Home. This was what home felt like.
My lips touched her skin in the slightest touch, my whisper only for her ears to hear.
“Baby girl.”
Chapter 5
Ayla
It was a moment when everything stilled. My feet froze on the landing above the staircase, and it felt like I had been robbed of my breath. My heart flipped, and then the tears came.
My throat closed, trying so hard not to cry as I ran down the stairs toward him. In the back of my mind, I knew Alessio was going to be mad at me for running in my current state. I could already see his face turning red with frustration but trying his best not to yell at me.
But in that moment, nothing mattered.
One year.
One whole year since I had seen him.
One year since Alessio came back home and gave me news that broke my heart.
“Ayla! Alessio is home!” Maddie screamed at the top of her lungs.
My heart jumped and then accelerated, my face breaking into a wide smile that I couldn’t hold in anymore.
I really hated it when he had to go away for more than just a day or two. It had been almost a week—five days to be exact—since I last saw him. But Alessio always made sure we spoke on the phone every day. Even through his busy schedules, he always found time for me and Princess.
I felt a kick on my thigh and laughed quietly. Speaking of Princess.
Looking down at my bundle of joy, she cooed at me, her lips pursing cutely. “Papa is home, pretty Princess.”
Her tiny legs kicked at me again excitedly, as if she understood what I was saying. “Let’s get you dressed and we can welcome him home. What do you say?” I murmured, tickling her sides.
She laughed, her cute little dimple showing. Maila had her papa’s dimple, even on the same cheek. Poking the dent softly, I placed a kiss on her nose.
Princess kicked again, her giggles never ending, as she tried to roll on her back. Her tiny body moved around, trying to escape my hands. At four months old, she was already rolling around, almost giving Alessio a heart attack the first time she did it.
“Well, aren’t you excited today?” I continued talking, making sure to dress her up quickly.
After making sure she was presentable, her pretty blue dress adorning her tiny body and her headband in place, we both made our way downstairs.
Just in time to see Alessio walking through the doors with his men following closely behind him. I smiled at the sight.
The entry was filled with so much power and dominance. Each step they took spoke of authority. The suits made them look like gentlemen, rich billionaires. But the looks on their faces, the harsh and unveiled look that didn’t hide anything, showed the true monsters underneath.
No smiles from them. No laughter. Emotionless stares. Stiff bodies.
As I stepped off the last landing, I practically ran to Alessio. He opened his arms for me, and I sunk into his embrace. He held us close, Princess against his chest, cushioned between him and me.
His warm embrace felt like sunlight, erasing the harsh coldness I felt during his absence. “Princess missed you,” I muttered.
“I think you mean you missed me,” he replied with a dry chuckle.
“You know I did,” I retorted as he pulled away slightly.
To my surprise, he wasn’t smiling. The soft gentle look he always wore around Princess and me was gone. In its place was a man I had met the first time, when our story started. The very first time I had seen him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, placing my palm over his cheek. He didn’t reply; instead, he brought his attention to Princess.
His thumb brushed over her nose softly, and her smile widened. She was definitely her papa’s girl. “How is my little Princess doing?”
His mood seemed off. Not the Alessio I had grown accustomed to. My gaze went behind me, looking at the other men.
Every time they would leave the house, it felt like something big had settled over my heart. And when they would come back home, I always found myself giving them a once-over, making sure they were all okay. They were older than me, meaner, harder…killers.
Yet I found myself watching over them like they were my babies.
They stood silently, their shoulders rigid, their bodies locked and ready for battle. Nikolay wore a frown, while Phoenix appeared like he was mourning.
Everyone seemed fine…except nothing was fine.
They were all here, except one.
“Where is Viktor?”
My question was met with silence. It lasted for a few seconds until I couldn’t handle the suffocating silence anymore.
“I asked, where is Viktor?” The panic in my voice couldn’t be mistaken.
One of my boys was missing. One of Alessio’s men, his brother, was missing.
I looked at everyone, but their faces told me nothing. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. This couldn’t be happening.