DANIEL VOLKOV

A persistent beep cut through my consciousness.

I smelled the sterile scent of the hospital room. The faint murmurs of distant conversations and footsteps.

My body felt heavy and disconnected. It lay inert in bed, in tight bandages and casts. Each movement restricted as I struggled to regain awareness.

"Oh my God!" Andrei's blurry face popped above me, his annoying voice a hammer on my migraine. "You're awake! Oh my God-Niko! Nik! Get over here! He's awake!"

The door swung open, and Andrei's screams and laughter reverberated down the hall.

I already regretted waking up.

Niko peered down. "Wait, why are his eyes closed?"

"To avoid you," I wheezed with a dry throat.

He whooped into my eardrums. "You son of a-You've been out for two weeks! Two weeks! Do you know what they did to you? Do you know you barely survived?"

Women-probably nurses-scolded them out of the way. I hoped they were here to inject more painkillers. I could use about...a deadly amount.

A doctor explained-or rather gloated. "We successfully performed four surgeries to remove the bullets, Mr. Volkov. We also repaired some vital organs and reconstructed one of your bones-"

"W-where are they?" I interrupted.

Andrei answered. "Charlotte and Clara flew back for Tomasso's funeral. Clara wanted to make sure her mother didn't speak to the press on her behalf. Charlotte went with her, so she wouldn't be alone."

Did...Did I hear that right? No. I blinked my eyes open, fighting to clear the blurriness. Andrei was staring back at me with a soft expression, waiting for his words to settle.

"Tomasso's funeral?" I asked.

"CJ had to kill him after you were shot."

Except it was probably a lie, another scheme. "Did you see the body?"

"Of course-"

"Did you check his pulse?"

"They buried him, Daniel-"

"But was it an open casket?"

I brushed off the disturbed glanced from the doctor and nurses. Last time I was conscious, Tomasso had won. He'd captured me, beat me, used me a human shield. Now...after two weeks in a coma, I was supposed to accept that not only did we survive, but we had won? Impossible. They wanted to trick us-

"Give us a moment?" Andrei murmured to the staff. Of course, he understood why I was paranoid. He'd witnessed it for years. Seen it haunt me, keep me up at nights.

When they left, he sat next to me, Niko close behind. Their eyes glazed with emotion-was it relief? Happiness? Love? All in one. All towards me.

"Tomasso is dead," Andrei said, and shook his head with a warm smile as I refused once again to accept it. "He's dead, Daniel. He's not a threat anymore. No one is going to hurt us. You can relax now, brother. We're not in danger. It's over. The war is over."

"What about Marko? And the rest of his men?"

"Imprisoned," said Niko. "Many were killed that day, due to fighting back. But the rest are locked up for good."

"What about the Kowalski siblings? Because they'll come back-"

"Felix helped CJ track them down, actually. Well, except for Malik." Andrei exchanged an amused, cold-blooded look with Niko. "For some reason, no one has been able to find him."

That tone said it all. No further explanation needed.

The nurse knocked. "Sorry, Mr. Volkov, but I have to check on you. You've been-"

Clara. Clara was at her dad's funeral yesterday. Did she witness him die? Because he was still her dad, no matter what kind of a monster he was. For most of her life, she had loved him. How was she doing? Did she hate me now? Did she never want to see me again?

I struggled to hide my fears. "Is Clara... I mean, did she mention if she's..."

"Dude, she never left your side," Niko laughed.

My heart jolted. "Really? Y-you're not just saying that?"

He pointed at the armchair beside me. "She wouldn't leave. Charlotte had to force her to shower. The only reason she left yesterday, was to protect us. This whole story is all over the news. She wanted to be able to control it."

"When is she coming back?"

"We're going home," Andrei said. "She'll be there."

Going home. It did not feel real. None of this did-well, except for the pain.

Unable to walk or move even my toes, I had to be transported by a team of medical professionals from the hospital to the waiting private airplane, then to the townhouse. And even on the stretcher, every bump sent a wave of agony rippling through my body.

"Daniel! Oh my goodness. What happened to you?" Irina welcomed me with a scowl the moment we entered, Aida radiating joy by her side.

"Oh, how I missed your yelling. Come give me a kiss." I puckered my lips as people carried me upstairs. "Can I get something to eat, pleeease? They've been starving me at the hospital."

"Welcome home, boss! We missed you s-so much." Grigor and Artiom sniffled as we arrived at my door, clutching a bouquet of flowers and a ridiculous teddy bear.

"Please find girlfriends. Soon. This is weird," I said. "Good to see you, though."

The moment my door opened, Clara waited inside, with Charlotte beaming beside her.

