83. Chapter 83

83

Dimitri

F uck. A tear.

Blyat, this is real. A fucking tear.

I grit my teeth, trying to stop it, but it's useless. Something inside me cracks. It's like a dam breaking, and suddenly, I can't hold it back anymore.

Another one follows, and another, and I can't remember the last time I let myself break like this. It's been so long since I felt this kind of raw, unfiltered hurt.

Chert . I haven't cried since… since I can't even remember when.

"I… I should've been there," I choke out. "I should've protected you both."

Wren's eyes widen like she can't believe what she's seeing. Hell, I can't believe it either.

Dimitri Orlov.

The killing machine blubbering like a goddamn suka .

But once it starts, I can't stop it.

No.

More tears come, and I don't even try to wipe them away. What's the point? She's already seen me broken.

"I didn't know," I rasp. "If I'd known about him… about you… Blyat' , Wren, I would've burned the world down to keep you safe."

Yob tvoyu mat', now I'm choking on sobs.

The pain in my heart has been festering like a goddamn tumor, just waiting for the chance to explode and tear everything apart.

The thing is, I didn't know I had a heart. I didn't know I could feel what I'm feeling right now.

Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens like she wants to say something, but nothing comes out. I see the shock and pain in her.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not good enough . I—fuck—I should've been there. Should've found you, fought harder."

Wren's face softens, the fight fading from her eyes as she steps closer. Her hand reaches up, her fingers brushing against my cheek, wiping away the tears.

"D…" she whispers, her voice shaky. "I was scared."

Her words hit me, and it's like a mirror, reflecting everything I've tried to bury. I was scared, too. Scared of what it meant to let someone in. Scared of the possibility of failing the only two people that mattered. I feel my breath catch, and it's like I'm drowning in all the things I never said.

"You and Alex… you're everything to me," I rasp, barely able to force the words out. "I need you to know that."

"I want to try."

She's staring at me, her own eyes teary—a bloody crack in the wall she built between us.

"D…" Her lips part, and before I know what's happening, she's closing the distance between us.

She kisses me hard, and I'm stunned for a heartbeat, but then it's like a wildfire roaring through my veins. My hand shoots up, tangling in her hair as I pull her close, kissing her back with everything we've been bottling up for years. It's raw, aggressive, and fiery, the perfect storm of everything we've been denying. I can feel her fingers gripping my shirt, her body pressed against mine, and for a moment, nothing else matters. Just her—her lips, her warmth, her everything.

I kiss her like I'm afraid she'll vanish if I stop, like I need to prove something to myself, to her. Her hands slide up, curling around the back of my neck, and I pull her tighter, feeling the heat between us, the years of pain and longing all coming out in that one kiss.

It's everything.

And then—

"Momma!"

We pull apart, both of us breathing hard, and there he is—Lenny, standing in the doorway with his jaw practically dropping to the ground. Beside him, Alex's wide blue eyes stare at us, confused.

"Momma, you kissin' Papa?"