Chapter 33

POV Tatyana

I fell asleep without realizing it, and when I woke up, I stayed in bed, motionless, until someone knocked softly on the door and then entered.

"Good evening, can we go?" whispered Iurih.

"Sure, just a minute, I need to change."

"Alright, meet me at the back exit."

"Okay!" I quickly changed and quietly walked down the hallway, hearing voices coming from Samuel’s office.

It was Anna’s voice, soft and unmistakable. I shortened the distance, pressing my ear to the door just to try to understand what they were saying.

"How can you expect her to give you a baby? Son, you can’t force her to do that."

"We have an agreement, and she’s already told me she’ll honor it," Samuel emphasized.

Not even in my thoughts could I imagine fulfilling that agreement anymore. Every time my hands touch my belly, I’m overwhelmed by a genuine, incomparable love that I’m incapable of giving up.

I walked slowly down the vast, dimly lit hallways and headed to the back of the house, where Iurih was waiting, looking worried.

"Let’s go!" exclaimed Iurih, and together we left.

We moved stealthily to his car, and seconds later, we were driving through the streets of Moscow, heading toward an apartment in the city center. When he parked, he led me to the top floor. I entered the living room, which was spacious, with sophisticated furniture, white walls, and a large crystal chandelier at the center. He extended his arm, showing me the room.

"Welcome to your new home!"

"What? What do you mean?" I asked immediately, surprised.

"You don’t need to go back to the Colt mansion anymore."

Unexpectedly, a blonde woman with fair skin and a kind smile appeared and approached me, extending her hand.

"Good evening, I’m Camila Koslov, and I promise to help you."

I nodded, smiling, and Iurih explained why he was hiding me in his home.

"You said you needed a place where Samuel couldn’t find you. The only place they’d never look is in a Colt’s house. Being protected by me is the only way you won’t be found. After you have the baby, they’ll have forgotten about you, and you’ll be able to leave for another country."

"Samuel Colt will never forget he has a child, let alone that I ran away," I thought.

***

POV Samuel

I talk to my mother about Tatyana and the baby.

"Why can’t Luara have children?" she asks, confused.

"She got pregnant shortly before our wedding. Uncle Iakov asked me to kill the father of the child. His name was Robert. No one in the Brotherhood could know that his little girl got pregnant by some random guy. She agreed to have an abortion; after all, Iakov said he wouldn’t accept a grandchild with tainted blood."

"So she had an abortion?"

"She didn’t even question it. She said it was just a baby and that she could have others if she wanted. In the end, she ended up having complications and lost her uterus due to an infection."

"And why did you choose Tatyana?"

My mother shakes me with this question. I chose Tatyana because the second our eyes met, an electric wave coursed through my veins, generating a dominant and insatiable desire I had never experienced before. I take a deep breath, wanting to open up and say everything I hold in my heart, but I can’t. Noticing my hesitation, she stands beside me and takes my hand.

"I know it’s hard to forget what your father did to you for so many years, but I can assure you that loving someone will never be a weakness. Caring doesn’t make you any less strong or powerful. On the contrary, love makes you stronger and more capable of fighting! Now you have Tatyana as a surrogate, and what about after that? Will you and Luara have no other children? How will you spend the rest of your lives together?"

Her words echo inside me as if reverberating in an empty room.

I never imagined a long future with Luara in my thoughts. I know I’ll die before I grow old. Every day has become harder, especially with Russia being increasingly targeted by enemies, particularly the Chinese Mafia. I don’t like Luara, and I wish I didn’t have to look at her every day. Seeing my lack of openness, my mother decides to change the subject.

"Your Aunt Natalya, what happened to her?"

"Pavel never accepted having a sister. He used to say she was the weak part of the family. He didn’t allow her in the mansion and expelled her from the capital. Maybe now is the time for her to return."

"Yes, I believe Natalya and her daughter Gisele can come back now."

I close my eyes, feeling overwhelmed by this conversation.

"Enough. I don’t want to talk anymore today. I need to speak with Tatyana." I get up, and all I want is to hold her body in my arms, kiss her soft, fragrant skin, and rest my head beside hers on the bed. I grab the doorknob and open the door.

"If you feel something for her, you should say it before it’s too late, my son," my mother advises, saddened by my distant demeanor.

"One day, maybe. I think there are about seven and a half months left until the baby is born. I’m not sure what I feel for her."

My mind punishes me, torments me, and her image invades my thoughts. Internally, my conscience tries to warn me that I’m lying to myself.

I walk down the hallway to her room. I open the door, but my storm is not here. The room carries her sweet, irresistible scent.

"She’s probably gone out for some air, as she likes to do, and will be back soon. I’ll wait," I think.

I enter and close the door, moving toward the bed and letting my body sink onto it to rest. Her scent is even stronger, more captivating, awakening my desire to have her. I snuggle into her pillow, breathing in the floral essence of her hair, a striking fragrance. Without realizing it, I fall asleep, as if she were by my side.