And then he says the one word I’ve been waiting five long years to hear. “Papa?”
I wrap him in my arms and hold my son close. My heart hurts, but by God, it is so full.
Elyssa meets my gaze over Yuri’s head. Theo reaches out to touch her chin as she gives me a shaky smile.
I nod. We have a long road to walk towards healing, all of us. But that’s okay—we’ll do it together.
Epilogue: Phoenix
I find Matvei skulking in the shadows, smoking a cigarette.
“When did you take up smoking again?” I ask.
“Since you started stressing me out.”
I smile. “Touché.”
Matvei glances at me out of the corner of his eyes. He’s been keeping his distance lately. At first, I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been busy dealing with domestic life. I’d gone from a single man with no children, to a married one with two
