Chapter 77

ANASTASIA’S POV

I zipped up my suitcase and leaned against it, pressing my palm against my forehead for the third time this morning. The fever I woke up with had dulled, but I was still feeling the fatigue in my bones.

Nolan walked in with a towel slung over his shoulder, eyes dropping to where I sat at the edge of the bed zipping up my suitcase. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, coming to crouch in front of me, lifting his hand to check my forehead.

I brushed him off gently. “I’m fine, really. The fever's gone.

He frowned. “You sure?”

“I’m sure, Nolan,” I said, giving him a small smile. “I swear the temperature’s gone.”

He gave me a long, assessing look before standing. “Okay… but I’m keeping an eye on you.”

He didn’t look convinced but didn’t argue. Instead, he crouched to grab the handle of my suitcase, zipped it up completely, and rolled it beside his. 

As I stood and adjusted the strap on my purse, he watched me quietly. I felt the weight of his gaze and glanced up.

“What?” I asked softly.

“You just… you don’t have to do this, you know.”

“Do what?”

“Pretend you’re fine when you’re clearly not. If this weekend feels like too much, we can stay home. We can reschedule. I’d rather have you healthy than push through something for the sake of appearances.”

I exhaled. “It’s not about appearances. It’s about us. We haven’t had a real moment together in weeks. You’ve been buried in meetings. I’ve been... buried in everything else. I want this. I need this. Just you and me, no interruptions.”

He stepped closer, gently cradling my face. “Then let’s make a promise.”

I raised a brow. “A promise?”

“Yeah,” he said. “This weekend, we put everything else aside. No work, no drama, no mafia bullshit. Just us. Even if it’s only for two days.”

I gave a small nod. “I promise.”

“Good.” He kissed my forehead. “Now let’s get out of here before I change my mind and keep you in bed all day.”

I laughed weakly, and he grabbed both our suitcases.

I followed him out of the house, squinting slightly against the morning sun. Ivan had parked the car at the curb waiting for us. His eyes met mine briefly, and I looked away quickly, holding onto Nolan’s arm instead.

Today wasn’t about Ivan.

Today was about fixing things.

“Let’s make this weekend count,” I whispered as we walked toward the car.

Nolan smiled, squeezing my hand. “We will. Just you and me. No distractions.” he said, kissing my forehead softly. 

We settled into the backseat as Ivan loaded the cars into the trunk. I leaned on Nolan’s shoulder as Ivan started the car and drove off. 

Nolan leaned closer, his voice a murmur in my ear. “You’re gonna love this place. Private beach. Room with a view. Room service with a ridiculous wine list…”

I smiled and leaned into him. “Sounds perfect.”

“Also…” he paused, fingers gently stroking my hand. “I was thinking. Maybe after this weekend, we can start looking at some properties. Somewhere away from the city. Just ours. I don’t know… maybe I’m getting soft, but I want us to have our own perfect bubble.”

I let out a soft laugh. “You mean you want us to buy a house?”

“Yeah. A home. For us. For when things get too crazy here. Maybe even…” he paused, chuckling nervously, “I don’t know, a place where we could actually raise a kid when things are calm for us.”

I blinked, stunned. We hadn’t talked about kids or the future like that.

“You’ve really been thinking about this, huh?” I asked.

He nodded. “Every day since the night I thought I might lose you.”

I swallowed hard. “You never mentioned—”

“I didn’t want to scare you. Or rush you. But I already planned to bring it up this weekend.”

“Nolan, I’m not sure when I’ll be ready for this 'kids thing' you're talking about.” 

Before he could continue talking, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned. “It’s Dimitri.”

He answered. “Yeah?”

“What do you mean you need me at the warehouse?” Nolan asked, frowning. “I don’t have the time, I’m traveling with my wife.”

I turned to him. “Everything okay?”

Instead of answering me, Nolan hit the speaker button. “Dimitri, you’re on speaker. Tell her yourself.”

“Ouu, tight spot man, not fair," Dimitri's voice came from the other end of the call.

“Hello Dimitri,” I said.

Dimitri’s voice crackled. “Anna, I need to borrow your husband for just a little while. I swear ten minutes tops. Something came up.”

I looked at Nolan who looked uninterested, and back at the phone. “I guess we can spare a few minutes. It’s a private charter anyway.” I said with a shrug.

“Perfect. Thanks!” Dimitri added quickly, then hung up.

Nolan let out a sigh. “Ivan, change of plans. Head to the warehouse.”

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We arrived at the warehouse fifteen minutes later. Nolan stepped out first, then circled to open my door, holding out his hand. I took his outstretched hand and stepped out of the car.

Dimitri was already waiting outside the entrance. 

“This better be worth the detour,” I said, squinting at him.

"Good to see you too, Anna," he winked, then turned and led the way inside.

We walked through narrow hallways, our footsteps echoing. Halfway through the corridor, a wave of dizziness hit me. I stumbled slightly, pressing a hand to my head.

Nolan turned to me. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “Just hungry, maybe.”

He looked concerned but nodded, leading me forward. Ivan walked silently behind us.

We reached the room at the end of the hallway. The door creaked as Dimitri pushed it open, revealing a single figure kneeling in the middle of the room. His hands were bound. His face was a mess of bruises and dried blood.

The metallic stench of blood filled my nose.

I stopped at the doorway as Nolan and Dimitri approached the man. 

I could see Nolan and the man having a heated conversation, but I was so distracted trying to keep myself distracted from the strong scent of blood in the room. 

“I had no choice, boss,” the man whimpered. “He threatened my family—”

Nolan pulled out his gun and shot the man in the arm without hesitation. 

The man screamed, clutching his bleeding arm. Blood sprayed across the concrete floor.

My heart thudded violently. I wanted to turn around. Leave. The blood and the begging was making bile rise to my throat. 

I gagged. My legs swayed under me, and Ivan who was standing beside me, reached out and caught my elbow.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“I’m fine,” I lied again.

“Nolan,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “Let’s just—”

A loud bang sounded again before I could complete my sentence.

The scent hit me harder this time.

I looked up to see that Nolan had shot the man in the head, and there was blood splattered everywhere. 

“Too much blood.” I managed to whisper before my vision dimmed and the room started to spin. 

I could feel myself falling, but strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground, and darkness consumed me.