CHAPTER FIVE 

Irina 

I stood frozen, watching the two brothers face each other like wolves circling for a kill.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst through my chest. My hands trembled. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment.

This was my fault.

All of this was my fault.

I know." Alexei's said, his voice was quiet. "But the baby changes everything. You know it does. She is carrying my child, Dima. That makes her mine. That is how our world works."

Dimitri looked at his twin with hatred, his fist tightened. At first, I thought he was going to agree.

"Get out," he said quietly.

"She is carrying my child," Alexei said, his expression firm and unyielding.

"We're not entirely sure about that," Dimitri whispered, his voice shaking with rage he could barely contain.

"Neither do you," Alexei shot back.

And like that war was declared in that moment. Not with words or weapons, but with the silence that followed. The silence of brotherhood dying.

I watched the two men I had destroyed. Two brothers who had been inseparable. Two halves of one whole. Now standing on opposite sides of an invisible line drawn in blood and betrayal.

"Dimitri," I whispered. My voice came out broken. "Please. I am so sorry. I never meant..."

"Do not." He did not look at me. His eyes stayed locked on his brother. 

"Do not apologize for something that was not your fault."

"But it was," I said desperately. "If I had just turned on a light. If I had just looked closer. If I had..."

"If I had not hidden you in my room," Dimitri interrupted, his voice cold. "If I had not kept you secret like you were something to be ashamed of. If I had just told my brother to stay away from you. There are a thousand ifs, Irina. None of them matter now."

Alexei took a step forward. "Come with me," he said, looking at me for the first time since he entered the room. "I will take you somewhere safe. Somewhere you can rest."

"She is not going anywhere with you," Dimitri said flatly.

"She is carrying my child. That makes her my responsibility."

"She is my maid. She lives under my roof. She is under my protection." Dimitri's voice rose with each word. "You do not get to take her just because you made a mistake."

"A mistake that resulted in a child," Alexei countered. "And that changes everything. You know the laws as well as I do."

"Laws?" Dimitri laughed bitterly. "You want to talk about laws? You broke into my private quarters. You touched my woman. You..."

"I did not know!" Alexei roared. "How many times do I have to say it? I was drunk. I could not see. I thought it was just another room. I did not know she was there. I did not know she thought I was you. I. Did. Not. Know."

"But you know now," Dimitri said softly. Dangerously. "And you are still trying to take her from me."

"I am taking responsibility for my actions. That is what a man does."

"A man does not sleep with his brother's woman." Dmitri said. 

"I did not know she was yours!"

"EVERYONE KNOWS SHE IS MINE!" Dimitri's shout echoed through the room. Through the hallways. Probably through the entire mansion. "Everyone in this compound knows that Irina belongs to me. That she is the only woman I have ever given a damn about. The only one I have ever protected. The only one I have ever..."

He stopped. Closed his eyes, and took a breath.

"The only one I have ever loved," he finished quietly.

My heart shattered.

He had said it twice nowm.vHe loved me.

Dimitri Volkov loved me.

And I had destroyed that love with one terrible mistake made in darkness.

"I am sorry," I whispered again. Tears poured down my face. "I am so, so sorry."

This time, Dimitri looked at me. His ocean blue eyes were filled with pain so deep it took my breath away.

"I know you are," he said softly. "But sorry does not change anything. Sorry does not make the baby disappear. Sorry does not turn back time."

"Then what do we do?" I asked desperately as tears streamed down my face. "Please, Dimitri. Tell me what to do. I will do anything. Anything to fix this."

"You cannot fix this," he said. "No one can."

The door burst open for the third time.

An older man strode in. He was gray-haired and scarred, but he moved with authority that made both brothers straighten instinctively.

He was Mikhail Reznikov, their Godfather.

"Enough," he said. His voice was deep and commanding. "Both of you. Enough."

"Godfather," Dimitri said, surprised. "This does not concern you."

"It concerns me when my boys are about to kill each other over a girl." His dark eyes swept over the scene. Me standing by the bed, tear-streaked and trembling. Dimitri rigid with fury. Alexei bleeding from his split lip. "What has happened here?"

"Ask him," Dimitri said coldly, gesturing at Alexei.

"I am asking both of you."

Silence fell. Neither brother wanted to speak first. Neither wanted to admit what had happened.

Finally, Alexei spoke. "The maid is pregnant. With my child."

His expression did not change. "I see," he said carefully. "And how did this happen?"

"He was drunk," Dimitri said. His voice was flat. "He stumbled into my room during the party. It was dark. She thought he was me. And now she is pregnant with his bastard."

He looked at me. His gaze was kind but searching. "Is this true, child?"

I nodded, unable to speak.

"And you thought he was Dimitri?"

I nodded again.

He sighed heavily, looking older and tired. "This is a mess," he said quietly. "A terrible, and tragic mess."

"I am taking her with me," Alexei said. "The baby is mine. That makes her mine too."

"She is not property to be claimed," Mikhail said sharply. "She is a person. A young woman who made an innocent mistake and is now caught between two brothers who are too angry to think clearly."

