Chapter 133 Chapter 133
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three
Irina's POV
I watched in horror as Alexei fell. My hands covered my mouth. This could not be happening.
Dimitri stood frozen, holding Nikolai. His face was pale and his eyes were wide with shock.
"No," he whispered. "No, no, no."
He handed Nikolai to Viktor and ran to the edge of the roof. He looked down.
I followed him, my legs shaking. We both looked over the edge but it was too dark to see anything.
"Alexei!" Dimitri shouted into the darkness. No response. Just silence.
Dimitri turned to Lucia. His face twisted with rage. "You killed him," he said. "You killed my brother."
Lucia smiled. "No," she said. "You killed him. You made the choice."
"I saved my son!" Dimitri roared.
"And let your brother die," Lucia replied. "Just like I said you would. You choose love over family every single time."
Dimitri lunged at her but her men grabbed him and held him back.
"Let me go!" he screamed. "Let me go!"
"You should thank me," Lucia said calmly. "I showed you the truth."
"You are a monster," Dimitri spat.
"I am a teacher," Lucia corrected. "And you just learned a very important lesson."
She walked to the edge and looked down where Alexei had fallen. "Goodbye, my boy," she whispered. "I am sorry it had to end this way."
Then she turned back to Dimitri. "Take your family and go. Live your life. But remember this moment. Remember what your choices cost you."
"I will kill you," Dimitri said quietly. "I will hunt you down."
"Perhaps," Lucia replied. "But for now, you have more important things to worry about."
She nodded to her men. They released Dimitri. And then they were gone, disappearing into the building and leaving us alone on the roof.
Dimitri collapsed to his knees. "I killed him," he sobbed. "I killed my own brother."
I ran to him and held him. "You saved our son. You had to choose."
"I should have saved them both," Dimitri said. "I should have found a way."
"There was no way," I replied. "Lucia made sure of that."
Viktor came over with Nikolai. He handed him to me. Our son was crying now, scared and confused. I held him close.
"We need to check if Alexei is alive," Viktor said quietly. "We need to get down there."
Dimitri nodded and stood up. His face was empty and hollow.
We ran down the stairs and out of the building. We went to where Alexei should have fallen.
But when we got there, we found something unexpected. There was no body. Just an airbag. It was deflated now but clearly used recently.
"What..." Dimitri started.
Then we heard clapping. Slow, mocking clapping.
We turned.
And there was Alexei. Standing in the shadows. Alive and perfectly fine.
"Surprise," he said.
Dimitri stared at him in disbelief. "You are alive," he whispered.
"Of course I am alive," Alexei replied. "Did you really think Lucia would kill me? Her precious boy?"
"But you fell..." I said.
"Onto an airbag," Alexei finished. "Carefully placed and carefully planned. All part of the show."
"What show?" Dimitri demanded.
Alexei walked closer. His face was cold. "The show where I find out the truth," he said. "Where I see that you would choose her over me."
"This was a test?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes," Alexei replied. "And you failed."
"I saved my son!" Dimitri shouted.
"You let me die," Alexei said. "You made your choice, brother. And now I know where I stand."
"Alexei, please," Dimitri said. "You have to understand..."
"I understand perfectly," Alexei interrupted. "Family means nothing to you. I mean nothing to you."
"That is not true," Dimitri said desperately.
"Is it not?" Alexei asked. "Then why did you choose Nikolai over me?"
"Because he is a baby! Because he is innocent! Because he has his whole life ahead of him!"
"And I do not?" Alexei asked quietly.
Dimitri stopped. He realized what he had said.
"That is not what I meant," he said.
"But it is what you think," Alexei replied. "You think I am already lost and not worth saving."
"No," Dimitri said. "I think you are my brother and I love you. But when Lucia made me choose between a baby and a grown man, I chose the baby. Anyone would."
"Anyone except me," Alexei said.
He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Dimitri.
"Alexei, no!" I screamed.
"Shut up," Alexei said. "This does not concern you."
"Please," I begged. "Do not do this."
"Why not?" Alexei asked. "He would let me die for you. So why should I let him live?"
"Because he is your brother," I said. "Because deep down, you love him too."
"Love," Alexei spat. "Love is what got us into this mess."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Dimitri did not move. He did not try to run. He just stood there and waited.
"Do it," Dimitri said quietly. "If that is what you want, do it. But know that I never stopped loving you."
Alexei's hand shook. "Liar," he whispered.
"I love you," Dimitri repeated. "You are my brother and nothing will ever change that."
Tears streamed down Alexei's face. "Then why did you choose her?" he asked, his voice breaking.
"Because in that moment, I had to save a child," Dimitri said. "But if it had been just you and Irina, I do not know what I would have chosen."
Alexei lowered the gun slightly. "You really mean that?" he asked.
"Yes," Dimitri said. "I love you both. And I hate that Lucia made me choose. I hate that she turned you against me. But I will never stop being your brother."
Alexei stood there for a long moment. The gun wavered. Then he lowered it completely.
"I hate you," he said.
"I know," Dimitri replied.
"I hate that you chose her," Alexei continued.
"I know," Dimitri said again.
"But I hate Lucia more," Alexei finished. "For making you choose and for using my pain against you."
He dropped the gun. "We need to stop her. Together. Like brothers should."
Dimitri walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. "Together," he agreed.
Alexei hesitated. Then he hugged him back.
"I am still angry," he said.
"I know," Dimitri replied.
"And I still do not forgive you," Alexei added.
"I know," Dimitri said.
"But you are my brother," Alexei finished. "And I cannot let Lucia win."
They pulled apart. And for the first time in months, I saw them look at each other without hatred. It was not forgiveness and it was not peace. But it was a start.
"Where is Lucia now?" Dimitri asked.
"Gone," Alexei said. "She left the moment you came down. Said her work here was done."
"We will find her," Dimitri said.
"Will we?" Alexei asked. "Or will you let her go? Choose to focus on your family instead?"
Dimitri looked at me and at Nikolai and then back at Alexei. "We find her together," he said. "All of us. As a family."
Alexei smiled bitterly. "Family," he repeated. "We will see."
But despite his words and despite his anger, he did not leave. He stayed.
And as we walked back to the vehicles, I realized some
thing. Lucia had failed. She wanted to destroy the Volkov family. She wanted to tear them apart forever.
But instead, she had given them something to unite against. A common enemy and a shared purpose. And maybe a path back to each other.
The road would not be easy. There was still so much pain and anger and so much to forgive.
But for the first time since this nightmare began, I had hope. Hope that we could survive this. Hope that our family could heal. And hope that Lucia would pay for what she had done.