Page 101 of Beautiful Agony

"It's just... pregnancy hormones," I try to laugh it off, but my voice cracks.

His thumb brushes away a tear. "No, it's not. Tell me what's frightening you."

I bite my lip, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. But looking into his eyes, seeing nothing but love and concern, breaks down my walls.

"I'm scared," I whisper, the words coming out before I can stop them. "About everything."

Vadim shifts closer, his thumb still brushing away my tears. "Tell me."

"You took such a huge risk going to Rutledge. And it was because of me, because I suggested it." My hands clench in my lap. "But once Kirsan is gone, Rutledge won't stop. He'll come after you next. He said as much."

"Zvyozdochka."

"And L.A. Fashion Week..." My voice cracks. "We both know how dangerous that will be. What if something goes wrong? What if?—"

I can't finish the thought. I can’t bear to speak into the possibility that I might lose Vadim. The possibility is too painful to voice.

He takes both my hands in his. "Look at me."

I do, through tear-blurred vision.

"I've spent my whole life fighting monsters," he says. "But I never had anything worth protecting before. Now I do. You. Our daughter. This family we're building."

"That's exactly what terrifies me," I admit. "That's what I'm afraid of losing this. Not when I finally know what it feels like to truly belong somewhere." My voice drops to barely a whisper. "To belong with someone."

The weight of everything crashes over me—the past weeks of watching Rutledge systematically dismantling corruption, knowing each victory brings us closer to the moment he'll turn his attention to Vadim. The looming danger of L.A. FashionWeek and our final confrontation with Kirsan. It all feels like a sword hanging over our heads, threatening this precious peace we've found.

"I just had this awful feeling," I confess, my hand drifting back to my belly. "Like everything we've built could be taken away in an instant."

Vadim's hands tighten on mine. "No one will take this from us,zvyozdochka. Not Kirsan. Not Rutledge. No one."

The fierce conviction in his voice makes my breath catch. His gray eyes hold mine, stormy with determination.

"But Rutledge said?—"

"Let him say whatever he wants to say," Vadim says, his voice strong and unyielding. "He can investigate every piece of paper, follow every lead, but he will findnothingthat he can use to separate us. Everything I've built, I've built carefully. Legally."

"And Kirsan?"

A dark smile plays across his lips. "Kirsan made a fatal mistake thinking he could hurt what's mine." His hand slides to my belly, protective and possessive. "I will end him in Los Angeles. And when I do, I'll spend the rest of my life pampering you."

The certainty in his voice soothes something raw inside me. This is the man who orchestrated an elaborate heist in Paris. Who's systematically dismantling a criminal empire piece by piece. Who looked at my broken necklace and tracked down every pawn shop in Seattle until he found it.

"You better, Vadim Stravinsky," I whisper, and I mean it. "Don't leave me alone in this world without you."

He rises from his knees and pulls me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. His heartbeat is steady and strong under my ear. "You and our daughter are my everything now. My reason for fighting. My reason for living. Nothing in this world could make me give that up."

I feel the tension slowly seep from my shoulders as Vadim holds me, but I can't completely banish the fear gnawing at the edges of my mind. Needing a distraction, I look up at him. "Have you thought about names?"

His hand continues stroking my back. "A few. Nothing that feels right yet."

"Like what?"

"Natalia was my first thought." He shakes his head. "But it doesn't feel... special enough."

"What about Alexis?" I suggest, trying to match his more traditional choices.

"Too common." His lips quirk. "We could call her Sasha."

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