Page 41 of The Debt

Tatiana’s lips curved upward. “He does do that, doesn’t he?”

“That man has loved you since before he knew what to call it.” Elizabeth smoothed Tatiana’s hair. “I’ve watched him these past months. The way he anticipates your needs, how he makes you laugh, and how he has transformed his entire life to fit with yours.”

“I never thought I could feel this way,” Tatiana admitted. “It’s like my heart recognizes his.”

“That, my dear, is what real love feels like.” Elizabeth’s eyes misted. “Now, shall we make you even more beautiful for your groom?”

Tatiana gazed once more at the garden below, where their love story would begin its next chapter. The doubts that had clouded her mind moments ago dissipated like morning fog, leaving behind the crystal-clear certainty of her love for Jarek.

“Yes,” she said, turning to her grandmother with a radiant smile. “Let’s make him fall in love all over again.”

Elizabeth laughed, the sound rich with joy. “Oh, darling girl, that is already a given.”

Chapter Eighteen

Jarek

The wedding ceremony…

Through Jarek’s eyes, the garden transformed into a sacred space as guests started filling the white chairs. His hands smoothed down his tailored black tuxedo. It was a gesture born of anticipation rather than necessity. The warm afternoon sun cast golden light through the white floral archways and created patterns dancing across the grass like nature’s blessing.

He stood under the gazebo with his shoulders straight, maintaining the composure expected of him. Deep inside, the darkness shifted, grinning with satisfaction. Declan, his best man, leaned close.

“Are you sure about this, Boss?”

“This has been the outcome I have planned for twenty years, Declan. There is no other way for the debt to be paid. Once we say I do, I have the Polovs where I want them.”

“How confident are you that she won’t just divorce you? I can’t imagine she’s the type of woman who would appreciate being used and lied to.”

“She’s not,” Jarek smirked. “I have no doubt she will do what is best for her future… and believe me, once I tell her the tale of how she became her uncle’s only heir, she won’t think twice about leaving Atlanta and playing the dutiful wife and mother.”

“So, you intend to stay married to her?” Declan scratched his beard in confusion.

“Of course. I’m going to rub Tatiana’s happiness under Polov’s nose until he chokes on it.”

“He’s not going to take this lying down, Boss.”

“Oh, I’m counting on that,” Jarek said with a wide grin of anticipation as the string quartet began playing the wedding march.

The guests rose, turning toward the first archway. A little girl appeared first, scattering white rose petals with determined concentration. Then came Rhianna, the maid of honor, who was followed by Elizabeth, elegantly dressed in pastels. The music swelled, and Tatiana appeared… on the arm of Gregor Polov.

“Oh, how sweet is the taste of vengeance,” Jarek murmured. Still, his carefully maintained composure slipped as Tatiana floated toward him in a gown of white silk that caught the light like morning dew. He breathed in deeply, and his throat tightened with guilt at the way her eyes held his, glimmering with complete trust and love.

Then he looked at Gregor, and he was reminded why he was there. The darkness inside purred as Gregor handed Tatiana’s hand to him.

“She’s my heart, Jarek. Now, I am giving her to you, trusting that you will take care of her like she is an extension of your own heart, like she has been to mine.”

“Oh, I intend to, Gregor… you never have to doubt that.”

Taking her hand, he drew her tight against his side.

“You are absolutely breathtaking, love,” he whispered, annoyed when his voice roughened as she smiled beautifully at him. The part he was playing suddenly felt like it was weighing him down, but he remained resolute. In war and vengeance, there was always collateral damage… and like Lisbet and Emma, so now was Tatiana Polov.

The officiator began the ceremony, but Jarek barely heard the words. His focus remained on Tatiana's face, on the subtle changes in her expression and the way her pulse fluttered visibly at the base of her throat. When the time came for vows, Jarek took both her hands in his. The words floating from his lips came with practiced ease.

“Tatiana.” His voice carried across the hushed garden. “I’ve spent my life believing that control meant strength, that power meant success. Then you walked into my world and showed me that real strength lies in vulnerability, and true success is finding someone who makes you want to be better.” He paused as the words ‘I love you’ threatened to strangle him. Her eyes filled with tears as she reached up to cup his cheek.

“I love you, Jarek. I’ll wait… until you’re ready.”

---