Fated by a Single Night

ISABELLA'S POV :

It had been two weeks since Mikhail was discharged from the hospital.

His shoulder was still healing, and the doctor had strictly ordered him not to overwork himself. Of course, he ignored half of that advice.

But there was one thing he never ignored. Me. Or the twins.

---

Every morning, without fail, he knocked on my bedroom door. "Breakfast."

Every afternoon, he'd ask, "Did you take your vitamins?"

And every evening, he'd remind me, "Don't stay on your feet too long."

I sighed dramatically one morning. "You sound exactly like my doctor."

He looked up from the newspaper. "I'm making sure you actually listen to your doctor."

I crossed my arms. "I'm pregnant, not fragile."

He raised an eyebrow. "You were shot."

"...Fair point."

A small smirk tugged at his lips. It only lasted a second, but I caught it. Somehow...

I smiled too.

---

MIKHAIL'S POV :

She smiled more often now. She laughed more often too.

The sadness in her eyes hadn't completely disappeared, but little by little, it was being replaced by something warmer.

Hope. And somehow, I found myself looking forward to hearing her laugh every day.

Something the old me would've never imagined.

---

ISABELLA'S POV :

One afternoon, Mama suggested we decorate the nursery.

The room still needed a few final touches, and I stood in front of the two empty cribs.

"What color should we choose?"

Mama smiled. "You decide."

Before I could answer, Mikhail walked in carrying several boxes.

"What are those?"

He glanced down. "I assembled them myself."

I opened the first box.

Inside was a wooden mobile decorated with tiny stars and clouds.

The second contained handmade blankets.

The third held two stuffed teddy bears—one with a blue ribbon and the other with a pink one.

I blinked. "You made these?"

He nodded awkwardly. "Igor helped."

Right on cue, Igor appeared behind him.

"I only untangled the yarn, Miss Isabella."

We all laughed. Even Mikhail looked embarrassed.

"I didn't know what babies liked."

I picked up one of the tiny teddy bears and smiled. "They'll love them."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I hope so."

---

That evening, the mansion's garden was covered in fresh snow.

I walked slowly along the stone path while Mikhail stayed beside me, making sure I didn't slip.

"I can walk by myself."

"I know."

"Then stop hovering."

"I'm not hovering."

"You are."

"I'm being careful." I laughed.

"That's hovering."

He looked genuinely offended. "It isn't."

"It definitely is."

For a few minutes, we argued over something so small... so ordinary... that I forgot we had once been complete strangers.

---

MIKHAIL'S POV :

She suddenly stopped walking. "What is it?"

Without saying a word, she gently took my hand and placed it on her stomach.

A second later...

Our son kicked. Hard. I chuckled.

"He's strong."

"He takes after you."

Then another, gentler movement followed. "Our daughter."

I smiled. "She's calmer."

"She takes after you."

Neither of us spoke after that. We simply stood there, listening to the tiny movements beneath my hand.

Our children.

---

ISABELLA'S POV :

I looked up at him. "You know..."

"What?"

"I was scared of you."

He nodded. "I know."

"I thought you were cold."

"I was."

"I thought you wouldn't care."

He lowered his gaze. "I didn't."

My heart sank. Then he quietly added, "Back then." He met my eyes again. "But things changed."

"Because of the twins?" He smiled faintly. "They're part of the reason."

"And the other part?" He hesitated before answering honestly. "You."

I froze.

"You never asked me for money. You never used the children against me. You had every reason to hate me."

His voice softened. "But instead... you let me become their father."

A lump formed in my throat. "I almost didn't."

"I know." He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"And I'd spend the rest of my life proving that trusting me wasn't a mistake."

For a brief moment, the world around us disappeared.

There was only him. And me. Our faces were only inches apart. He slowly leaned closer, then stopped. "May I?"

He wasn't asking because he doubted himself. He was asking because he respected my choice. A small smile spread across my lips.

I nodded. "Yes."

Gently, he pressed a soft kiss against my forehead. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just a simple promise. One that spoke louder than words ever could.

---

SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE MOSCOW

Inside an abandoned church, Viktor Kuznetsov slammed a dagger into the wooden table.

"So..."

"Petrov has finally found something worth protecting."

One of his men nodded. "Our spies confirmed it. The woman is now living under his protection."

"And the babies?"

"They're due next month." A dangerous smile spread across Viktor's face.

"Perfect."

The room fell silent. He picked up a family photo secretly taken outside the hospital.

Mikhail.

Isabella.

And the twins, visible in the ultrasound image they carried.

He held the photo over a candle and watched it slowly burn. "If I can't destroy Mikhail Petrov..."

The photograph crumbled into ash. "I'll destroy the future he's willing to die for."

---

ISABELLA'S POV :

That night, I couldn't sleep. The twins kept moving inside me.

I laughed softly. "You're both so energetic."

A gentle knock sounded on the door. "Mikhail?"

He peeked inside. "I heard you walking."

"I couldn't sleep." He stepped into the room.

"Neither could I."

For a while, we simply sat together, talking about baby names and dreaming about the future.

For the first time It didn't feel impossible anymore. It felt real. But beyond the safety of the mansion walls...

Someone was already preparing to take that future away.