Chapter 69 Chapter 69
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Irina's POV
I was taken to Dimitri's estate immediately after Mikhail rescued me.
The car ride felt endless. My mind raced with worry.
Where was Dimitri? Was he safe? What had Alexei done to him?
My hands were shaking in my lap. I could not stop them from trembling.
Every bump in the road made my heart jump. Every turn made me anxious.
I kept replaying everything that had happened. The wedding. Alexei's face. The threats.
The fear was overwhelming. It had consumed me completely.
When we arrived, guards helped me out of the car gently.
Their hands were careful. Their voices were soft and reassuring.
"Do not worry, miss," one guard said kindly. "Boss will come to meet you soon."
I nodded but I could not speak. My throat was too tight with emotion.
They led me inside. Through the grand entrance and up the stairs into Dmitri's room.
The room where we were supposed to spend our wedding night together.
Servants came immediately. They brought new clothes for me.
Clean and comfortable. Soft cotton that felt gentle against my skin.
Not the blood-stained wedding dress that I never wanted to see again.
They helped me change. Their hands were gentle and kind.
They helped me wash the blood from my face and hands.
The water turned pink as it ran down the drain.
I watched it swirl away. Wishing my memories from tonight could disappear as easily.
Then they brought food. A full meal with soup and bread and meat.
It looked delicious. The smell was wonderful. But I could not eat.
My stomach was in knots. Twisted with anxiety and fear.
Every time I tried to take a bite, I felt sick.
I just sat on the bed. Waiting and watching the door.
My eyes were fixed on that door, wishing for it to open.
Wishing for Dimitri to walk through safely and alive.
Hours passed. Long, agonizing hours.
The sun began to set and the room grew darker.
Shadows stretched across the floor. The light faded slowly.
Still Dimitri didn't show up. No one came to meet me about anything.
Where was he? What was happening?
Fear grew inside me. It spread through my chest like ice.
What if something went wrong? What if Mikhail's team did not find him in time?
What if Alexei had killed him? What if I would never see him again?
Tears started falling down my face. I could not hold them back anymore.
I wrapped my arms around myself. Trying to hold myself together.
The waiting was torture. Not knowing. Jot having answers. Just sitting here in silence was worse than anything else.
I prayed. To God, to anyone who would listen.
Please let him be okay. Please bring him back to me.
I touched my belly gently. The small bump where my baby grew.
Alexei's baby. But now Dimitri wanted it anyway.
He said he wanted me and the baby both. He did not care whose blood ran in the child's veins.
That made me love him even more. Made me need him even more.
Please come back to me, I whispered into the empty room.
Then finally, late that evening, the door opened.
I jumped to my feet immediately. My heart leaped into my throat.
Dimitri walked in. But he looked different.
His shirt was stained with blood. Dark red splatters covered the white fabric.
His knuckles were busted. Bruised and bleeding.
His expression was dark and dangerous. His eyes were cold.
I became very scared and pregnant rrified. Was he injured?
Had Alexei hurt him? Was that his blood on his shirt?
"Dimitri," I whispered. "Are you hurt?"
My voice was small and frightened, barely more than a whisper.
He looked at me and his expression softened slightly.
The coldness in his eyes melted away replaced by warmth and relief.
"It is not my own blood," he whispered.
Those words should have scared me. They should have made me question what he had done.
But they did not. I felt only relief and gratitude.
Then he crossed the room quickly. His steps were urgent.
He pulled me into his arms and wrapped them around me tightly.
His embrace was tight and desperate. Like he was afraid I would disappear.
Like if he let go, I would vanish into thin air.
"I thought I had lost you," he said. His voice cracked with emotion.
I could hear the pain in his words. .
I leaned into him and pressed my ear against his chest.
I could hear his heartbeat. It was fast and erratic.
He had also been terrified. Just like me.
We had both thought we would lose each other.
My arms wrapped around him. I held him just as tightly as he held me.
I wanted to comfort him. To let him know I was here. I was real and safe.
"I am here," I whispered. "I am safe."
We stood there in silence. Just holding each other.
His hands rubbed my back gently, drawing soothing circles that calmed me.
My fingers gripped his shirt. Holding on like he was my anchor.
I wondered what he had done to Alexei. What had happened within those few hours.
But I did not ask. I feared his response.
The blood on his shirt. The darkness in his eyes.
The busted knuckles that showed he had hit someone hard and repeatedly.
I knew Alexei had suffered. And part of me was glad.
Part of me was happy that he had paid for what he did.
For terrorizing me. For hurting Dimitri. For ruining our wedding day.
We stayed like that for minutes. Wrapped in each other's embrace.
The world outside this room did not matter. Nothing mattered to us but this moment.
Just me and him. Together. Alive and safe.
Then suddenly the door flung open violently.
The sound was loud and startling. Breaking the peaceful silence.
We both jumped and turned to look.
A guard rushed in.
His face was pale. Fear was evident in his expression.
His eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy like he had been running.
"Sir... Sir," he stammered.
His voice was shaking.
Whatever news he had cannot be good.
"Talk!" Dimitri interrupted him. His voice was sharp and commanding.
The guard swallowed hard. His hands trembled at his sides.
He looked between me and Dimitri. Uncertain and afraid.
"Sir Alexei is dead.”