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It does not matter what sins have come before this.
Right now, we are only focusing on the future, and putting this all behind us.
I take a steady breath in as I look down at Chiara again, her body still limp on the sofa.
Right now, my daughter is theonlything that matters to me.
“She will wake up.” I murmur to myself, more to reassure me than anything else. “My Chiara is strong.”
For Chiara, I will do whatever it takes, and I will be damned if I let anybody take her from me once again.
The tension in the room lingers as we wait for the Bratva doctor to come and assess Chiara.
And as Isaak speaks again, I find that there is an unexpected softness in his voice. His words catch me off guard.
“You know,” he begins saying as he looks down at Chiara, “I would want somebody to look out for my daughter too. I would want somebody to care for her in the way that you care for Chiara.”
I stiffen slightly, my jaw tightening.
I glance up at Isaak once again, unsure where this conversation is heading. His eyes are dark, sombre, but there is something else there; something that speaks of a deep loss, alonging that mirrors my own. It’s a vulnerability I did not expect from the Pakhan of the Bratva.
“I don’t care about this history between our families.” He continues. “When I found Chiara here…I didn’t hesitate to call Alessandro the moment I found out. I had to make sure she was safe, and she was well. I couldn’t just stand by and allow her to be trapped here.” Either Nikolai or Mikhail growls, a low sound that echoes through the room at what their father has said, but Isaak only continues. “Your daughter deserved to be reunited with her family, and I made sure it happened.”
For a fleeting moment, I wonder if Isaak truly sees Chiara in the way that I do—a daughter, someone worth protecting at all costs. But then he pauses, and there is a distant look in his eyes, something raw.
“I hope that one day, when everything is settled, I’ll find my daughter again. I hope that one day, I can be the father she deserves. I hope that one day, my family can be whole again.”
His words strike me in a way that I am not prepared for.
I look back down at Chiara, holding onto my daughter in a way as if my life depends on it.
I think about my own family; the bond we share, the protection I have promised her, the lengths I have gone to in order to keep her safe.
But Isaak’s words feel like a heavy weight.
I feel the stirring of something deep in my chest, a pang of guilt that twists like a knife.
I know what he means.
I know the pain of losing a child—of having someone you love taken from you.
And though I want to reject the thought, the cold truth settles over me.
I wrap my fingers around Chiara’s hand, but my gaze drifts to the floor. I cannot look him in the eye after this, not when we both know the truth.
I am the reason why his daughter is no longer with him.
“I…” My voice falters, but I force the words out anyway. “I did not mean for any of this to happen. I never wanted Stella to be brutally murdered like that. I was angry, but it is not an excuse for what happened back then.”
Isaak does not say anything for a while.
Instead, he allows the silent to stretch between us.
When he does speak, his voice is softer this time, almost pained.
“I know.” He says simply. “I know you didn’t.”
I take a deep breath in, knowing I cannot look at him right now.