And just like that, my mask crumbled at the sight of her.

My composure tore apart with the slap of memories, of her rushing into my arms. The echoes of her screams as she fought through the crowd to get to me, as she held onto me.

I didn't realize that I was crying until they set me down in bed, and she rushed over, tears cascading down her cheeks . I tried to lift my arm to wipe them-

"Don't you dare," she hissed, cradling my face in her hands. She wiped my tears and looked at me, like she couldn't believe that I was there, in front of her. And I was pretty sure, that I was looking at her the same way. Because my heart was aching to hold her, and I couldn't.

"Should we...give them a moment?" Niko asked awkwardly.

Charlotte snorted. "Yeah, let's go get the champagne."

The door clicked shut, leaving us alone.

"Kiss me," I whispered and thanked God when she did. I could breathe again. "Don't stop, please. Come here," I said, inching my neck towards her. She kissed me a bit longer, breathless and tearful, so careful. I bit my tongue to refrain from whining when she pulled back.

She gave me a disapproving look. "You lied and you left."

"I know..." I could see that I hurt her. "I'm sorry. The chances of me winning were so slim, I couldn't risk him taking you again. I wanted to at least give you a chance-"

She kissed me again, trembling, trying not to fully break down. My throat tightened, the weight of what she'd been through like a knife to my bones.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I almost lost you."

"I'm here." I nudged my nose against hers. She pulled back to find a napkin and wipe our noses.

I took a moment to observe her. The dark circles under her makeup. The exhaustion around her frame. She was wearing a silk burgundy button-down tucked in loose work pants, paired with heels. Around her neck, the necklace I had given. Sad, tired, elegant. Here. Not gone.

"I'm sorry for being in a coma."

She deadpanned. "It's not really a voluntary action."

"I should've been there for you these past two weeks."

Her jaw tensed. "My mom didn't show up to the funeral. She must be still in shock."

So she was the only family member, facing all that press. Two weeks. I was absent when she needed me. "How did you handle all the media?"

"I told them what they needed to know."

She stood up from the bed to retrieve a document from her leather purse. When she placed it on my lap, my pulse skipped with dread.

"Are these our divorce papers?" I didn't want to know.

She opened the black file and lifted it for me to read the first page. "This is what I talked to the media about. Everyone in the world now knows about it."

If my heart skipped before, now it was bursting out of my ribcage.

Because on that paper, in bold printed letters, was a declaration of a business...

The Oksana Rescue Foundation

Founded by Clara Rossi

We are an organization dedicated to providing comprehensive assistance to survivors of sex trafficking. Our mission is clear: to offer legal support, secure housing, employment opportunities, and specialized healing programs tailored to the unique needs of survivors. Through our initiatives, we aim to facilitate the transition towards reclaiming autonomy and integrating back into society.

"You named it after my mom?" My words broke on their way out.

"For years, I wanted to join my dad's business, to 'carry his legacy'. I wanted to use our wealth to support those who needed it. Then I found out the truth, and I swore that after I exposed him, I'd repair the damage. I know, this won't fix everything, but at least it's a start. And I thought maybe...in some way, it might bring your mom peace if she's a part of it."

"Thank you," I murmured, my eyes stinging again. "Damn, these medications."

Someone knocked.

"Mr. Volkov!" Felix strolled in, his arm encased in a cast, left eye bruised. Behind him, CJ followed. Then Niko and Andrei with Charlotte. Irina with a cart of food. "It's so good to see you! You had everyone so scared."

"How you doing, son?" CJ's voice quivered, eyes glistening.

"You need a hug?" I barely finished the sentence before he threw me in his chunky arms. I wheezed from chest pain. "E-easy."

He mumbled an apology as Felix leaned to hug next, much gentler.

"Ass," Charlotte chided me for not greeting her earlier. She kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, "Whipped cry baby."

"Rude," I muttered, a smile tugging at my lips as I watched her dash toward Andrei, who was pouring her a glass of champagne.

"Sorry about your face...and your arm," I returned to Felix. "You really helped me out, kiddo."

"Um, sir, you almost died-"

"You still helped. It couldn't have been easy, learning last minute what your siblings were up to."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...I thought they just catch the bad guys. I was an idiot."

But now with them imprisoned... "Hey, were are you staying now? I mean-you have support?"

"Oh, y-yeah, yeah. I'm staying with some friends." He had lost weight and his clothes were wrinkled. Even his hair needed a wash. "I'm okay. I mean, I'll be okay."

"Well, this is a big house. And it's in a forest. So if you ever need a change of scenery..."

He seemed shocked by my suggestion.

