Chapter 43
POV Samuel
I hold Tatyana’s body tightly in my arms.
"This can’t be happening! Tatyana, my love, come back to me… don’t leave me like this!" I pull her body away from mine and desperately examine her face.
Her expression is serene, as if there’s still life within her and she’s merely in a deep sleep.
"Tatyana, wake up, my love, please…" I kiss her lips in despair, tasting the salty tears that refuse to stop falling.
I place my hand on her face and notice how thin and frail she has become.
"That monster… I wanted to kill him with my own hands. Get the defibrillator, quickly." John looks at me, shocked.
Iurih rushes to grab the device but abruptly stops when he sees the syringe and vials Dr. Zima used on Tatyana. He reads the labels, while Luara expresses her satisfaction at seeing Tatyana lifeless in my arms.
"She’s dead! He injected her with that to kill her," Luara exclaims, laughing wickedly.
"This is an anesthetic, and apparently, when combined with another medication, it causes respiratory depression and slows the heartbeat," Iurih explains.
"What? He tricked me!" Luara screams furiously.
"Not this time, sis. You’re screwed!" Iurih taunts.
My heart beats with relief, and I kiss Tatyana’s face, feeling a massive wave of solace. I hear a baby cry, and everything else seems to shrink in significance compared to what I feel.
"It’s my baby’s cry." I freeze for a moment before carefully laying Tatyana on the bed and moving toward the baskets.
I’m overwhelmed by a happiness I’ve never known. I’m startled when I see three babies, and my heart pounds uncontrollably in my chest.
"Three babies? What happened here?" I pick each one up, cradling all three carefully in my arms.
They coo softly, and I realize that not only did Tatyana teach me how to love, but she also made me a father, and that is priceless. One of the babies starts crying. I see the name on his basket: Magno Colt. I hold him close to my chest, inhaling his sweet scent.
***
"Daddy will never let anything bad happen to you!" I watch the bright eyes of my children, all of them bearing features that remind me of my storm.
I never thought I could love, to be overwhelmed by such an intense and disproportionate feeling. No matter what choices Tatyana makes, all I want is to see her happy, alive, and healthy. I look at her body lying on the bed, and a fire burns fiercely within me. "I love you, and I promise I will never hurt you again," I think.
"I’m going to take her to the car," I announce, picking up her fragile body in my arms.
"I’ll help Samuel with the babies," Iurih says as John drags Luara.
After placing the babies and Tatyana in the vehicle, I return to the bunker alone. I need to see Pavel, that monster I once called father.
I approach his body, sprawled on the cold floor, drenched in blood. To my surprise, he is still silently writhing, choking on his own blood as he tries to speak.
I walk to the surgical table and grab a scalpel. Squatting beside him, I open his shirt, exposing his chest.
"I told you I would kill you. Today, with your death, I lose a great part of the darkness you brought into my life. I hope you suffer in hell and pay for your sins. I won’t give you a quick death; you deserve to suffer for everything you did to my mother and Tatyana."
I plunge the scalpel into his abdomen, along the linea alba, and cruelly begin to cut, exposing his internal organs. His body convulses uncontrollably from the excruciating pain, and his eyes plead for me to end his suffering. I leave his body open, watching as the pain slowly consumes his life. After long minutes of lamentation and begging, Pavel Colt’s monstrous existence ends.
With his death, I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders. For the first time, no one will dare to challenge me. To everyone else, Luara killed him—after all, he would have died slowly anyway. I simply added a bit more pain. A Colt cannot kill another Colt, and by keeping it this way, she will be judged and sentenced to death by the Brotherhood.
I rise from the cold floor, wash my hands, and head to the car to leave for the mansion. As soon as I step inside, I realize I have entered a new life. My mother rushes toward me, her eyes brimming with tears, waiting for the confirmation she has longed to hear.
"Pavel Colt is dead. Luara is being arrested and will be judged by the Brotherhood," I say. She cries in relief, and everything seems to fall into place, making me believe in a loyal and different future.
My mother recovers, showing her strength through a smile, and helps with my children. The moment she sees them, she is completely overwhelmed.
"My God, there are so many! They’re beautiful, son! They’re perfect! I’ll give them milk; they must be starting to get hungry."
I hand them to her with a heavy heart, as all I want is to hold them myself. Anna is radiant, lovingly taking one at a time, while I head to the car to retrieve Tatyana.
Carefully, I cradle her body in my arms. I climb the stairs, and upon reaching the bedroom, I gently lay her on the bed. I grab blankets, change her bloodstained clothes, and cover her, protecting her frail and weakened body. My chest tightens with anguish at seeing her so hurt. Tenderly, I hold her small hand and press it to my lips, leaving a loving kiss. I adjust her position and then bring the babies to place them by her side. I want them to feel their mother, to know she is here.
I call the doctor, and after the call ends, I admire my storm with her little thunderbolts nestled against her. I feel fortunate and happy. I lie down beside them, breathing more easily knowing I can now protect them. I snuggle next to Tatyana, positioning the babies with us. Shortly after, they fall asleep.
I spend what feels like hours gazing at her face, eagerly waiting for her blue eyes to open. I press a gentle kiss to her lips and softly whisper in her ear:
"I love you, Tatyana. No matter what the future holds, I will always love you." Without realizing it, I fall into a deep sleep, feeling assured that Tatyana is now safe by my side and that no one will ever take her away from me.