Chapter 82 Epilogue
Chapter 82 Epilogue
Maria’s POV
A year and a half has gone by since the night Aleksander rescued me from that warehouse where Viktor had stashed me away.
What was supposed to be a simple day trip to the bakery turned into a nightmare. Physically and mentally abused by Viktor left me scarred in ways I still don't speak of.
The weeks following the rescue, much to Henry and my surprise, were spent together in the same room sleeping on matching Twin beds with twenty-four-hour nursing at our every beck and call. By the end of the second week, we were already at our wits' end, not only with this situation but with each other.
Henry was my best friend and bodyguard, but damn, there was only so much time a girl could spend with someone.
Aleksander was a changed man, well, at least for me he was. For everyone else, he was still the ruthless Volkov Pakhan who ruled the Southern regions of America with an iron fist. No longer did I have to worry about where I stood in his heart or whether or not he'd hide things from me. His feelings were always known to me, whether on a personal or professional level.
Dimitri had decided to stay in Moscow, escaping the stifling heat of Georgia for Russia's milder summers and freezing winters. Regardless of whether Maxim would ever admit it, he was getting older and could use Dimitri’s help.
He still came to visit every few months; his excuse was that someone had to get on Aleksander’s nerves. As if he thought Henry and I weren't doing a good enough job.
Six months after the kidnapping incident, Aleksander proposed to me. It was a beautiful proposal that he had planned meticulously while we were away on vacation at the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama. One evening, while walking on the beach watching the sunset, he had stopped, kneeling down on one knee: “Maria, please do me the honor and be my wife!” he exclaimed. Squealing and, of course, saying “Yes,” he slid a ten-carat diamond ring onto my finger. The band of the ring was platinum, completely covered in small diamonds that wrapped around it. It was and still is the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.
Another six months went by in the blink of an eye as I spent every day planning the most elaborate wedding of my dreams. At one point, I even had Henry helping, because if he was going to be following me around, he might as well help.
We initially wanted to have the wedding in the South, preferably Atlanta. But after seeing St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Manhattan, New York City, I knew this was the place.
A thousand people attended our wedding, including dignitaries, fellow Bratva members, his family and friends, and extended family and friends I still had. Everyone was flown in and housed at the Ritz-Carlton.
It was the wedding every little girl could ever dream of.
We left for our honeymoon for a week, spending it on a cruise around Alaska. An item on my bucket list that I had always wanted to do.
He doted on me as if he feared that, if he closed his eyes, I might disappear.
Then six months went by, and I’m sitting in the bathroom with tears coming down my face. In my hands was a pregnancy test that read “PREGNANT”; there was no possibility that this could be a false positive, as six more used tests lay in the trash can next to the toilet. I thought I was too old to become pregnant, that I'd never get to be a mom, but here I was, the normalcy of my life again changing and throwing me into a whirlwind.
Moving into our room, I sat on the edge of the bed with the phone in one hand and the test in the other. I knew he was downstairs, so I sent him a text asking him to come to our room because it was important. He never said “No” to me.
Within a few minutes, the door opened, and he strode in, taking one look at me, he rushed to my side, grasping my face as if examining for any injury to explain my bloodshot eyes.
“I’m fine, I promise Alek. Sit down.” I said, pointing to the spot next to me.
Sitting down, he takes my hand into his, “What's wrong, my love?”
“Well, I have some news for you. And I’m not sure exactly how you'll react.”
“Just tell me.
Standing up, I began to pace for a few seconds, then I came to my senses and looked at him and just blurted it out, “I’m Pregnant!”
He was stunned, speechless even.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious. See for yourself,” I say as I grab the test from the bedside table where I had stashed it.
Looking at him, his face went from pure shock to that of a man who had just won the Powerball.
“I’m going to be a dad!!!!” he screamed, starting to jump for joy.
“You just made me the happiest man alive, Maria,” and he kissed me, deep, long, and passionate.
That was the moment that I knew every hardship I ever endured was worth it, to be wrapped in this man’s arms.
AUTHOR NOTE: THANK YOU FOR READING, AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED MARIA’S AND ALEKSANDER’S JOURNEY.