admit to himself.”

Despite the welling tears in my eyes, a blush reached my cheeks, and I used the moment to appreciate what the others recognized as rare and priceless.

Klavdia made a curt move with her head, smiling slowly. “In summary, Serena, I know your level of discipline and moral standing might make you disagree, and that’s fine. Timur is not necessarily a bad person. By ill-fated luck, he just happens to be a Yezhov.”

With that, she turned around on her heels and left me alone in the heavy silence.

Holding a photograph of a happy Timur, my mind went back to the lonely painting on the wall. When I’d seen it, I thought I was the withering tree surrounded by the darkness and silver moonlight, but now, looking at his beaming face, it was clearer. That tree was Timur. He’d suffered so much, and I couldn’t help but believe he might have had a different lifeifhe had a choice. This violence, the bloodshed, and the spread of only evil that seemed to have taken root in his heart were all because he was born into this and wasn’t allowed to choose.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I clapped the book shut and stomped out of the room. I might have had high moral standings and discipline, but I wasn’t going to give up. I wasn’t just going to sit back and deceive myself into thinking all hope was lost. If Klavdia was right, and there was a slim chance that Timur had a soft spot for me, I was determined to take advantage of it and prove to him that hedidhave a choice. Hedidn’t have to live his life based on the haunting shadows of the past. I was right here, by his side, and I wasn’t going anywhere.

Just one chance.

All I needed was one chance to hug him, kiss him, and whisper into his ears:

You are not alone.

Chapter 22 – Timur

Ivan charged forward with precision and calculated steps. I gripped my knife, the cold steel of the blade feeling like a natural extension of myself. Ivan was good—great, sometimes—as a skilled and experienced opponent, but on most days, I was better. And most days were nine out of ten sparring days.

With thick brows drawn and his jaw set, he lunged forward, his blade flashing toward my ribs. I sidestepped, twisting my body just enough for his knife to graze my T-shirt but not my skin. Smirking, I countered immediately. My knife sliced through the air toward his arm. He dodged, but not fast enough. A thin line of crimson appeared on his forearm.

“Fucking sloppy,” I growled, circling him like a predator.

A crooked smile appeared on his lips while he wiped the blood with the back of his hand. “I request for another chance to prove you wrong, Boss. I want to redeem myself.”

I didn’t talk. I didn’t need to. My knife did all the talking. I moved in with a feint to the left, and when he shifted to block, I pivoted and struck at his side. The blade cut deep, and he stumbled back, cursing.

“Ready to give up yet? Because from what I’m seeing here, you’re losing this battle, Ivan.”

Blood dripped to the floor between us, but he was relentless. “I’m determined, Boss, and if learning from the bestis what it takes to beat the best, then I’ll gladly take whatever you have to offer.”

Looking over his shoulder, I shared a laugh with the other men gathered, weapons in hand. “Seems like someone’s ready to die tonight.”

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