Chapter 58 Chapter 58
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Dimitri's POV
When I heard her scream, my soul left my body.
That raw desperate sound told me everything. She was hurt. She was dying. And she was gone.
I did not know where the strength came from but I pushed Mikhail away with force I did not know I had.
"Dimitri, no!" Mikhail shouted but I was already moving.
I threw open the car door and dashed out into the chaos.
Bullets were still flying, guards were already shooting at the attackers. The night was filled with smoke and noise.
But I did not care. I did not think about my safety. I only thought about getting to her.
When the attackers saw more reinforcements arriving, and saw how our guards were more than them, they fled quickly.
Their car screeched away into the darkness, leaving destruction behind them.
I did not even care about chasing them, let them run, all that mattered was Irina.
I ran to Roberto's crashed car, my heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
The vehicle was completely destroyed. The windows were shattered, doors were riddled with bullet holes, and there was blood everywhere.
My breath caught in my throat at what I saw.
A man was slumped in the driver's seat, clearly dead. His head tilted at an unnatural angle, blood covered his chest and face.
Roberto, it had to be Roberto.
But then I looked closer and saw movement in the back seat.
A woman was there, curled up in a ball, her hands over her head, trembling violently.
"Irina!" I screamed, relief flooded through me so powerfully my legs almost gave out.
She was alive, she was alive!
I yanked the back door open, the hinges protested but I pulled harder until it opened.
"Irina," I said more softly now. "Irina, it is me, you are safe now."
She did not respond, she just kept trembling, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
I reached in carefully and gently pulled her out of the car, she did not resist, she just let me.
The moment she was out, I hugged her tightly, pulling her against my chest.
She was covered in blood. Glass shards were stuck in her hair and clothes, cuts covered her face and arms.
But she was breathing, her heart was beating, she was alive.
"You are safe," I whispered into her hair. "I have got you, you are safe now."
She was still trembling in my arms, her hands clutched my shirt desperately.
She did not say anything, she just clung to me like I was the only solid thing in the world.
I could feel her heart racing against my chest. I could feel how terrified she was.
"Irina, look at me," I said gently, pulling back slightly to see her face.
But her eyes were unfocused, staring at nothing, she was in shock.
"Irina?" I said again, more urgently now.
Her eyes rolled back and suddenly her body went limp in my arms.
She had fainted.
"No, no, no," I said, panic rising. "Irina! Irina, wake up!"
Mikhail was behind me now, he looked down at his brother Roberto's body, his face was grim.
"Is she alive?" Mikhail asked.
"Yes, but she fainted," I said. "We need to get her to a doctor now!"
"Take her to the estate," Mikhail ordered. "I will handle things here."
He turned to the guards who were standing around. "Clear this scene, get Roberto's body back to Marina, tell her... tell her I am sorry."
"What about the attackers?" One guard asked.
"Find them," Mikhail said coldly. "Find out who sent them and bring me that information."
"And Alexei?" Another guard asked.
"He will be nearby somewhere,"
Mikhail said. "Find him too, search every building, every street, bring him home alive, I do not care how many men it takes."
The guards nodded and scattered immediately.
I carried Irina back to our car. She felt so light in my arms, too light, like she was made of nothing but fear and fragility.
I got into the back seat with her, holding her against me, her head rested on my shoulder.
"Drive," I told the driver. "Fast, but smooth, do not jostle her."
"Yes, boss," the driver said.
The ride back to the estate felt endless, I kept checking her pulse, kept watching her face, terrified she would stop breathing.
But she stayed alive, unconscious but alive.
When we finally reached the estate, I carried her inside quickly.
"Get doctors here now!" I shouted to the guards. "Multiple doctors! And prepare my room!"
Within minutes, three doctors arrived, they rushed upstairs to my bedroom where I had laid Irina on my bed.
I carefully placed her down on the soft mattress, she looked so small in the large bed. It seemed to have swallowed her whole.
The doctors immediately got to work, checking her vitals, examining her wounds, setting up an IV.
"How is the baby?" I asked urgently. "Is the baby alive?"
One doctor placed a device on her stomach and we all listened.
"The baby is fine," the doctor said with relief. "The heartbeat is strong, and there's no signs of distress."
I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.
"What about Irina?" I asked. "Will she be okay?"
"She is in shock," another doctor explained. "Her body shut down to protect itself. She needs rest, fluids, and time to heal."
"What about the cuts?" I asked, looking at all the glass wounds on her skin.
"Superficial mostly," the doctor said. "We will clean and bandage them, none are deep enough to need stitches."
They worked for over an hour, cleaning her wounds, bandaging her cuts, checking her vitals repeatedly.
Finally, they stepped back.
"She should wake up within a few hours." The lead doctor said. "When she does, she will be disoriented, and frightened. You have to be gentle with her."
"I will," I promised, nodding my head.
"We will leave medications here," the doctor continued. "Pain relief, antibiotics to prevent infection. Call us immediately if anything changes."
They left and I pulled a chair next to the bed.
I sat down and took Irina's hand gently. It was so small in mine.
Hours passed, and I did not move. I just sat there watching her breathe, making sure she was still alive.
Servants brought me food but I ate it there. I refused to leave her side even for a moment.
Night turned to day. The sun rose through the windows, still I sat there.
Finally, late in the afternoon, Mikhail came to my room.
"We found him," Mikhail said.
"Who?" I asked, not taking my eyes off Irina.
"Alexei," Mikhail said. "The guards found him hiding in an abandoned warehouse about two miles from where Roberto was killed."
My head snapped up. "Where is he now?"
"Downstairs," Mikhail said. "They brought him home. He tried to fight but he was alone. They overpowered him easily."
"And the attackers?" I asked.
"The Rossi family," Mikhail confirmed. "We identified the bodies of the men we killed. They were Rossi soldiers."
"Why did they attack Roberto?" I asked.
"To get to me," Mikhail said heavily. "Roberto was my brother, they killed him to send me a message."
I looked back at Irina. She looked peaceful and innocent while sleeping.
"I am going to talk to Alexei," I said, standing up.
"Are you sure?" Mikhail asked. "You do not remember him, seeing him might..."
"I do not care," I said. "He did this. All of this is his fault. I need to face him."
Mikhail nodded. "He is in the main hall. The guards are watching him."
I walked downstairs slowly, my hands were clenched into fists, rage was building in my chest.
When I entered the hall, I saw him.
Alexei, my twin brother, kneeling on the floor with his hands chained behind his back. Guards
were surrounding him like a criminal.
He looked terrible, dirty, injured, and exhausted.
But his eyes, those green eyes that were supposedly just like mine, were filled with defiance.
He looked up as I approached and for a moment, shock crossed his face.
"Dimitri?" He whispered. "You are alive."
I did not answer. I just walked up to him.
And the first thing I did was throw a slap across his face, hard enough that his head snapped to the side.