Page 122 of Vendetta Vows

"She's brave in ways I never expected. Damaged, yes. We're both damaged. But not broken."

My throat tightens when I think about how she looked in my bed, trembling from her nightmare but still reaching for me.

"But it's more than that," I admit quietly. "I can't explain it. She's just... Aurora. And when I'm with her, I feel like I could be more than what Vitaly tried to make me."

Something in mother's eyes shifts. Understanding. Or perhaps resignation.

My mother's gaze softens, weariness settling into the lines around her eyes as she studies me. The fight seems to drain from her, replaced by a quiet resignation.

"I can't change your mind, Lanchik." She smooths her skirt, composure returning as she rises. "Not now."

"No," I agree, helping her to her feet. "Not about this."

The afternoon light catches in her graying hair as she moves to the window, her silhouette outlined against the glass. For a moment, I see her as a young woman again, trapped in this life just as I've been.

How many choices has she sacrificed? How many battles has she chosen not to fight?

"If you're serious about protecting this girl." She turns to face me.

"Aurora," I tell her. "Her name is Aurora."

"Aurora," she concedes with a slight nod. "If you're serious about protecting her, Ruslan, then youmustprotect her. Completely. Without hesitation or compromise."

"I will."

Mother sighs, then reaches for her left hand. Slowly, deliberately, she twists her engagement ring with its massive diamond from her finger. The same ring my father gave her forty years ago.

"Here," she says, pressing the gleaming circle into my palm. "If you mean what you say, then this ring belongs to her now."

My fingers close around the metal, still warm from her skin. "Mother."

The weight of the ring feels impossibly heavy in my hand.

"You would give this to an outsider?" I ask, unable to hide my surprise.

"No." My mother's eyes meet mine, filled with a quiet strength I've always admired. "I would give it to the woman my son loves."

* * *

I watchMother's car disappear down the long driveway, the gravel crunching under her tires as she leaves. Her visit has left me unsettled, a familiar weight settling on my shoulders.

The gold ring burns in my pocket. Mother's final words echo in my mind: "I would give it to the woman my son loves."

Love.

The word feels foreign on my tongue. Dangerous.

I stride back into the mansion, scanning the foyer for Aurora. Her absence feels tangible, like a physical space beside me that should be filled.

"Daria," I call, spotting my housekeeper emerging from the kitchen. "Where is Aurora?"

Daria's expression softens slightly. "She went to the gardens, Ruslan Vitalyevich. After speaking with your mother, she seemed... troubled."

My jaw tightens. "Thank you."

I follow the stone path winding through the back of the property, past the guards who nod respectfully. The gardens have always been a sanctuary from the bratva. A place where violence doesn't touch, and where there is absolute privacy.

And it's exactly where I find Aurora

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