Page 170 of Konstantin
I nod, feeling my heart thud painfully in my chest. “Yeah. I am.”
Fiona stares, her lips opening and closing like she’s trying to find the right words.
Finally, she whispers, “Wow…this is insane!” Her hand cups my stomach. “But also exciting. Maybe we can have another lawyer in the family.”
“Maybe.” A small laugh falls out of me.
“I’m happy for you, Em.” She curls her arms around me. “You deserve to be happy, even though I wouldn’t exactly have chosen a Marinov for you.”
“Believe me.” I perch back, cracking a grin. “I’m fully aware of how you feel about them.”
At that, her gaze lands on Aleksei, and his eyes lock with hers. I swear it’s like they’re caught in some kind of silent war, neither of them willing to back down.
“Just sleep together already, will you?” I elbow her. “I bet it’ll be hot.”
Fiona’s eyes flick to me, and a flash of something passes over her face.
Girlfriend can deny it all she wants, but she wants him and hates herself for it.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
KONSTANTIN
A month has passedsince everything changed.
A month since the dust settled. Since the DeLucas were all killed. Since Emilia quit her job with the feds and we began rebuilding what was broken.
The men who hurt her—every single one—are dead.
Lloyd, the one who begged for mercy as I carved him into pieces. The other svolichy from her past who dared to touch her when she was younger. They’re all erased. Gone. Like they never existed.
It’s what I do. What I will always do for her.
A husband’s duty is to protect his wife, and I don’t take that lightly. It’s not just a promise; it’s my purpose.
As I sit at the head of the dining table, my eyes drift to my wife beside me as she laughs at something Kirill said. Her hand rests on her stomach, a little rounder now. And every time I catch sight of her, something inside me swells with pride. I put that baby in her. I createdlife with her, and there’s nothing I could ever do that would feel more meaningful than that.
The house is filled with warmth, the scent of dinner in the air, all the people I love around the table, and there’s something in that. Because any one of them could be gone tomorrow.
My gaze drifts to Lev, whose little hands line up his carrots with careful precision. I watch him for a moment, a smile tugging at my lips. I’d do anything for him. I’d die for him, for his happiness, for the future of everyone sitting at this table.
My attention returns to Emilia, admiring her strength through everything she’s endured. But there’s still quiet sadness behind her eyes. I know she’ll never truly be okay with the way things ended with her brother, but she’s strong. Stronger than I’ve ever seen anyone be.
If that bastard was still alive, though, I’d kill him all over again. I’d rip him apart for even thinking about trying to hurt her. The thought of him trying to kill her—the woman I love, the mother of my child—fills me with rage, like fire burning under my skin.
She smiles at me when she catches my stare, and maybe because we’ve been through so much, I’m more in love with her now than ever before.
Thankfully, she’s been keeping up with her therapy with someone new I found for her.
And her old therapists? Well, they’re unavailable. Permanently.
The conversation drifts from one subject to another, everyone relaxed for the first time in a long while. But then Aleksei, of course, breaks the flow with his usual comments.
“I can’t believe you knew Fiona all this time and I had no idea.” He shakes his head slowly, that familiar smirk tugging at his mouth. “That woman…”
A muscle twitches in his jaw.
There’s something in his tone, something dark, gritted, too sharpto be just annoyance. It drips with heat. Frustration. Obsession.