"I am thinking perfectly clearly," Dimitri said coldly. "My brother took what was mine. And now he wants to parade her around like some trophy. Like proof of his conquest."

"That is not what I am doing," Alexei protested.

"Then what are you doing?" Mikhail asked. "Why do you want her? Do you love her?"

Alexei hesitated for a moment. But it was enough.

"She is carrying my child," he said again. "That is reason enough."

"No," Mikhail said firmly. "It is not. A child deserves to be raised by parents who love each other. Not by a father who claims the mother out of obligation."

"Then she stays with me," Dimitri said.

"And what happens when the baby is born?" Mikhail challenged. "When every time you look at it, you see the brother who betrayed you? You think you can love that child, Dimitri? You think you can look at her holding Alexei's baby and not hate her for it?"

The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

Dimitri said nothing. His jaw was tight. His hands clenched into fists.

He could not answer. Because we all knew the truth.

He would hate me. Eventually. 

Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day he would look at me and see only betrayal. Only pain. Only everything he lost.

"There is no good solution here," Mikhail said quietly. "No answer that makes everyone happy. But we need to find a way forward that does not end with you two killing each other."

"He took her from me," Dimitri said. His voice cracked. "How am I supposed to forgive that?"

"I do not know," Mikhail admitted. "But if you do not find a way, this will destroy you both. It will destroy the empire you built together. It will destroy everything your parents died to give you."

"Our parents," Dimitri said bitterly, died because they trusted the wrong people. Because they let their guard down. I will not make that mistake."

"You think I am your enemy now?" Alexei asked quietly. "After everything we have been through? After all the blood we have spilled together?"

"You made yourself my enemy when you touched her."

"It was an accident!" Alexei slammed.

"That does not make it hurt any less!" Dmitri slammed too. The shout echoed through the room. 

Dimitri's composure finally cracked. Tears gathered in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "You were my brother," he said, his voice breaking. "My twin. The only person in this world I trusted completely. And now I cannot even look at you without wanting to put a bullet in your head."

Alexei flinched like he had been struck. "Dima..."

"Do not call me that." Dimitri's voice turned cold again. Distant. "That name is for my brother. And I do not have a brother anymore."

The words were final and irreversible.

"You do not mean that," Alexei whispered.

"I mean every word." Dmitri's eyes were cold.

Mikhail stepped between them. 

"Stop. Both of you. This is not the time for declarations you cannot take back."

"It is done," Dimitri said. "He chose her over me. Now he can live with that choice."

I chose to take responsibility," Alexei protested. "That is not the same thing."

"It is exactly the same thing."

"Enough!" Mikhail's voice cracked like a whip. "I am taking charge of this situation before you two do something stupid. Dimitri, you will keep control of the eastern territories. Alexei, you will take the western territories. You will split everything down the middle. No overlap. No conflict."

"You are dividing us?" Dimitri asked slowly.

"I am preventing a war," Mikhail said firmly. "If you two stay together, you will kill each other within a week. So you will separate. You will each run your own territory. And you will stay away from each other until you can be in the same room without violence."

"And her?" Alexei asked, looking at me.

Mikhail glanced in my direction. "She will have to choose."

My breath caught. "What?"

"You will choose," Mikhail repeated gently, turning to me. "Do you stay with Dimitri, the man you love? Or do you go with Alexei, the father of your child? It is your decision, girl. Who do you choose?"

I looked between the two brothers. Dimitri, who I had loved for four years. Who had been gentle with me. Who had protected me. Who had loved me back.

And Alexei, who I barely knew. Who had taken my innocence thinking I was someone else. Who now wanted to claim me out of duty, not desire.

How was I supposed to choose?

How could anyone make that choice?

Dimitri's POV 

“I cannot,” Irina whispered. “Please do not make me choose. I cannot.”

“You have to,” Mikhail said firmly. “This is your life, your future, your child. You have to decide what is best for all of you.” His voice dropped. “You have seven days…”

“No,” I interrupted. “She does not need to make a choice. She stays with me.” Every eye in the room turned to look at me.

“Dimitri,” Mikhail started.

“She stays with me,” I repeated. My voice was cold. “She is my maid. She lives in my house. She is under my protection. That doesn't change because my brother made a mistake.”

“A mistake that resulted in a child,” Alexei’s voice was dangerous. It was the tone he used right before he killed someone. “She has my child. That makes her mine.”

I took a step towards him. “She is not yours. She will never be yours.”

“The baby inside her says differently.” He shot at me, his green eyes glistening with rage.

“The baby that should have been mine.” I shot back. “The baby that only exists because you were too drunk to know whose room you were in. That does not give you any right to her.”

“It gives me every right.” Alexei's green eyes flashed. “You know the rules, Dimitri. A woman carrying a man's child belongs to that man. It is our law.”

“Our law.” I laughed bitterly. "You want to talk about our law? What about the law that says you do not touch your brother's woman?”

“I did not know she was your woman!” She slammed.

“Because I had to hide her from you!” The words exploded out of me. “I had to keep her locked away because I knew what you are. I knew that if you saw her, if you knew how much she meant to me, you would find some way to ruin it. Because that is what you do, Alexei. You destroy things!”

