Page 85 of Beautiful Agony

"I... I can't remember," I admit, my voice cracking. The events of the day crashes over me at once. My hands start trembling again.

"Here." Vadim gathers more pasta onto the fork. "Let me take care of you."

I part my lips for another bite, savoring the perfect balance of salt and richness. My body seems to wake up all at once, reminding me just how long I've gone without proper food. The baby must be hungry too.

Vadim continues feeding me small, careful bites. Each one helps ground me back in my body, away from the dark thoughts swirling in my head. Away from the weight of the gun in my hand and Sayanaa's taunting smile.

"I've got you," he murmurs, wiping a spot of sauce from the corner of my mouth. "Both of you."

His words unlock something in my chest. The tension drains from my muscles as I lean into his touch, finally letting myself be cared for.

"That was delicious," I tell him, licking the last traces of sauce from my lips.

"When this is all over, I'll cook for you every day for the rest of our lives," Vadim promises, his storm-gray eyes tender as he watches me. "Both of you."

"What else do you know how to cook?"

"Borscht, of course." The smile lights up his face. "And beef stroganoff the way Lenka taught me. Chicken Kiev. Pelmeni from scratch..." He trails off, looking almost bashful. "I make a decent blini too."

"Blini?" I lean forward, intrigued.

"Thin pancakes," he explains. "Perfect with caviar, or just honey and sour cream for breakfast."

The image forms in my mind unbidden—Vadim in our kitchen on a lazy Sunday morning, making breakfast while I sip tea, our child coloring at the table. Such an ordinary, domestic scene.

It's an image that's almost impossible to have in this place, but one that I can't help but crave.

"I'd like that," I whisper, daring to imagine that future. One where we can justbe—not a pakhan and his wife, not two people caught in a war against evil, but just... us.

A family.

Vadim's fingers find mine across the table, and I let myself sink into the warmth of his touch. For this moment, I choose to forget about what lurks beyond these walls. About Kirsan and his empire of suffering. About the threats still hanging over our heads.

Right now, in this kitchen that smells of garlic and cheese and love, I let myself simply be a woman in love with her husband. A mother-to-be dreaming of Sunday breakfasts and bedtime stories.

I squeeze his hand, memorizing the feel of his big palm against mine. This is what we're fighting for, I realize. Not just to end Kirsan's evil, but for the chance at these ordinary moments. These simple acts of love.

I lean forward and press my lips to his, soft and gentle. His mouth moves against mine with infinite tenderness. As the kiss deepens, I feel the last remnants of tension melt from my shoulders.

His hand cups my face, thumb stroking my cheek with such care it makes my heart ache. I part my lips, inviting him deeper, and he accepts with a low sound that vibrates through my chest.

The horrors of the dungeon feel distant now, having been chased away by the warmth of his touch. Here in his arms, I can forget that I was a woman who almost crossed an unthinkable line. Here, I can just focus on being his wife, the mother of his child, and being loved completely.

My fingers trace the strong line of his jaw as our tongues meet. He tastes like the carbonara we just shared, like home and safety and everything I've wanted in him.

A deep peace settles over me, as natural as breathing. Whatever darkness lurks beyond these walls can't touch me here.

As long as I have him—my protector, my lover, my anchor—I know I'll be okay.

27

VADIM

Dr. Chen greetsus with that same warm smile she had when we first met her, but I keep my eyes focused on her hands as she sets up the ultrasound. One look at Lacey's bandaged hands and my jaw clenches reflexively.

I came so close to losing both her and our child.

"I want to apologize again," Dr. Chen says, her voice soft and sincere. "What I almost did..." She trails off, unable to finish.

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