Chapter 103 WE’RE A TEAM AGAIN

Chapter 103 WE’RE A TEAM AGAIN

••Luciana••

He didn't look at me at first. He kept his eyes fixed on the black marble of Andrian’s headstone, his posture rigid, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his overcoat. He had wiped the tears away, but the tracks they left were burned into my mind.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

The question wasn't a greeting; it was a demand. I stood a few feet away, feeling the heavy hum of the vodka still in my system, though the shock of seeing him had sobered me faster than any cold water could.

“I came to see him, too,” I whispered.

I hadn't expected him to be here. I hadn't expected to see the "Silent prince" of the Orlov family weeping in the dark. 

It was a reminder that behind the fortress of power and the blood-stained reputation, Roman was a man who had lost his brother, the same brother I had accused him of murdering. The guilt doubled its weight in my chest.

Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable. He finally turned his head, his gaze sweeping over my disheveled state, my pale face, my red-rimmed eyes, and the faint, lingering scent of the bar that I couldn't hide.

“Who allowed you out this late?” he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. The hardness in his voice flickered, replaced for a split second by a sharp, instinctive worry.

“You know when my mind is made up, no one can stop me,” I said, attempting a small, weak smirk. I wanted to reach him, to find a spark of the fire we used to have.

Roman didn't smile back. He looked away, his jaw tightening. “You can have your time with him. I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ll be waiting outside.”

He began to walk past me, the brush of his coat against my arm feeling like an electric shock.

“Wait!” I called out. He halted, his back to me, but he didn't turn around. “I don’t even have the right to talk to Rian without getting your forgiveness first. I can't look at his face knowing I betrayed the brother he loved.”

Roman let out a short, hollow breath. “Oh, really? But you still came anyway. You always do what you want, Luciana. Whether it’s hunting for ghosts or breaking into my life.”

I couldn't let him walk away again. If he got into that car, the wall would go back up, and I would be on the outside forever. 

I moved before I could talk myself out of it. I closed the gap between us and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my face into the sturdy wool of his coat.

He went stiff as a stone. I could feel the tension radiating through him, his heart thudding against his ribs.

“I’m really sorry, baby,” I choked out.

The word slipped out before I could catch it—a term of endearment I hadn't used since the early, golden days of our marriage.

“Please... please forgive me. I’m so sorry.”

The tears came again, hot and fast, soaking into his coat. I felt him tremble. For a long, agonizing minute, he didn't move. I thought he was going to pry my hands off and leave me there in the dirt.

Instead, he slowly turned around in my arms. He looked down at me, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that made me want to wither.

“Tell me something, Luciana,” he said, his voice low and ragged. “Did you really believe it? Deep in your heart, did you really think I would kill my own blood? Did you think I was so hollow that I would murder my brother just to sit on a throne or to have you?”

I shook my head violently, the sobs breaking through. “No... I was confused. I was hurt. Marco... he made it all sound so logical.”

“Did I really come off to you as someone who could do such a thing?” he pushed, his voice rising with a raw, wounded edge. “After everything I’ve done to protect you? After every time I stayed awake while you slept just to make sure you were safe?”

“No,” I whispered, clutching the lapels of his coat. “I was a fool, Roman. I let the grief blind me.”

“He was everything to me, too,” Roman said, his voice breaking as he looked back at the grave. 

“Andrian wasn't just my brother; he was the better half of this family. He was the one I was supposed to protect. And to have you, the person I trusted most, look at me and see his executioner... it broke me, Luci.”

The honesty in his voice was a blade. I sank into him, my forehead resting against his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

We stood there among the headstones, two broken people clinging to each other in the middle of a graveyard. The wind howled around us, but for the first time in weeks, the air didn't feel quite so cold.

“It’s alright, Luci,” he finally whispered. I felt his large hands come up to cup my face, his thumbs wiping away the salt of my tears. “I forgive you.”

He pulled me into a proper hug, tucking my head under his chin. I breathed him in, the scent of cedar, expensive tobacco, and home.

“That’s what that sly snake Marco wanted,”

Roman muttered into my hair. “He wanted to turn us against each other. He wanted to destroy the only thing he could never have. I hope you realize now that he will never stop trying to tear us apart.”

“Never again,” I promised, pulling back to look into his eyes. I reached up, tracing the line of his jaw. “I won't let him in again. I promise you, Roman. I miss you so much, baby.”

A small, genuine shadow of a smile finally touched his lips. “I missed you, too, Princess. The house was too quiet without your tantrums.”
He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my forehead—a seal of the peace we had just found. 

Then, he didn't let go of my hand. He entwined his fingers with mine, his grip firm and possessive, and led me back to the edge of the grave.

We stood there together, staring at Andrian’s portrait. The young man in the photo looked back at us with a knowing, mischievous glint in his eyes, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“I’m here again, brother,” Roman said, his voice steady and proud. He lifted our joined hands so they were visible in the moonlight. “But I’m not alone this time. I’m here with my wife. We're a team again.”

I looked up at Roman, my heart finally feeling like it was beating in the right rhythm. 

The road ahead was still dangerous, Marco was still out there, and the Orlov name was still a target, but as I leaned my head on Roman’s shoulder, I knew that as long as we were standing together, the ghosts of the past could no longer haunt us.

We walked out of the cemetery hand in hand, leaving the darkness behind. We had survived the secrets, and we had survived the silence.

Now, it was time to show Marco exactly what happens when you try to break an Orlov bond.