Kidnapped by the Bratva (Sharov Bratva #5)

Chapter Twenty-Five - Maxim

I enter the room, the weight of the day still hanging heavy on my shoulders. The door clicks shut behind me, and the low hum of the evening fills the space. Sophia steps out of the bathroom, her wet blonde hair falling over her shoulders. She’s wearing one of my shirts, the fabric clinging to her still-damp skin, and for a moment, I just watch her. The sadness in her eyes hasn’t left since the warehouse.

She’s been through hell today, killing a man for the first time. Kace kept her sheltered from the darker parts of this world, but this is the reality. The Mafia doesn’t spare anyone, not even its princess. The moment she became my wife, she stepped into my world—the Bratva world. Death, betrayal, blood—it’s all a part of the life we lead. Sooner or later, it was bound to find her.

As I look at her, I can already see it. Strength. Resilience. The edges of her innocence have been chipped away, but beneath it, something powerful is beginning to form. She’s handling it better than most would. Better than I expected. I can see the fire in her, and I like it. More than I should.

Her eyes meet mine as I step farther into the room, and I can see the question lingering in them—the weight of everything we both haven’t said. I cross the room, stopping a few feet from her, and for a moment, we just stand there, the silence heavy between us.

“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice quieter than usual.

She takes a deep breath, her gaze lowering to the floor. “I don’t know,” she admits. “I keep thinking about… about him. That man. I never thought I’d be capable of something like that.”

I nod, stepping closer to her. “You did what you had to do. It wasn’t your choice—it was his. You fought back. And you survived. That’s all that matters.”

She looks up at me, her eyes soft and vulnerable in a way that tugs at something deep inside me. “I still took a life, Maxim. How do you live with that?”

I pause, letting the question hang in the air. It’s not an easy answer. There’s no simple way to explain the way this world hardens you over time, how each kill becomes a little easier, a little more justified in your mind. She’s not ready for that truth yet.

“You don’t,” I say finally. “You never fully live with it. You just learn to survive. To protect the ones you care about. And sometimes, that means getting your hands bloody.”

She bites her lip, processing my words, and I can see the tension in her shoulders ease slightly. There’s still something else weighing on her. Something more.

I take a deep breath, knowing this conversation is far from over. There’s something I need to address—something that’s been lingering between us since the moment she walked in on Hailey. The last thing I want is to give Sophia any reason to doubt me.

“About Hailey,” I begin, my tone serious. “I need to explain.”

Sophia’s eyes flicker with uncertainty, and I step closer, holding her gaze.

“Hailey and I….” I pause, choosing my words carefully. “We had a fling in the past. It wasn’t serious. It never was. She came to my office today because she wanted something from me, but I’m not interested in her anymore.”

Sophia doesn’t say anything, but I can see the doubt in her eyes, the shadow of jealousy that still lingers.

“I don’t want her, Sophia,” I say, my voice firm. “She means nothing to me now. You consume my mind.”

She looks up at me, her lips parting slightly, as if she’s unsure of what to say. I can see the vulnerability in her eyes, the hesitation, but also the faint flicker of something else. Something deeper.

“I don’t know what to think, Maxim,” she admits quietly. “I don’t know if I can trust you yet.”

Her words hit harder than I expect, but I don’t let it show. I can’t blame her. Not after everything we’ve been through, the way I forced her into this life, into this marriage. I want her to trust me. I need her to trust me.

“I understand,” I say, my tone softer now. “I’m telling you the truth. Hailey is the past. You’re what matters now.”

Sophia bites her lip, clearly still conflicted, but she nods slightly. “I just… I don’t want to be someone’s second choice.”

“You’re not,” I say firmly. “You never were.”

She looks at me for a long moment, her gaze searching mine, and slowly, I see the walls she’s built around herself start to crack. She takes a tentative step closer, and I meet her halfway, my hand reaching out to brush a strand of damp hair from her face.

“I don’t know where this is going,” she whispers. “I’m trying, Maxim. I’m trying to figure it out.”

I nod, leaning in closer until our faces are just inches apart. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

For a moment, there’s only the sound of our breathing, the closeness between us crackling with a quiet intensity. Then, without thinking, I tilt her chin up and press my lips to hers.

