Page 34 of Vendetta Crown

The weight of that decision must be crushing her.

I reach across the table and take her trembling hand in mine. "Vera..."

She squeezes my fingers. "My family's fate is in your hands now, Aurora Markovna."

I nod, understanding the weight of what she's entrusting to me.

"Not a moment goes by that I don't imagine what it would be like to lose my Slava," Vera confesses, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "But I trust him. I trust Ruslan. And above all else, I trust you, Aurora." Her red-rimmed eyes meet mine. "I trust in this plan of yours."

I look down at the ring, doubt creeping in again. "But what if we fail?"

"You can't torture yourself with what-ifs," Vera interrupts. "You will always have doubts about how things will unfold. But you can never, not for a single moment, doubt the depth and power of the love between you and Ruslan."

She leans forward, her voice gaining strength. "I've seen how he looks at you. Like you're the dawn after his darkest night." A small smile breaks through her tears. "And I've seen how you look at him. Like you've found home after years of running."

"As long as you believe in that love," she continues, "then anything is possible."

9

RUSLAN

"You're not givingme a straight answer, Ruslan Vitalyevich." Artyom's voice cuts through my thoughts like a blade. "Semyon could come at us again any day now. Potyomkin's men won't arrive for three more days. That's three days where we're exposed."

"I know the fucking timeline." My words snap harsher than intended. "We've survived worse."

Artyom leans forward, hands clasped between his knees. "Have we? Because losing Lev and Mikhail in one day nearly destroyed us. The only reason we're still breathing is because Semyon's attack failed to kill you."

The bitter truth of it sits heavy in my chest. Failure has become a familiar shadow clinging to me since Leslie's death, and since Aurora's kidnapping.

"The documentary will work. It has to." I press my fingertips against my temple. "Once Kristofer's crimes are public, Semyon can't protect him. No alliance survives that kind of scrutiny."

"You still haven't answered my original question." Artyom's eyes narrow. "Are you pushing this documentary because it's strategically sound, or because Aurora needs it?"

My jaw clenches. The answer sticks in my throat.

"I need to know where your head is at." Artyom doesn't back down. "When bullets start flying again—and they will—I need to know if you're making decisions as a pakhan or as a husband."

"What's the difference?" I growl.

"I've known you since we were boys, Ruslan." His voice drops lower. "I've followed you into hell more times than I can count. But this? This feels different."

The words I want to say crowd against my teeth. That I'd burn the world down to keep Aurora safe. That her healing matters more than bratva politics. That the raw courage in her eyes when she said she wanted to tell her story made me love her more than I thought possible.

"You need to be honest with yourself." Artyom's gaze remains steady. "Is this about destroying Semyon's alliance, or is it about giving Aurora back her voice?"

"Both," I finally admit, my voice rough with emotion. "It's both. But if I'm being honest." I stand, unable to stay seated with this confession burning through me. "This is for her. Even if it doesn’t help us a damn bit against Semyon, I'll still do it."

The weight of that truth is heavy. I run my hands through my hair, pacing across the office.

"I fucked up, Artyom. I became exactly what I swore I'd never be." The memory of shutting the door so that I could speak to Mikayla in this office while Aurora pleaded outside makes my stomach turn. "I became controlling. Just like my father. Just like Lev. I tried to force my protection on her instead of standing beside her."

Artyom says nothing, just watches with those calm, knowing eyes.

"That control pushed her away." My voice breaks. "And as a result, she ran straight into Kristofer's trap because I wouldn't listen."

I stop at the window, staring out at the tower where Aurora sleeps. "I'm afraid I'll lose her love. Not to Kristofer, not to Semyon, but to my own fucking need to control everything."

"She came back, Lanchik," Artyom points out quietly. "Willingly, mind you."

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