Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #3)(90)

For him, she was already dead, probably had been since he was young. I’m glad he at least got closure when she told him why she hated him with passion. That’s when he learned for sure that she’d never love him or even tolerate him.

Kirill represented everything she abhorred—Roman’s temperament and a constant reminder of the abuse she suffered. But what made it worse was that he also got her intelligence and knack for manipulation.

I still hate that woman with everything in me. She ruined all her children’s lives—Konstantin’s included. Not only did she figuratively choke him with her love, but she also had a hand in his biological father’s death.

If Kirill had a different mother, he wouldn’t have been emotionally or physically abused. At least I’m glad he had Anna in his teens since he considers her the only mother figure in his life.

Kirill also killed Yakov—his maternal uncle. Apparently, he’s the one who helped Yulia with the Makar angle. My husband eliminated him before he could plot revenge or pose a threat to our family.

On the other hand, Maksim took his sweet time recovering. Anton and I were there for him—mostly my brother, though. I stopped being as involved.

One, because Kirill found out that Maks had some sort of a crush on me when I was pretending to be a man and threatened to kill him.

And yes, it was Anton who told him that piece of information because he’s also still inexplicably jealous of it.

Two, turns out Maksim was enjoying being the center of Anton’s attention so much that he might have prolonged his recovery process on purpose.

After he got back into shape, he resigned from Kirill’s team, which my husband welcomed because he’s an asshole who doesn’t even like the idea of a harmless crush.

Now, my brother and my friend are in Russia with Mike. In the beginning, I kept Mike with me, and while he loved it here, he was confused with all the English. Besides, after we went to Russia and saw how carefree he is in my brother’s company, I reluctantly let him stay.

My cousin adores Maks to death—something Anton was annoyed with since everyone seems to love Maks since the first meeting.

I’m glad Mishka spent the first period with me because Anton faced difficulties as soon as he got back to Russia. He had to relinquish the family’s illegal arms to the government and strike a deal with the higher ups. It’s better now, but he’s still cleaning up the mess Uncle Albert made and trying to veer the family’s resources in a safer, more profitable direction.

I was heartbroken when we had to separate, but it wasn’t a goodbye. I FaceTime with them every day, mostly with Maks and Mishka because Anton is still allergic to showing emotions and only joins when he’s forced to.

Besides, I’m sure the three of them will be just fine. They’re starting to look and feel more like a family every time I see them.

Which is so wholesome, considering what every one of them went through. It’s beautiful when the most damaged souls can find solace in one another.

I guess that also applies to Kirill and me.

I stare at him from across the room as he talks with the other organizations’ leaders. The party that’s held to celebrate another win Kirill brought is in full bloom around me, but all I can concentrate on is my husband.

He has a hand in his pocket, and the other cradles a glass of champagne.

Authority looks sexy on him. He was always meant to be at the top, no matter what methods he used. It’s not only about the position with Kirill. He really has a knack for managing people and getting the best out of them.

Besides, he’s never fully satisfied with the lengths he reaches and keeps striking more alliances and ending wars—to Damien’s dismay.

I can’t help being sucked in by my husband’s presence, even from a distance. The tailored tuxedo stretches over his shoulders and puts his impressive agile physique on display.

The nonchalant, seemingly relaxed aura he exudes is only a fa?ade. That man can turn into a lethal weapon in a fraction of a second.

And I don’t know why I find that kind of exhilarating.

It’s probably the hormones. They haven’t gone down, not in the second trimester or this final one.

I’m due to give birth to our boy in about a week, but my bump has never really grown. Kristina, whose husband is feeding her an assortment of buffets, looks well and truly pregnant with a huge belly and a curved posture.

Me? I look like I’m no further along than my fifth or sixth month.

The bump is there, but since I’m wearing a somewhat loose dress, it doesn’t show as much.

The doctor said the difference between Kristina and me could be because everyone carries differently. The good news is that both our babies are healthy and will hopefully grow up as best friends.

They’ll also be heirs to their fathers’ fortunes since Konstantin has been appointed to Kirill’s previous role in the brotherhood. My husband left that position empty after he became Pakhan, but I think he always wanted his brother there. The only reason he didn’t do it before was because he didn’t want Yulia to try and influence Konstantin or get her hands on internal information.

We’re now growing into a big family. I felt it that day when I celebrated Christmas again after nearly seven years of shunning it, but now I’m happy to have this new family.

It’s better than anything I could’ve wished for.