Page 155 of Bratva's Vow
My stomach felt hollow. Friends weren’t meant to be killed by you, but that was exactly what Archie was forcing me to do. If he had a hand in poisoning Wren and killing Vova, I would tear him limb from limb.
The walk back through the hospital’s corridors felt longer this time, as if the weight of every decision I’d made had crawled into my chest and anchored itself there.
Nik was alert as ever, eyes sweeping the hallway before I even stepped into the waiting room.
I nodded at him. “Might as well take Jess home. If I have news, I’ll call her.”
“I have someone en route to pick her up and take her home. I’ll stay here with you. Jess and I already talked about it.”
“It’s not my life on the line. You don’t have to stay.” I ran a hand over my jaw, the stubble rough under my palm.
If Archie wanted me dead, he could have done so already, and I would never have known. I was still alive because it wasn’t me he was after. He wanted Wren out of my life. Why hadn’t I seen the signs? No, that wasn’t right. Whenever he made negative comments about Wren, I’d shaken them off as Archie being his usual grumpy self.
“I’m staying.” His tone didn’t waver. “And it’s partly for you, but mostly for Wren. I’m not leaving him unprotected. He means a lot to me too, Maxim. When you fired me, he hired me back despite knowing you might object. Next to you, I spend the most time with him, and he’s a good kid. Hedoesn’t deserve this. I knew he’s been getting sick, and I should have suspected something, should have insisted he visit the hospital sooner even though he said it wasn’t to serious. Then maybe they would have caught it before it got this bad.”
I stared at him, something thick rising in my throat. “He’s going to be fine,” I whispered. He had to be. I couldn’t go back to an empty existence without Wren. In fact, it wouldn’t be empty with his ghost always present with me until I eventually took my useless life. What purpose did I have without him? There would be nothing to live for.
Nik stepped closer to me and dropped his voice. “I asked Darius to swing by the house. Pack your toiletries and a change of clothing.”
My breath caught.
He got it. Without being told, without any explanation, Nik understood what I hadn't even admitted out loud. I wasn’t leaving Wren’s side. Not tonight. Not until this was over. Not until the doctors reassured me that he would be okay.
I nodded, the words slow to form. “Thanks.”
Nik clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s gonna pull through.” But he sounded as if he was reassuring himself more than me.
Taking a deep breath, I returned to Wren’s room. The door opened with a muted click. Jess stood at his bedside, gently stroking his arm, her eyes rimmed red. As I entered, she looked up, forcing a small, tight smile.
“He’s awake,” she whispered, relief and grief tangled in her voice. “Sort of. A little out of it, but he’s been asking nonstop for you.”
I crossed the room without a word, my gaze never leaving Wren. Jess squeezed my hand, then brushed past me, murmuring, “I’ll be outside.”
“Thank you,” I said, uncertain she even heard me.
Wren shifted, eyes half-lidded and glazed with exhaustion. His lips parted like he was struggling to breathe. The oxygen cannula twitched with each shallow inhale.
He turned his head, and for a moment—just a breath—those hazel eyes focused on me.
“Max…” His voice was paper-thin, barely more than a breath.
I took his hand gently in mine, careful not to disturb the IV.
“I’m here, solnyshko. I’m not going anywhere.”
His eyes fluttered shut, then opened again, brows furrowing faintly. “I… I ruined the site visit.”
I choked out a broken laugh. “You’re in the ICU, and you’re worried about a class trip?”
His lips pulled into the barest, weakest ghost of a smile. “Supposed… to feel proud while everyone admired your work. That you’re mine, even if they don’t know it.”
“Well, they all know it now.” I leaned in, brushing my thumb along the back of his knuckles. “You’ve been downplaying just how much you’ve been hurting this past week, haven’t you?”
“I’m sorry.” He blinked slowly, and his voice was cracked and wheezy. “Felt bad… didn’t want to scare you. You’ve had so much on your plate. With Vova… Just kept thinking… maybe if I didn’t say it out loud, it would stop.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know.” His gaze drifted, unfocused again. “Felt… like fire in my veins earlier. Now I’m so… cold.”