It’s not a demanding kiss, not rough or urgent like before. It’s slow, deliberate, and full of the things neither of us are ready to say out loud yet. When I pull back, I rest my forehead against hers, taking in the warmth of her body against mine.

Sophia takes a deep breath, her gaze softening as she looks up at me. “I feel the same way,” she whispers, her voice barely audible, but the sincerity in her words is unmistakable. “Even when you’re away, I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s like… you’ve become a part of me, whether I wanted it or not.”

Her words hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I’ve been trying to sort through my feelings for her ever since this whole mess began. When she first came into my life, it was all about revenge, power, and control. Somewhere along the line, something shifted. Now, as she stands here in front of me, confessing that she can’t get me out of her head, I realize that she’s more than just a pawn in my game. She’s become someone I care about, someone I’m not willing to lose.

“I’m in love with you, Maxim,” she says, her voice trembling slightly. “It scares me because I never thought I’d feel this way about someone like you. About a man like you.”

I take a step closer, closing the space between us, my hands resting gently on her waist. Her confession sends a surge of warmth through me, a feeling I’m still trying to get used to. It’s been so long since I let myself feel anything real, anything other than rage and vengeance. With her, everything is different.

“I realized it when I killed Fernando,” I admit, my voice low. “For the past four months, all I could think about was getting revenge. It consumed me. Every single day, I woke up with nothing but hate in my heart. I wanted to destroy anyone who got in my way, anyone who stood between me and avenging my father.”

I pause, letting the weight of my words sink in. She watches me closely, her eyes never leaving mine.

“When I finally killed him, when I walked past Fernando’s body….” I shake my head slightly, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “It didn’t even matter. I thought it would. I thought killing him would bring me the satisfaction I’d been chasing for so long. It was nothing. It felt like… like walking over a pile of dust.”

Sophia’s hand reaches up, resting gently on my chest, her touch grounding me in a way I didn’t think was possible.

“The only thing on my mind at that moment,” I continue, my voice growing softer, “was you. I didn’t care about the revenge anymore. I didn’t care about the years of hate I’d been carrying. All I could think about was whether you were okay. Were you hurt, had they done something to you? The hate I had for the world… it was just gone. It was replaced by something else. Concern for you. Care. If that’s what love is, then… yeah, I’m in love with you.”

Her breath catches in her throat, and I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. “Maxim…,” she whispers, her voice breaking.

I pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her waist, holding her tightly against me. She rests her head on my chest, and I can feel the rise and fall of her breath, steady and comforting.

“I never thought I’d find this,” she admits, her voice muffled against my shirt. “Not in this world, not with everything that’s happened. With you… it feels real. It feels right.”

I brush my lips against her forehead, pressing a soft kiss there. “It is real,” I murmur. “I’m not going anywhere, Sophia.”

She pulls back slightly, her eyes searching mine for any hint of doubt, but there’s none. I mean every word. I never thought I’d care about someone like this. Not after everything I’ve been through, after all the darkness that’s consumed my life. With Sophia, there’s light. A reason to keep going beyond the violence and the bloodshed.

“I’ll protect you,” I promise, my voice firm. “No matter what comes our way, no matter who tries to get between us. You’re mine, and I’ll make sure no one ever hurts you again.”

She smiles softly, the weight of the world seeming to lift from her shoulders as she leans into me. “You’re mine too,” she whispers back, her hand resting against my cheek.

I nod, my chest tightening with an unfamiliar but welcome warmth. I’m not used to feeling this way, not used to letting someone in like this, but with her, it feels natural. Right.

The silence between us stretches, but it’s comfortable now, no longer weighed down by the things we’ve left unsaid. We’ve crossed a line, admitted something neither of us was prepared to face, but now that it’s out in the open, I can’t imagine going back. I don’t want to.

“I want you to promise me something,” she says softly, her voice steady but fragile. “Promise me we won’t lose ourselves in this world. In the darkness.”

I nod, pressing my forehead against hers. “I promise.”

We stand there, wrapped in each other’s arms, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe. There’s no more pretending, no more hiding. Just the two of us, facing whatever comes next—together.