“That is not fair…” His gaze flickered.

“Fair?” My voice rose. “Nothing about this is fair! You took the one pure thing in my life and you destroyed it. And now you stand here acting like you have some claim to her? Like you have any right at all?”

“I have the right of fatherhood!” Alexei thundered. “I have the right of blood. The baby is mine, Dimitri. Nothing you say will change that.”

“Both of you are insane,” Mikhail said before I could open my mouth. “This is not about laws or rights. This is about a young woman who is terrified and a child who deserves better than two brothers fighting over it like a prize.”

“She stays with me until the baby is born,” I said, gazing at him. “That is non-negotiable.”

“No,” Alexei said flatly. “She comes with me. Now.”

“Over my dead body.” 

“That can be arranged.” Alexei's voice was ice cold.

We both moved at the same time. I reached for the gun at my hip. Alexei did the same.

“STOP!” Mikhail's voice cracked like thunder.

We froze with our guns half-drawn. 

“Put them away,” Mikhail ordered. “Now!.”

Neither of us moved.

“I said put them away!”

I let my hand fall slowly, Alexei did the same.

“You will not kill each other over this,” 

 “I will not allow it. Your parents would be ashamed of what you have become.”

“Our parents are dead,” I said coldly.

“If you two destroy each other, everything they built dies with you. Is that what you want? Is she worth destroying everything for?”

“Yes.” We said without hesitation.

“Then you leave me no choice. The girl stays here. In this house. But neither of you will touch her. Neither of you will claim her. Not until the baby is born.”

“That is seven months away,” Alexei protested.

“Then you will wait seven months,” Mikhail said. “Both of you. She will be kept in a separate wing. Guards will watch her day and night. Neither of you will be allowed near her without supervision. And when the baby comes, we will know the truth, and only then, will she choose who she wants to be with.”

“No,” I said. “She stays with me. In my wing.”

"So you can manipulate her?" Alexei asked. 

“I would never…”

“You’re desperate, Dimitri. You will do anything to keep her.” He interrupted.

He was right. And I hated him for it.

“She needs someone to take care of her,” I said. “She is sick, she needs…”

"She needs space," Mikhail said firmly. "Space from both of you. Time to think without you brothers breathing down her neck. She needs time to think.”

"I know what she wants," I said. "She loves me. She has always loved me."

"Then she will choose you," Mikhail said. "When the time comes. If she really loves you, she will choose you. But you have to give her the freedom to make that choice."

I looked at Irina. She stood by my bed, her arms wrapped around herself. Her face was wet with tears. She looked small and terrified and it broke my heart.

“Irina,” I said softly. “Tell them. Tell them you want to stay with me.”

She opened her mouth, but closed it, looking between me and Alexei.

“I…” she started. “I do not know what I want.”

The words hit me like bullets.

"You do not know?" I repeated slowly.

"I am scared," she whispered. "I am confused. Everything is happening so fast and I cannot think and I just... I do not know."

"You love me," I said confidently.  “I know you love me, Irina.”

"I do love you," she said, fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "But I am also carrying Alexei's baby. And I do not know what that means. I do not know what I am supposed to do."

"You are supposed to choose me," I said desperately. "You are supposed to choose the man you love."

"Even if that man will hate the baby?" she asked quietly. "Even if every time you look at this child, you see your brother?”

"I would never hate an innocent child." I said.

"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But eventually." She looked at me with those amber eyes full of pain. "Eventually you would hate it. And you would hate me for bringing it into your life."

"That is not true…"

"It is," she whispered. "And we both know it."

The room was silent.

God help me, she was right.

I would try to love the baby. I would try so hard. But every time I looked at it, I would see Alexei. I would remember that night. I would see everything I lost. And eventually, that would poison everything between us.

"So what do you want?" My voice sounded hollow and empty.

"I want time," she said softly. "Time to think. Time to…"

"Time to fall in love with him?" I interrupted. "Time to convince yourself that the man who took your innocence is actually the better choice?"

"That is not what I am doing." Her voice broke.

"Then what are you doing?" I dug my nails into my palm.

“I am trying to survive!” She voiced. “I am trying to make an impossible choice that will affect the rest of my life. I am trying to figure out how to be both a mother and a slave. I am trying to do the right thing when I do not even know what the right thing is anymore!”

Her voice echoed through the room. Then she sank onto the floor, sobbing.

I moved without thinking and dropped to my knees beside her. I pulled her into my arms.

“I am sorry,” I whispered. “I am so sorry. I should not have said that.”

She cried against my chest. Her whole body shook.

Over her head, I saw Alexei watching us. His green eyes were cold and filled with jealousy.

“Get your hands off her,” he said quietly.

I scoffed at his guts.

“No.” I replied coldly.

“Dimitri…” His gaze flickered.

“She is crying because of you," I said. “Because of the impossible situation you put her in. So no, I will not let her go. Not now. Not ever.”

Alexei's hand moved towards his gun. “Let. Her. Go.” He ordered.

“Make me, little brother.” My voice was ice cold.