Chapter 37
With the wound dressed in sterile gauze, the bleeding finally ceased. Elena leaned back against the stone wall, her pale face glistening with cold sweat. She watched Maya pack the supplies with quiet efficiency, her heart aching with a mixture of grief and gratitude. "I thought staging my death was the only way to free Sophia from this blood-soaked life," Elena confessed, her voice thick with unshed tears. "I told myself I was being noble, but the truth is... I was a coward. I ran, and I abandoned my baby girl."
Maya paused, meeting Elena’s remorseful gaze. Her brown eyes were warm yet uncompromising. "Sophia spent months wondering why her mother disappeared," Maya said softly. "She had nightmares until we built a home filled with love. I will never let her forget you, Elena, but I am the one who holds her when she cries. I am her mother now."
May you like
Tears spilled down Elena’s cheeks, but she offered a faint, tremulous nod of acceptance. "She couldn't have found a better mother," Elena choked out. "Thank you for loving her."
Before Maya could reply, the heavy cellar door swung open. Dante stepped inside, carrying two rifles and several spare magazines. His gray eyes were devoid of emotion, hardened like forged steel. Above their heads, the low mechanical chime of the perimeter sensors buzzed three times. "They’ve cut the main power grid and breached the lower vineyard gate," Dante announced coldly, handing a weapon to Maya. "The Russian team is here."
