Page 94 of Vendetta Crown

"The babies are very active today," Aurora says, meeting my eyes with a soft smile.

"That's because they're happy," Stella declares with absolute certainty. "They're happy because we're making their room so pretty!"

I watch as my younger nieces huddle around Aurora, their faces alight with wonder. Something in my chest constricts at the sight of them together.

My family, both old and new, weaving together into something whole.

Stella's uninhibited joy is infectious, and even Sofia abandons her typically reserved nature to press her hand against Aurora's belly.

Mikayla, however, hangs back. While she keeps that half-smile on her lips, her eyes tell a different story. There's tension in her shoulders, a shadow behind her gaze that she's trying to mask.

She tilts her head toward the doorway. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah," I tell her.

Then, I turn to Aurora. "I'm going to take a quick break before getting started on the second crib."

Aurora looks up, her brow furrowed slightly. She senses something.

"Don't be gone too long," she warns with a gentle smile. "You still have another crib to build."

"Trust me, I'm well aware of the challenges ahead."

I follow Mikayla into the hallway, far enough that her sisters' ears won't catch our conversation but close enough that I can still see into the nursery.

Once we're alone, Mikayla's facade drops.

"Mama's been contacting me again," she says, her voice low. She pulls her phone from her pocket. "Not just texting, but calling as well. Don't worry, I've kept off the mansion's Wi-Fi. I know better now."

"What does she want?" I keep my voice level, though my muscles tense at the mention of Tamara.

"When I answered, she sounded scared. She said that Semyon's becoming unhinged." Mikayla's eyes flicker toward the nursery, then back to me. "Things aren't going according to plan, and he's not handling it well."

I allow myself a grim smile. "That's good. It meansourplan is working, then."

"There's more." Mikayla shifts her weight, uncomfortable. "She wants to talk to you directly."

"Me?" I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"

"She's looking for options, I think. Hedging her bets." Mikayla's voice drops even lower. "She says she has information you might find valuable. I think she knows you plan on killing her."

The carefully constructed walls around Mikayla's emotions crack just slightly, and for a moment I see the young girl beneath the forced maturity. A child who's forced to grow up too fast in a world that's shown her nothing but cruelty.

"It has to be done, Mika." I keep my voice low, even as my resolve hardens. "Your mother was willing to sacrifice you and your sisters."

I can see her wrestling with this truth—the unmistakable reality of who her mother truly is.

"She gave Semyon all the information he needed to kill your father. She did the same to your brother." The words taste bitter in my mouth. "He was her son, Mika. And she still made that choice."

Mikayla's jaw tightens, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I know that. I do. And I thought I could accept that you were going to do what you planned to do. But then I heard her voice on the phone, sounding scared and asking me to talk to you, and that was when it became real for me." Her voice cracks. "That I might never get to hear her voice again."

She backs up against the wall, sliding down until she's sitting on the floor. Tears stream down her face now, and she doesn't bother wiping them away.

"But now I don't know. I don't know if I can."

The sound of Stella's delighted laughter floats from the nursery.

"It's okay," I say, crouching down beside her. "Mika, it's okay."

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