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He studied me for a few seconds before nodding slowly, as if absorbing my words bit by bit. He cast one last glance at mefrom beneath his lashes before finally walking away to join his brother and my son.

I stood up, smoothing out my dress, carefully avoiding the gaze of the man beside me. Luckily, my sister came to my rescue, slipping her arm through mine.

“Come, there are beautiful flowers over there, just like the ones inpapà’sgarden,” she said, pulling me away, deeper into the garden—far from the man and his piercing gaze that still burned into my back.

Chapter eleven

Nikolai

Dimitri hugged Andrei one last time before joining his brother in the car.

“You’re suffocating me, Elif,” Sasha grumbled beside me as Elif tightened her arms around his waist. Despite his protests, he held her just as tightly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I’ll really suffocate you if you don’t watch how you behave with our guest, idiot,” she said, kissing his cheek before stepping back. Then she turned to me and embraced me in turn. I inhaled deeply, taking in her scent—one that always managed to soothe me.

“Sorry for putting you in uncomfortable situations, Elif,” I murmured, holding her close. She lifted her head, smiling softly as she gently caressed my cheek, just like she used to when I was younger.

“Come on, Niko. With idiots like you, I’m in for a long ride. But thankfully, I like you guys enough,” she teased.

I smiled, squeezing her hand gently, and began to step back, but she stopped me by placing a hand on my back.

“Niko, be careful with what you do. Don’t act on anything unless you’re a hundred percent sure. You Ivanov brothers don’t always realize the weight of your actions—and believe me, I know what I’m talking about,” she warned.

I grimaced at her words, knowing exactly what she was referring to—the greatest mistake Grigori had ever made. The one that had nearly cost us Elif. I didn’t even want to imagine the state we’d be in now if he hadn’t managed to fix it.

I sighed and nodded. She seemed satisfied, then walked over to Selina and Sienna, who were waiting by the entrance. I tensed slightly as I saw Grigori approach, while Sasha and Roman remained in their usual state—either arguing or caught in one of their heated discussions. It was never quite clear with Roman.

“You think they’re talking or fighting ?” Grigori asked, reaching my side.

“I’d say they’re talking. Sasha hasn’t hit him yet,” I replied with a smirk. Our younger brother had an exceptional talent for getting under Sasha’s skin.

“Niko,” Grigori began, turning to face me with his hands buried in his pockets, “I know I come off as harsh—maybe even cruel—but all I want is to protect our family, brother.”

I nodded, squeezing his shoulder. “I know, brother. But understand this—I will never let any harm come to our family. But I also won’t turn my back on a woman and her son who need help. That’s not who I am, and it’s not who you are either, Grigori.”

He held my gaze for a moment, then sighed and pulled me into a hug, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Nikolaï,” he murmured before stepping back and heading toward his family, already seated in the car.

Roman rolled down the window and leaned out, waving dramatically.

“See you later, idiots ! Try not to make more little Ivanovs while we’re gone!” the fool shouted.

Elif grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him inside while smacking him—just as the car began pulling away.

“I swear, I’ll drown him in the pool the next time I see him,” Sasha growled, glaring after the disappearing car.

“What were you two talking about ?” I asked, casting him a sideways glance.

He grimaced—never a good sign.

“I’m worried about him,” Sasha muttered, “Roman?” I asked, my concern sharpening.

Sasha exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “He’s completely obsessed with that woman, Nikolaï. No matter what he’s doing—fighting, working, even cooking—she’s always on his mind. He’s torturing himself. He just told me he dreamed of her again and that he’s thinking of going back to Iraq to find her.”

A chill ran through my veins. The thought of our little brother returning to that hell was unthinkable. We’d made the mistake of letting him go once—but that wasn’t happening again. If only we had found this woman… It wasn’t like we hadn’t tried. But all we had were dark eyes, dark hair, olive skin. That described thousands of women.

“He’s not going back there. Ever,” I growled through gritted teeth. “I’ll break his damn legs if I have to.”

Sasha nodded, equally resolute. We all carried the regret of having let him go eight years ago. We should’ve listened to Elif.