Chapter <b>183 </b>


    Elena’s POV:


    3 Months Later


    –


    55 vouchero


    “How are you feeling?” I asked as I looked at Niki across the table. We were in a private, cozy booth at a small Italian restaurant.


    He was all dressed up, his dark hair styled impably, a slight wave swept back from his forehead, and he wore a sleek navy suit that hugged his broad shoulders. A vibrant red tie was the only ssh of color against the dark fabric. While I wore a red off–the–shoulder dress, whichplemented his tie perfectly.


    He didn’t answer right away. He just looked at me, a soft, almost disbelieving smile ying on his lips. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” he finally said, his voice low. I felt my heart warm. It had been so long since I’d seen that genuine, unburdened expression. I had been craving his smile, hisughter, the easy way he used to look at me. A month after discharging from the hospital, I had finally been able to convince him to go to therapy. It hadn’t been an easy task. He had been so sure he didn’t need it, so determined to bear the weight of his guilt and trauma alone.


    Iughed, a light, carefree sound that felt strange and new. “I feel amazing. It feels like it’s been ages since we’ve gone out. Isn’t this our first date after Haider?” I said, my gaze sweeping over the intimate space.


    As much as people could recover from trauma and grief on their own, sometimes you just needed more help. I understood that fact clearer than anyone. He’d agreed to go only on the premise that I went with him, because apparently, I would also have trauma.


    I hadughed at the time, but he was right. I did. My trauma, however, was a quieter, more subtle thing. It wasn’t a crippling depression, a constant, dark cloud like his. It was a sudden, physical shback. It only showed rarely, but when it did, it hit with the force of a wrecking ball. Like that time Sergei had shown up at the penthouse, a few weeks after I was discharged, and I caught his men with a gun. My hands had started trembling, as the scent of the metal, the sight of the weapon, had sent me straight back to that construction site. The next thing I knew, I was shuddering, a full–body tremor, as I knelt on the floor.


    <b>14:41 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>8 B


    After a month and a half of therapy sessions, thrice a week, we had both gotten better. It was easier when we were there to rely on each other. Even more <b>so </b>since we had motivation.


    I turned and eyed the little ‘motivation,’ who sat on a high chair next to me, sucking his blue–colored teether. It was a perfect match to his little navy shirt and maroon trousers. He was looking at me, his eyes wide and curious, and having finally caught my attention, he smiled a big, toothless one that made me want to squish his cheeks. Which was exactly what I did, leaning forward, my heart a soft, gooey thing. He giggled, a sweet, high–pitched sound that was the most beautiful music in the world, and started babbling, a flurry of nonsense sybles, to which I nodded like I understood everything.


    “Can you really call this a date, though?” Niki said, a hint of yful exasperation in his voice as he eyed our son, who was now drooling on the teether.


    I scoffed. “Yes… It’s a family date. So what? Haider deserves a night out with his parents, too.” I said, reaching over to wipe a bit of drool from his chin. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him, not like this, not when he was crying so much whenever I was out of his sight. He always went silent and became good- mannered when he was in my arms. Yes, it was exhausting. But it still felt good.


    “So… is our next date going to be a family one, too?” he asked, a teasing note in his


    voice.


    I rolled my eyes, amused. “It’ll be just us. Don’t worry.”


    Niki chuckled, a low, warm sound that made my skin tingle. Then he sighed, a deep, satisfied sound.


    “Right.” He straightened up, pulling out his phone. I frowned, watching him scroll and then turn his phone to me. The screen was an invitation, formal and elegant.


    My confusion turned into surprise soon when I read the invitation. The name was one I recognized, and my eyes widened. “Mkai… is getting married?!” I asked, a disbelieving whisper.


    Niki nodded. “We are invited to attend.” he said, putting his phone away. I frowned, a deep, thoughtful crease between my brows. “With who? Wasn’t he single up until a few months ago?” I asked. My mind went back to thest time I


    <b>14:41 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>8 </b>B<b>… </b>


    had seen him, on the yacht.


    73


    2.15 vouchers.


    Niki nodded, his expression unchanging. “It’s normal for the Legacy’s to have arranged marriages.” He said it so nonchntly. I couldn’t help but remember the scene on the yacht. He was a killer, and yet he was getting an arranged marriage.


    66


    “What’s up with the Legacy’s anyway? I still don’t quite understand what you meant by Mkai being…” I moved closer, my voice dropping to a whisper. experienced in killing.” I whispered, my eyes darting around the private space.


    He smiled, a dark, knowing thing that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He leaned closer to me. “There are some things in this world that cannot be understood, malishka. Let’s just say that the Legacy family is one of those things. As strange as the Morozov family and Vetrovs are… no one can go against the Legacy’s. It’s just a fact. Fortunately, they are mostly neutral and rarely side with anyone.” he said, which made me frown further.


    “You say that as though the Legacy’s have been around for a long time. I only ever heard about Seraphina. Because of herpany.” I said, my mind a whirlwind of confusion. Was I missing something?


    He chuckled. “They’ve been around for a very long time. In fact, I’d say they were the ones who built this country. Only their name has always been obscured. The reason I’ve known them is because my background is from the Vetrovs. We have always had ties to them.” he said.


    I felt astonished from his words. Built the country? Wow. That’s was… new. To have that much power, that much control, that you could build a country and remain a silent, unseen force. I mean, considering that Haider won’t be called a Vetrov, this would spell the end of the Vetrov family. Dmitri was dead. Andrey was now living with his second wife in some old age home, a far cry from the power and wealth. he oncemanded.


    As for the Vetrov conglomerate, it was now fully owned and controlled by Niki.


    As for Lazar, keeping his word, Sergei had killed Lazar the day he promised. The night I woke up, Niki had called everyone, including Sergei, who had brought something with him as proof of Lazar’s death. It had been gruesome, to say the least. Even someone like Niki’s face had paled. He hadn’t let me see it, had turned his back to me and handed the box right back to Sergei, but I had a hunch


    it was an important ‘part‘ of Lazar. I had questioned Niki for a while what it was, a morbid curiosity that I couldn’t control, until he’d finally given in and told me. It was actually his cut–off dick.


    Now don’t get me wrong, if this was anyone else, a normal person, I would have been unable to even look at Sergei again. I would have been sick to my stomach. But this was the same person who had raped and killed countless other women. The same man who had endangered Niki’s life. So the only thing I could say was that… justice had been served by the person I had least expected it from. How ironic.


    I twirled the pasta on my fork, a small, absent–minded movement. The conversation, the revtions, had left me with a strange, heavy feeling in my stomach. I took a bite. Then, I took the spoon and cut a little chunk of the chicken and fed it to Haider.


    He was a big eater, his small mouth open in a perfect little O, and I watched his cheeks puff out as he chewed. I smiled. That’s when I saw something in the periphery of my vision and turned with a quirked brow. Niki was holding a spoon full of his spaghetti in front of me, his eyes full of amusement.


    I chuckled and moved to bite it and then hummed, “It’s good.”


    “Not as good as you look.” he said, his voice a low, teasing whisper, and I rolled my eyes. “I’m not food.”


    He quirked a brow. “You wanna test that theory?”


    I felt my heart pound against my ribs. Okay, so yeah, it was true that we’d been fucking less often that I wanted to. And now it had been a week. The longest in two months since we hadn’t touched each other that way. And even though Niki had tried to hide it, I knew he’d booked us a hotel for the night.


    After all, all we’d been able to do with Haider were quickies, short, frantic bursts of passion that left us both breathless and wanting more.


    And as much as I loved my son and being there for him… I loved his dad as well. So yeah, I was looking forward to leaving him with mom for the