"You see those people over there?" I gestured toward Niko, Charlotte, Andrei, and Clara, who were rudely sipping their drinks ten feet away. "Those assholes are my family. But all of them come from different places. Blood doesn't make you family. Loyalty does. And we're loyal. If you ever need a place to stay, don't hesitate to reach out."

He cleared his voice. "T-thank you, sir."

"Promise?" I raised a brow.

"I promise."

"Better not break that promise, I take them seriously."

He thanked me again and he really meant it, then made his way to grab a snack. I caught CJ observing our interaction, his grin silent with admiration.

"What now?" I rolled my eyes.

"Your mom would be so proud of you." Those words from him, her friend, meant more than he'd ever realize. "She would be really proud and so relieved, that you can finally move on."

I brushed aside the urge to joke about his sentimentality. "Hey, thanks for sticking by my side all these years. I know I didn't make it easy."

"By the way..." He, not so discreetly, pointed his chin at Nana. Wait, Nana was here too? How many people were in my room? "Who's that fine piece of ass?"

I choked on my spit. "Clara's...nanny?"

"Is she..." He wiggled his thick brows.

"Are you seriously asking me if Clara's nanny is available?" I scoffed at his quiet confirmation.

"What's that all about?" Clara moseyed back, watching CJ make a move on Nana.

"Trust me, it's better if you don't know." My headache drilled into my eye sockets. "Is it rude to end this party early? Some of us did just wake up from a coma, you know."

"Want me to shoo them away?"

"Please."

She smirked. "I could get used to you begging."

"Shut up."

Niko and Charlotte, of course, refused to stop partying. And downstairs, the rest of the crowd celebrated too. But our small gang stayed in my room.

We drank to our freedom. Now with the largest threat in the past, we could think clearly. Plan for the future. Not to survive, but to live. Or at least learn how, because we might have forgotten.

At night, when exhaustion and painkillers left me drowsy, Clara nestled beside me in bed. The windows were open, allowing the scent of pine trees I missed to drift with the wind.

"What now?" Clara tucked her hands under her cheek. "Will you continue being a big bad don?"

I had no answer yet. "Would you like me to stop?"

Her tone was careful. "My opinion shouldn't affect what you want for yourself."

Except it did. "How about you? What will you do?"

She drew in a deep breath, shifting her gaze to the ceiling. "For starters, I need to heal. I know it'll be hard, but...I feel this need to grieve. Not just for losing the idea of my dad, the illusion I loved, but also losing myself through these events, and...I don't know, accepting this new version I've become. I don't know if that makes any sense. I guess, I just need time."

And I'd be there for her. In any way, shape or form. I'd mold myself into what she needed.

"Plus, I'll have the company to keep myself busy," she added. "And night classes."

"Night classes?"

"Mhm. I want to continue my education. I want to learn."

Of course, she did. "Where will you live?"

"I'm going to live with Charlotte." Her voice lightened with excitement. "She's going to be my roommate and business partner."

"Stealing my employees, I see." I teased.

"Bite me."

"If I could, I would, love. All over."

She chuckled, which I took as a good sign. But still, I needed to know. How she felt now about me, after that letter. After I left. After what she witnessed. But it all felt too soon and too selfish.

"So...I guess as soon as I'm able to hold a pen, you'll hand me our divorce papers?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said and I tried not to let it sting. "I'm eighteen, Volkov. And I didn't consent to being married. I won't let that be my story. When I get married, it'll be because the man I love got on one knee. I want to scream yes and jump into his arms and cry from happiness. And like you said, I deserve to wear white on my wedding day."

"And I still agree. I'll sign them tomorrow if you want." I'd rather throw myself off a bridge than let her only wedding be one where she felt trapped. But I hoped she was talking about me, when she was describing that man on one knee. But if she wanted to marry someone normal...

"I'm tired. You should sleep too, you still have to recover." She shifted to look at me in the night, the moonlight caressing her face.

She deserved the world. She did. Maybe not my world. Because as long as I loved her, she'd be in danger. Even if I retired, I had countless enemies. They'd find a way to hurt her as a way to hurt me. And if I stayed a don to control the chaos, danger would be inevitable.

"Kiss me again," I whispered.

"Clingy don," she crooned, but gave me those lips anyway. "Anything else, Volkov?"

Yes. Yes, tell me that you're mine. Tell me I'm yours. Tell me we'll overcome the past, the present, the future. The thousand ways it broke us, and the thousand ways it might break us still. Tell me, one day, you'll wear white and I'll hold my breath for you at the altar.

"No, love. I have everything I need right here. Go to sleep."

A/N
Lol the death threats I got in the last chapter...
Vote, if you want me alive pls <3