Page 35 of Zafira

Arian didn’t turn at the soft, melodious voice floating toward him.

“Indeed, I’m not.”

“What are you doing here, Arian?”

Arian’s eyes locked on the reflection of the woman in the tinted windows. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice, a melody he hadn’t heard in far too long. His gaze remained on the reflection of Izolda standing behind him. She was a vision of elegance in her white silk dressing gown, her long blonde hair cascading in soft waves down her back.

For a moment, he simply drank in the sight of her, the memory of her beauty flooding back with an intensity that caught him off guard. He had missed her more than he cared to admit, the ache of her absence a constant companion in the midst of his chaotic world.

As he looked at her reflection in the window, he noticed the subtle tension in her posture, the way she nervously tugged at the knot around her waist. It was a familiar gesture, one that spoke volumes about her unease despite the calm façade she presented.

“You are the last person I expected to see here,” she murmured in a voice barely above a whisper.

Their eyes met in the reflection, her expression unreadable. “And yet here I am,” he replied. The hint of sadness and regret that tinged his tone rang in his ears. His lips compressed, but he still didn’t move.

Arian felt a pang of guilt stab at his heart. At that moment, as he stood facing her, he couldn’t deny the rush of emotion that surged through him at the sight of her.

“Again...” Her voice was clipped this time, as if she wanted to run but couldn’t make her legs obey her brain. “What are you doing here, Arian?”

“I missed you.” The echo of the words spilling out before he could stop them mocked him. The way she startled in surprise pushed him to continue. “More than I thought possible.”

Finally turning to face her, he was relieved to notice Izolda’s expression softening at his words, and her eyes held a glimmer of warmth that stirred something deep within him. They stood silently, bathed in the soft glow of the city lights and in that moment, Arian knew that despite everything, he had finally found his way back to her.

Now, he had to convince her of his love and pray she could find it in her heart to forgive him and come back home.

“What about me do you miss, Arian? Oh, wait, I remember... it’s the convenient fuck holes that your conjugal rights give you to use when the need demands it.” Her eyes glimmered with painful remembrance. “Or is my recollection of events wrong?”

“Regret always comes too late, doesn’t it?” he murmured in a low voice. “I never apologized to you for that...” He grimaced. “Or for all the other fuck ups I played a part in that formed your life’s path.”

“You weren’t responsible for everything that went wrong in my life, Arian.”

“Wasn’t I?” He shrugged. “Maybe not directly, but everything that happened to you from the day you met me was because of our love for each other. Yes, I didn’t know why you married Boris, but it did break my heart. Of course, in true Arian Guzun fashion, I didn’t find you to talk about it. I turned my back on you. Over time, my feelings turned to hatred for Boris... for you, and that was what guided my actions toward you.

“I couldn’t accept that you hadn’t trusted me with what Boris threatened you with. That you believed me too weak to protect you and your parents. It hurt, Izolda... it showed you never trusted me—the one thing I gave you unconditionally all those years ago, and you threw it back in my face.”

“Arian, it was so much more complicated than that.”

“Was it?” Arian watched her unblinkingly for long moments. The deep sigh came from years of questioning himself, his actions, and his beliefs about why he hadn’t been good enough for her. Even though he now knew the truth, the pain he had carried all these years was still like a ghost roaming the devil’s realm, searching for a way out.

“I lied.”

“I know.” Izolda didn’t have to ask; they both knew what he was referring to.

“Then why did you leave?”

“Because you didn’t realize it then. That night... the way you forced yourself on me... I couldn’t stay because I knew eventually being treated like that would break me and kill any chance we had of ever finding our way back to each other.” She smiled at his expression. “It would have, Arian, because no matter how badly you treat me, the moment you touch me, I melt. I can never deny you, even the times I hate how cheap you made me feel. You are in my blood, my soul, and my heart. Why do you think I’m still here in Moldova?”

“Izolda...” Arian’s voice cracked as he walked closer. The shock in her eyes was profound as he knelt and took her hands in his. For the mighty Pakhan of the Guzun Bratva to be in such a subjugating position was something no one would believe. “I came here to beg for forgiveness, and here you are, making me feel ten feet tall. If anything, you should hate me and chase me out.”

“That was my initial intention until you turned around, and I saw the regret in your eyes, the warmth and the love begging to be set free.” She cupped his cheeks and leaned down to briefly kiss his lips. “I can never hate you, Arian. I love you. I always have, and God help me, I always will.”

“As I love you, my beautiful wife... and if you’d let me, I am going to take the rest of the night to prove it to you.”

“Demanding your conjugal rights again, Mr. Guzun?”

“No, my love... begging you to let me love you with my heart and soul, using my body as the conduit to portray all my regrets and future intentions.” Pressing his face into her soft belly, his arms circled her waist. “I love you, Izolda Guzun and I can’t go on without you in my life. Please, release me from the hell I’ve been living the past year with your absence.”

“Then show me, Arian... let’s open the gates of hell and release you from that prison into the light of love.”

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