CHAPTER 76

CHAPTER 76
Hours later, I’m sitting in my office, papers scattered across my desk, but my mind is elsewhere, with Kira. We’ve been home for a few days now, and she’s doing remarkably well. Well enough that her doctors tell me as of tomorrow, there’s no need for her to be on bedrest. I’m not sure if I agree, but Kira’s practically climbing the walls with boredom. Moving around will be good for her.

There’s a knock on the door, a brief interruption to my thoughts.

‘Come in,’ I call out, expecting to see Kira’s nurse with her hourly update.

But it’s not the nurse who enters. When the door swings open, Alyona steps in.

My heart skips a beat at the sight of my estranged daughter. While the other Kozlovs went back to New York this morning, Alyona is staying for a while longer to be with Kira. To be honest, I’m looking forward to spending some time with my daughter as well. The last few days have been hectic with everyone around, but now it’s just us.

‘Hi,’ she says, her voice tentative. “Do you have a minute?” She stands inside the door, her posture rigid, unsure of how to proceed.

I clear my throat, pushing aside the papers to give her my full attention. ‘Always,’ I reply, standing to greet her. “Have a seat.’

I gesture towards the couch on the far side of the room. She hesitates, her fingers nervously twisting around her engagement ring, before she lowers herself down. I sit in the armchair across from her.

A knot of emotion tightens my throat. I’ve made so many mistakes when it comes to her. But there’s no going back in time to fix them. The only way now is to move forwards, for me to do better.

‘I know things have been … complicated between us,’ she starts, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

‘Yes, ‘complicated’ is one word for it,’ I say with a little smile. “And that’s my fault.”

“I won’t argue that.” Alyona swallows thickly. “But I want us to start over. Kira is my best friend and now, weirdly, my stepmother.” She huffs a laugh and tucks a strand of dark hair—the exact color as my own—behind her ears. “If things are strange between us, it will affect my friendship with her.”

“I owe you an apology.” I swipe a hand over my face. “Fuck, I owe you more than an apology, and it should have come much sooner, but I didn’t know what to say.” My lips tip up at the corner. “Apologizing is new to me,” I admit.

She crosses her arms and lets out a small, almost imperceptible sigh. ‘If you’re going to stay a married man, it’s a good thing to get used to.”

I hunch forwards, resting my elbows on my knees. ‘Abducting you, threatening your loved ones… It was wrong. In my mind, it was to keep you safe, hoping you’d eventually be happy by my side. I see now how wrong I was.’

Alyona smiles sadly. “I know you were doing what you thought was best, but it felt like being caged, not protected. You can’t force happiness.”

Alyona’s words stir a part of me buried under layers of pain and regret. Ilya’s death was a wound that never truly healed. But now, sitting across from my daughter, knowing that I have forever with Kira and our child, I feel more whole than I’ve felt in a long time.

“I’m a slow learner,” I admit. Nerves alight under my skin—Alyona deserves the full story. ‘There’s something you should know. I had a son named Ilya. He was the light of my life, the best thing to ever happen to me.” The next words emerge ragged and sharp, tearing at my insides. “When he was four years old, he was killed by my enemies in a car bomb meant for me.’

Her hand rises to her mouth. “I’m so sorry,’ she whispers. After a moment, she adds, “I had a brother.”

“It was why I couldn’t bear for something to happen to you.” I sigh. “When I learned I had a daughter, after that loss… It was everything. So I tried to protect you in my own backwards, fucked-up way.”

Alyona reaches out, her hand tentatively finding mine. “I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child.”

“Hopefully, you’ll never have to. I know Leo will protect you and any future children with his life.” A small smile grows on my face. “I’ll be the first to say the road here was bumpy as hell, but having you and Kira by my side is the best possible outcome.”

“I’ve never seen Kira happier,” Alyona admits, huffing out an amused breath. “But it’ll always be a little weird that my best friend and father … you know.”

Oh, I know.

Speaking of the devil… My phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Kira: I require a sponge bath. With your tongue.

Apparently, Kira is feeling a lot better than I realized. I’m more than happy to play nurse.

“It seems the patient requires my assistance,” I say, standing.

Alyona rises as well, and to my surprise, she steps forwards and wraps her arms around me in a tentative hug. ‘Thank you for telling me about Ilya. I’d like to learn more about him when you’re ready.”

My eyes search hers for a sign of acceptance before I manage to ask, “How about a drink tonight? We have a lot to catch up on.’

“I agree,” she says, her voice soft. “I’d like that.”