36. the shadow of the past

January 1, 1993, around 3 in the morning.

Moscow, Saint Petersburg.

In the freezing night of Russia, screams echoed through a grand mansion. The pain-filled screams hitting the walls made Alessandro clench his fists. He had been confined to this room for a full eight hours. The three men who constantly watched over him were merely drinking, and they weren’t even drunk yet.

He didn't know how many hours he had been listening to Katya's screams. He had long given up counting time. He couldn't even believe that the Russian girl he had been with was now giving birth to their son alone. Learning this truth had given him a great shock. He was having a son, if he was born alive, that is.

The Ivanova family didn't even take Katya to the hospital. There wasn’t even a doctor present at the birth, just a nurse. This truth made him clench his fists even more. Suddenly, the screams abruptly stopped.

"What happened?" he asked anxiously.

One of the drinking men stood up, "Perhaps the bastard is born, or maybe both are dead," he said, laughing. Alessandro looked at the man, walked up to him in a few steps, and headbutted his nose. The man screamed, holding his nose. "If you don’t shut your mouth, you'll be my next target," Alessandro said.

"Both of you, calm down," the old man said, striking the floor with his cane.

"Calm? Take this guy out of my sight or I'll kill him. Pray, Dimitri, that nothing happens to them. Otherwise, I will turn this place into a grave for all of you."

"You talk big, De Luca. This isn't Italy; your words only matter in your country. This dump belongs to me."

"Do you really think I'm afraid of you? Why don't you try killing me, Ivanov? Let me tell you why: even you can't handle the consequences, can you?" Alessandro retorted with a mocking tone. Tension increased in the room, but suddenly, the cry of a baby pierced the silence.

"He's alive." A few moments later, a nurse entered, holding a swaddled baby.

"The lady has given birth to a boy," she announced. Alessandro quickly took the baby from the nurse. He was so tiny and still covered in blood, trying to open his eyes.

"Take your bastard and get out," Dimitri said, rising from his seat.

"I won't leave without Katya."

"Katya can never leave Russia. By eloping and bearing you a child, she has humiliated our family enough. This ends now."

"She’s your daughter, you damned man. How can you think of using her for your agendas? Let me take her and we will leave. We'll pretend she died. We'll never return to Russia. I'll marry her."

"No one from our family marries a foreigner, De Luca. You also have your own family rules, and those who break them face the consequences. By allowing the birth of the child, I already broke our rules. Now take your son and never return to Russia."

"Let her at least spend some time with our child," pleaded Alessandro.

"No! She will consider the baby dead, and you must leave. Forget about her," ordered Dimitri.

"I want to see Katya," demanded Alessandro.

"No."

"I'm not asking for your permission. If you can, stop me, but you'll have to kill me to do so." With the baby in his arms, he entered the room where Katya had given birth.

Two people were cleaning the young woman in the room. The bed was soaked in blood. Katya's skin had turned pale white, her lips dry and purplish. Tears still streamed down her face. He placed the baby on the chest of the woman lying motionless on the bed.

She was only nineteen and had become a mother. She wouldn't even get a chance to see her child.

"I'm sorry, Katya. I'm sorry I couldn’t rescue you from this hell, that I couldn't take you and our son away. But I promise you, our son will know his mother, and one day he will be back in your arms. One day, I will come for you," he said.

Taking the baby, he left the room. If Katya knew she would be faced with this reality when she called out to him and begged him, she wouldn't have come alone. Back then, he could have taken the mother of his child with him, but now he only had his son.

As soon as he landed in Russia, his phone had been confiscated.

"I have a request," he said to the old man waiting at the door.

"Speak."

"Tell her our son's name is Leonardo."

"She doesn't need to know," the old man replied, striking the floor with his cane. Although his gaze occasionally shifted to the baby, there wasn’t a hint of emotion on his wrinkled face.

"Dimitri Ivanov, I promise you, for this heartless act, you will pay. For every day my son grows up without his mother, I will make you suffer."

Dimitri was silent for a moment before he said, "Join the family, drop your surname. I'd like to have a son-in-law like you. The only condition is joining the family and staying in Russia."

"You think I'm a fool, don't you, old wolf? You don’t want me as a son-in-law; you just want the connections my surname holds. But I'm sorry, I'm taking my son and leaving, and one day I will take Katya too."

"I won't allow that, young man. If you want Katya to live, you will forget her. I don't want to kill my daughter, but I'll do it if necessary. Katya will marry the man of my choosing and continue our lineage. The baby in your arms will be believed to be dead. If you ever try to cross paths with her, you'll lose your son just like I'll lose my daughter. Remember that."

"If a single hair on Katya's head is harmed, I'll burn you alive with this house, Dimitri. Be sure we will meet again. Don't mistake me for those cowardly sons of yours who fear you."