Page 148 of The Last Hope

“Is this how you crushed his arms ?” she shouted again, letting go of Agata’s throat only to seize her forearms, making the older woman sob.

“Selina !” I finally managed to drag her away, but she thrashed wildly in my arms as Elif knelt beside Agata to check on her.

“Don’t even think about it,” Roman growled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gelb freeze mid-step, clearly realizing that getting closer would be a mistake.

I turned my wife in my arms until she faced me.

“Solnychko,” I whispered, and she froze, her tear-filled eyes finally meeting mine.

My chest tightened at the sight of her tears,“she touched them, Nikolai,” she breathed. “She hurt our sons.”

A heavy silence fell, thick and suffocating as tension crackled in the air like a brewing storm.

“What ?” I asked, my voice dark, deeper than I recognized. Selina trembled in my arms.

“She hurt them the same way I was hurt. They have bruises. They were so scared, Niko,” she sobbed, and a ringing filled my ears.

I shifted my gaze from my wife to my ex-mother-in-law, now propped against the bookshelf, blood trickling from her temple.

I glanced at Elif, and without a word, she stepped in to take my place, wrapping her arm around Selina’s shoulders as I walked slowly toward Agata, reaching behind my back for my gun.

“Nikolai,” Gelb said, his voice sharp—but he didn’t move.

“You touched my children ?” I asked, voice hollow.

She shook her head, but I pressed the muzzle beneath her chin, halting her breath—and her excuses.

“You touched my children ?” I repeated, pressing harder as her lips sealed shut.

“They’re just children !” she burst out. “They need to be raised properly !”

Selina’s sob echoed painfully in the room as I flipped off the safety, my vision tinged in red.

“Nikolai,” Grigori called out, stepping forward, “no,” I growled. First she’d slapped my wife. Now, my children. No one touched my family and walked away.

“Nikolai !” A new voice cut through the air, and Elif gasped.

A small hand grabbed my wrist, and a slender body stepped between me and Agata. I looked down to find Nina’s tear-streaked face, her jaw bruised, a dark ring blooming around her eye.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

I clenched my jaw, “please,” she repeated, eyes closing as she exhaled a weary sigh.

I flicked the safety back on and lowered my weapon. I grasped her wrist and pulled her toward Elif, who embraced her protectively.

Gelb rushed to his wife, who is now weeping uncontrollably. I turned to Grigori, standing motionless behind his desk. He gave a stiff nod.

I faced the couple again.

“You will never see my sons again. You will never set foot in our homes. You will never have a hand in any of our businesses,” I said coldly, shoving my trembling hands into my pockets.

Gelb opened his mouth, ready to argue, but I cut him off.

“And Nina stays here. If you ever lay a hand on her again, I swear it will be the last thing you do, now get out.”

I turned my back to them as Sasha and Roman moved in to escort them, their protests echoing through the hallway.

I gathered Selina into my arms.