Page 25

ANISSA

I wake up, and even though he told me he wouldn’t be here, I still feel for him.

I like the reassuring weight of him next to me in bed.

I don’t know where he’s gone; all I know is that he asked me to trust him.

So I push myself up, blanket sliding off my shoulders, scanning the room…

And that’s when I see it. A small, pale-blue crystal sitting on the nightstand. It’s smooth, set carefully next to a scrap of paper. I unfold the note.

Supposedly this one wards off nightmares or bad vibes or whatever the fuck. The internet said it was calming. Don’t laugh. It’s pretty, like you.

My phone buzzes with a text, and my heart thumps in my chest. Oh my god, I’ve got it bad. I think I might love the man.

Love . Well, fucking hell.

I really do think I love him.

But when I look at my phone, there’s nothing from Matvei. Just Polina.

Polina

Hey, just checking in. How are you feeling today?

I smile and text her back.

Much better, thanks.

Polina

Oh good. I know that Matvei is out today, and I also know that he’s put heavy security at the gates for you. Didn’t want to wake you, but he was chatting with Rafail early this morning.

Maybe Anya and I can come by later tonight? After we’re done with errands with Stefan, we’ll bring food from her bakery.

Wait. What?

Anya has a bakery?

Polina

Anya just happens to own the most delicious bakery this side of Moscow.

Oh my god, I love that. Wait—does she really? Does she have sharlotka cake?

My mouth is already watering at the thought of the layers of flaky pastry and apples.

Polina

It’s her specialty, and those are my number one favorite.

Me too.

Polina

Maybe that weird stuff they say about twins being separated is actually true.

Polina

Maybe it is. And… Do you also drink ice-cold diet soda for breakfast?

Nope. I’m a coffee girl.

Polina

Ugh, betrayal.

Minutes pass, no message. Am I being too weird, too forward, too?—

Sorry, Rafail was talking to me, and he gets really impatient.

You don’t say.

Polina

Stay busy and try to get some movement in—it’ll help with the whole recovery thing. We’ll be by later this afternoon

Okay, sounds good.

Matvei has a home gym, of course, fully decked out. I get a good sweat on, and damn, it does feel good. I walk on the treadmill and do some body-weight movements, nothing too intense.

And yet, as I move about his house, making food, doing laundry, something feels off. I know I have to trust him, and I do… to an extent. But I have the nagging feeling that his mission today had something to do with what I told him.

I know that he’s got an intense job description, so it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that he’s doing anything from going to pick up more ammo, overseeing a gun trade, or kicking the teeth in of someone who betrayed them. I have no idea what the fuck he’s doing, but I can’t shake this eerie feeling. Something isn’t right.

My phone buzzes with a text, and I look to see if it’s Matvei or Polina, but instead, it’s an unknown number. I stare at the screen, and before I click the button, I look out the window just to remind myself that there are armed guards at every entrance of this place.

Why do I feel… scared? I’m not usually afraid, but I am now. It feels like the stakes are higher. For the first time in my life, I don’t want to run. I don’t want to leave. I found a home, a place where I want to be.

I click, surprised to see it’s actually… Cillian O’Rourke.

Cillian

You need to leave, Anissa. Now. You’re in danger.

I hesitate. What ? He doesn’t send warnings without reason.

Who? What are you talking about? Is it Interpol?

Cillina

No, thought it was, but they’ve got bigger fish to fry. Looks like it’s someone within

What the fuck is he talking about? The Irish aren’t the ones coming for me, the law isn’t?—

Cillian

You need to leave

I check my surroundings again. Matvei isn’t here, and I know he’s getting revenge. For me. He doesn’t need me to approve it; he’s doing it because that’s who he is.

I dial his number, and to my surprise, he answers right away. He’s breathing heavily into the phone.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but I got—I got a text from O’Rourke," I tell him.

"What’s he saying?" He grunts into the phone.

"He told me that I’m in trouble and that I have to run. He says there’s someone in the family, Matvei."

"That’s impossible. Fucking O’Rourke. We’ve all taken oaths to each other. It couldn’t be. Stay there. I’m coming back for you soon."

"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling strangely uneasy.

"I’m sure. I want you to go to our bedroom and lock it from the inside. Do you understand me?"

