Page 39 of Beautiful Agony

Behind them all lurks Kirsan, patient and calculating like a spider in his web. The same web that Nathan helped build, that almost caught me too.

My thoughts drift to Dad and his empty house, and even Freddy. With both Megan and I playing our parts in Vadim's war, they're more exposed than ever.

The thought of Kirsan or Sayanaa getting their hands on either of them makes my blood run cold.

I know if that if I just ask, Vadim's protection would extend to them too. The same way he's protecting Polina's new family, keeping them safe from the shadows of his world.

The same way he'll protect our child.

"What are you thinking about,zvyozdochka?" Vadim's voice pulls me from my spiraling thoughts. His hand hasn't moved from my belly, as if he can shield our child from all the dangers surrounding us.

I lean back against his chest, seeking the solid comfort of his presence.

"About how fragile everything feels," I admit softly. "Olga, Sayanaa, Kirsan... they're still out there. And now there's so much more at stake."

Vadim's arms tighten around me. "Yes, that's true." His breath stirs my hair as he speaks. "But they don't understand what they're up against."

"What do you mean?"

"Us." His voice drops lower, rougher. "Together. There's nothing in this world that can stop us,zvyozdochka. Nothing that can drive us apart."

The conviction in his voice makes my chest tighten. I remember how I felt in that shipping container, certain I'd never see him again. How even in that moment of despair, some part of me knew he would come for me.

I take his hand in mine, bringing his fingers to my lips. They still bear the marks from where I bit him that day on the stairs. The memory no longer fills me with shame—we've moved past that darkness together.

His other hand slides up to cup my breast, thumb brushing over my sensitive nipple. "I have one more thing for you," he murmurs against my ear.

Vadim pulls away and the sudden absence of his warmth sends a chill through my body.

An unexpected thought suddenly crosses my mind.

What if his war with Kirsan takes him from me? From our child? My arms wrap instinctively around my middle as cold fear grips my heart.

But then he's back, his solid presence chasing away the darkness threatening to consume me. "Give me your hand,zvyozdochka," he murmurs.

I extend my left hand, watching as he slides my engagement ring back onto my finger. The familiar weight returns, and I look at the pink diamond catching the moonlight—just like Mom's necklace.

This is where I belong.

Where I've always belonged, even if I didn't know it that when I met Vadim at Mrs. Klossner's.

My throat tightens as I stare at the ring. It represents so much more now than it did when he first put it on my finger. Back then it was just part of our ruse, another prop in our elaborate performance.

Now it's a promise, a future, a reminder of everything we've built together.

But even as Vadim's arms wrap around me again, I can't completely silence the voice in my head whispering about all thedangers still lurking out there. Kirsan, Sayanaa, Olga—any one of them could take him from me. The thought makes my heart stutter in my chest.

I press closer to him, relishing in the warmth of his body and trying to ground myself in the present moment. His hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining over my stomach where our child grows. The ring catches the light again, sending sparkles dancing across our joined hands.

"Look at us," he breathes against my ear, his hands sliding possessively down my sides. "This is what I've been fighting for all along."

I catch Vadim's eyes in the mirror, dark and intense as they drink me in. His large frame dwarfs mine, making me feel delicate and precious in his arms. The three modest diamonds of Mom's necklace and the massive pink one on my finger dot my body, shining like a constellation in the night sky.

A shiver runs through me at the raw emotion in his voice. His fingers trace patterns on my belly where our child grows.

"You're not just a means to an end anymore," he continues, his voice thickening with each word. "You never were. You're my wife. My life."

My heart thunders in my chest at his declaration. All those weeks of uncertainty, of tiptoeing around each other after that day on the stairs, melt away under the heat of his gaze.

---