Dangerous Husbands, Broken Wives [18+]

THIRTY SIX: ICON OVERNIGHT

[ANASTASIA]

"Momma, how did you get hurt?" Tatiana asks, pouting, and trying her best not to jump on the bed and hug me like she always does. She sways on her legs, hands locked behind her, her wide-eyed innocence radiating pure adorableness.

I smile, or at least I try to, and pat the bed. "I just had a bad fall, baby. Mommy is fine."

My little girl's eyes brighten at the gesture, and she rushes to my side. But just when she's about to hop up, someone in the room growls, and she slows down, glancing over her shoulder at Ivan Jr. The two of them exchange a silent conversation before Tati finally drops her tiny shoulders and carefully slides her butt up the bed, letting out a dramatic sigh.

I cannot help but narrow my eyes at Junior. "What's up with you two?"

Junior doesn't speak. He merely drops his gaze to the floor and stays in the corner of the room, like he has been since he came up to check up on me.

I know I should talk to him about what happened. Tatiana is little, and she can't understand what's going on. Besides, telling her that her momma got abducted by some strangers would mess her up for a long time. I don't want her to think her momma can't protect her. But I can't lie to my son. Even if I tried, he'd probably see through me.

Like Ivan, Junior's too good at catching lies. He's even as protective.

Maybe that's why I'm afraid. I should talk to him as soon as I can.

I take a deep breath and motion for Junior to join us in the room. "Come here, baby. You know momma gets well faster with the two of you closer, isn't that right?"

He hesitates for a moment but eventually gives in and walks over, still avoiding eye contact.

Tatiana looks up at both of us with those big, innocent eyes, sensing that something is not quite right.

Once Junior is closer, I pat the other side of the bed next to me, inviting him to sit. He complies, but there's a tension in the air that's hard to ignore.

He takes a seat, and out of pure instinct, I run my fingers through his soft dark hair. "So, what did you do while I wasn't here? Did your daddy take you somewhere? Did you cause trouble for Lena?"

"No. We didn't." Tatiana perks up. "But Daddy's scary-looking friend took us somewhere else. Momma, I don't know that place. Is that our home too?"

She must be talking about Dimitri. That scar on his face sure scares Tati a lot. Junior understands, though. He knows bad things happen to people when they're not careful. But I have no clue what place she's talking about. Did Ivan ask Dimitri to take the kids to some safe place? It has to be the case. Because while Ivan did come to my rescue, he wasn't followed by Dimitri. In fact, other men came. The ones I have seen but didn't care to learn their names.

I'm lost in my thoughts when the door to the room opens. For a minute, my heart stops, and I shrivel at the thought of someone walking in. But when I realize it's Lena, carrying breakfast, relief washes over me.

I feel Junior's eyes on me and try to act normal.

Lena places the tray of breakfast on the small table in the room and gives us a warm smile. "Good morning, Ana. How are you feeling?"

I offer her a weak smile in return. "Better, thanks."

Lena puts on a big grin and leans over to talk to the kids. "Alright, who's up for some pancakes? They're delicious and buttery, just the way you like them."

Tatiana's face lights up at the mention of pancakes. Lena chuckles at her reaction. And while Tatiana takes off like a hurricane, bouncing around Lena to get some, Junior stays by my side, silently frowning at everything.

Lena starts serving the pancakes onto plates, and the delicious aroma fills the room.

I slide Junior's hand into mine, squeezing it gently. "Aren't you hungry? Why not get a plate for yourself?"

He looks at me, his expression still tense, but then he nods and lets go of my hand. He moves towards the table where Lena is serving pancakes. Lena gives him a warm smile, but my son remains reserved, only murmuring a quiet "thanks" when she hands him a plate.

I watch my kids settle on the couch while they silently eat their breakfast.

Lena comes over to my side, carrying a bowl of soup.

I sit up straighter and take it from her.

"Mr. Volkov is worried about you," she says quietly, as we both keep our eyes on the kids.

"Is he now?" I didn't mean to, but the words came out sarcastically. I don't try to correct myself.

Lena sighs. "I know he did wrong by you, Ana. But you have to admit that he has changed."

I close my eyes and set the soup aside. Frustration crawls over me like ants. I can't believe that even now she's trying to defend him. Sure, he came to my rescue, and I respect that. But isn't he the reason I got into this mess in the first place? If he hadn't been a Pakhan of a criminal organization and hadn't made so many enemies throughout the years, there probably wouldn't have been any need for such rescuing.

"Changed or not, Lena, his world is the reason I'm in this mess. I can't just ignore the fact that his actions have consequences, not just for me but for our kids too. And what happened yesterday only proves my point."

"I get it, Ana," She sighs and cast her gaze at the kids. "But he's genuinely trying. The old Ivan wouldn't have been so reckless to come to the rescue alone. Being the Pakhan, he took a lot of risks. You know what happens when a soldier gets a chance to eliminate a Pakhan..."

I know what she means. I know men see it as an honor to kill the enemy boss. It's a matter of pride. The one to kill a Pakhan becomes an icon overnight. It's like a game of chess. If the king dies, the game is over, and the whole empire falls apart.

And I agree with Lena. Ivan did take a lot of risk. It was reckless on his part. He should have come up with a plan instead of going headfirst into the situation.

I lean my head back and stare at the chandelier, feeling an ache rise in my chest that shouldn't be there in the first place. I had wiped my heart clean of anything I felt for this man. And yet... yet, he makes me feel restless for him. After everything he had done, he shouldn't have had this effect on me. He shouldn't. It's unfair. But how my heart and brain react to him isn't his fault—it's all mine.

Maybe he's right. Maybe I still have feelings for him. Feelings that I tried so hard to burn.

Fine. Even though I already know I'm going to regret this, I look up at her and sigh. "Where is he right now?"

A/N: Well, seems like Ana is...feeling something :P What do you think? Should Ana continue to ignore him or ask him to leave her and the kids alone?

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