I nod, even though he can’t see me. "Yeah. You said you have guards here, that it’s safe."

"It is. My house is a fortress. But I want to be able to find you right away when I get back, alright?"

"Okay."

Matvei exhales sharply. "Stay strong, love.."

My heart thumps in my chest.

I want to tell him I love him. I want to tell him that I will be here when he comes back, but the urge to run is so damn strong…

I pace his room and try to occupy myself. His tablet. I’ll work on the disguise that I promised I’d get Rafail. I grab the tablet to work on it when I remember—I never finished watching that video of him with his brother.

Do I really need to see that?

I know he was the one who took his brother’s life in the end, that he was forced to. I know all that, but I wonder now… Why do I have to watch it? Why can’t I get it out of my mind?

I need to know. I need to know what forged him into the man he is today.

Now is as good a time as any. He’s not here.

So I climb into the bed with my back against the wall. I turn on the tablet, my hands shaking. I hit play and fast-forward halfway to where I left off before.

My hands are clammy. I feel nauseous. I don’t want to see this; I really don’t.

But I have to look at the raw brutality that knit the fabric of the man I love.

So, with all the strength I have, I hit the arrow to make it play.

Just as before, it’s dark and hard to see.

Matvei is asking questions now, pacing, and I’ve never seen him look like this before. He’s sweating bullets, his hands in his hair, he curses, and he?—

Oh my god.

This is going to kill me.

I can't. I can't look away.

Matvei’s crying. My heart feels as if it’s breaking into tiny pieces to see my big, strong bear of a man with tears streaming down his face.

"How could you do this?" he says, his voice shaking. "How could you? You took vows. I did everything I could to teach you to be loyal to our family."

His brother looks him in the eye and says something strange—something almost unthinkable.

"I was loyal to our family, Matvei."

That’s enough for him.

Rafail’s voice snaps like a whip. "You took the vow of Vorovskoy Mir . And it's your brother’s duty to do what has to happen next." He jerks his head to Matvei.

A click of a gun.

"Please." Gleb’s voice shakes. "Don't—I promise. I’ll never do it again. Don't, Matvei. I love you. Matvei, I’m your brother?—"

Bang.

The boom echoes through the cold room, and his body slumps in the chains.

I’m crying freely now, swiping at my eyes, but it’s useless. The betrayal digs deep into my soul, carving something jagged inside me. Matvei falls to his knees in front of his brother’s lifeless form, cradling him in his arms—the very brother he just killed.

He'll never forgive himself for this.

And I am broken.

Sobbing harder than I have ever cried in my entire life.

It wasn’t until I saw him fall to his knees, rocking his brother’s body to his chest, that I knew.

I know.

I love him.

Matvei is shattered—broken like me. And somehow… somehow, he’s still standing, still breathing, still bearing the weight of it all. And now, I understand why he’s so fiercely loyal. He’s told me, but there's something about witnessing the way he holds his brother, the way his hands tremble as he presses his forehead to the bloodied skin.

I’m sobbing so hard I almost don’t see Rafail behind him. The video continues. Rafail places a firm hand on Matvei’s shoulder.

"I’m so sorry, brother," Rafail whispers, voice rough, broken.

They’re both crying.

Oh my god, this is the worst day of my life.

I go to shut it off but see the video isn’t done yet. I sniff, watching, unable to look away.

Matvei’s face is pale, his shoulders slumped. Rafail falls to his knees beside him, and I force myself to understand. To truly know what he has lived through, what he has done. The weight of it settles over me like chains.

The video fades, but then I hear Rafail’s voice, steady.

"You know the law," he says like it’s gospel. "You took the life of a brother out of duty. A family member. The blood debt must be balanced.”

The blood debt.

Matvei doesn’t flinch or look away but lifts his head, his voice quiet but firm. Reciting the words like a vow.

“A life taken, a life given. I took blood from the family. Now I give it back.”

A pause. A breath.

“It is my duty to bring new life into this world.”

Rafail nods once. Solemn. And just like that, the sentence is passed.

A shiver of cold fear traces down my spine.

No.

No.

I stare at the screen, the words echoing in my skull.

The blood debt must be balanced.

This isn’t about revenge.

This isn’t just about ownership.

This is about legacy.

This is about continuation.

I am his future.

And I can’t bear children.

* * *