Her Volkovs #Book 4 novel Chapter 43

Belle's POV

The private plane Artemis, is now at the tarmac as we wait for our turn to take off. Seconds from now, I am finally free. My life in New York is coming to a bittersweet end -- bitter because of all the things that I went through for falling in love with Nikolai and Alexei and sweet because of the tiny little angels in my womb that I will never regret having.

I will protect them the best way I know in Palawi and I will raise them rightfully as their last names, Volkov. I will be fair to them and I will not deprive them of the fact that their fathers are Nikolai Vyacheslav Volkov and Alexei Viktor Volkov. They will grow up with so much love surrounding them. They will have the most amazing grandparents, uncle Devon, Aunt Amy and a mother who will never give up on them no matter what.

"Artemis is such a hot name. I think it's a name built under the foundation of testosterone and strength." Said Amy, breaking the silence inside the plane. "I wonder what Artemis looks like. Artan is such a daddy. He must have got the good genes from him."

I just shook my head on her. I know she's trying to make light of the situation but I am honestly not in the mood. I feel like my insides are twisting as I sit anxiously.

"I got to give it to Mr. Bogdani though, drunk and broken-hearted or not, the Albanian Mob Boss always comes through for you B."

Amy told me on our way to the airport that Artan was out of reach since our last conversation. His men were worried because he kept himself in his room, not talking to anyone except when he orders them to bring alcohol. Dylan said that after Aria was brought to the hospital to check on her uncles, she was immediately sent to the safe house. This usually happens on two occasions, one if there is a mob war going on, or Artan is going through something that he doesn't want Aria to see. Dylan thinks both reasons are equally true. They are preparing for the consequences of the fallout from the Russian Mafia and Artan doesn't want Aria to see him in this situation.

When my father asked help from him, he never thought twice. He immediately sent help without regard to the consequences. That man is so stubborn I honestly don't know what I will do with him anymore. If I know that Pa will ask help from him, I would not have agreed to it. It will just cause unnecessary harm to the people who will get involved.

Sooner or later, I know I have to thank him for doing this huge favor for our family. As for now however, I don't think I can forgive him just yet for lying to me all this time. I trusted him with all my heart and yet he betrayed me just the same.

My heart started to beat at an abnormal pace as the plane approaches the runway for takeoff. I don't know what exactly to think much less to feel. I close my eyes as uncertainty seeps into my veins like gravity that is pulling me back.

Am I doing the right decision? Is leaving my marriage with Nikolai and Alexei the right thing to do? Is abandoning them while they are both in the hospital, a decision that I will regret someday?

I took a deep breath and tighten my grip around the armrest of my seat as I try my very best not to give in to my doubts. I am leaving New York City. I am leaving my life away from the Russian Mafia and away from Nikolai and Alexei.

-

Meanwhile at St. Michael's Hospital

Nikolai is lying beside his brother while reading the book for expecting dads that his brother bought for him in Colombia. He is talking to him in Russian as if Alexei could hear him.

"Can you believe that brother? Babies will poop four to five times a day? That's so much poop! Fucking hell. I have twins."

"What's that?" He continued, as he connects his ear close to his brother's mouth as if he could hear him whisper. "That's what I'm thinking. It's on page 9. It says here that sometimes, mums will have an excess amount of breast milk. And you know what they do? They use this device called a breast pump to calm the titties. I don't think our queen will need this device often, yah? That's what husbands are for. To help and give the wife all the comfort she needs. If both titties need comfort, you take one side and I'll take the other. If only one titty needs comfort, we take turns."

"Boss, we have a small problem." Says Yuri as he enters the hospital room interrupting Nikolai's one-sided conversation with Alexei.

"We have traced five private planes all taking off at the same time bound to Palawi in different locations in New York. We don't have much time to pinpoint the exact plane or airport."

Nikolai stepped down from the bed and put his jacket on. He then sat down calmly while crossing his arms over his chest. "Do you think my wife is in one of those five planes Yuri?"

"No. I think the five planes are decoys." He answered with a tone of certainty.

Nikolai walked towards the window and pulled the blinds to have a view of the New York skyline. He thought to himself that Yuri might be right, the planes are just decoys to distract them from finding the right place where the Galves' will take off. But that's not about to stop him from getting his wife back. "Papa's good. The old man walks his talk."

"What's the plan?" Asks Yuri, obvious sense of urgency on his tone.

"Make the call. Ground every single fucking plane leaving New York in the next 10 minutes."

Yuri was taken aback at first as he knows the extent and seriousness of what his Boss is trying to say. Nevertheless, he obliges as he also thinks that this is the best chance they have at the moment to stop Belle from leaving. If they do not make it on time, they will have to take down a whole nation just to get the wife back.

This is the most efficient and urgent way. Grounding every single plane even if that means pulling some major strings that the Russian Mafia holds. It's a genius idea, Yuri thought to himself. One of the reasons why Nikolai is the Mafia Boss that everyone fears in the underworld. Perhaps the one man who thinks beyond evil and exactly does what he means.

-

5 minutes later....

Belle's POV

I am going to kill him!

I swear I will strangle him to death! That man knows no limit to his wickedness. This is him, I am sure of that. We were seconds from take-off but we were not given the clearance at the very last moment.

Apparently, the air traffic office received information that there's a bomb in one of the planes leaving New York at the exact same time that we were to take off. Can you believe that? He jeopardized other people's time and safety just because he wants to stop our plane from leaving. He caused a major disruption to the whole of New York for his own selfish reason.

"B, calm yourself. You look so flushed."

"Nikolai did this! Now we can't leave indefinitely because of his doing! I thought that the man is passed out in the hospital or something, apparently, even in his unconscious state he still can do such awful thing like this!"

"Stop pacing back and forth Arabella, you're just stressing yourself." Said my mother. And if I don't know any better I would think that she favors our canceled flight back home. She's just literally sipping her wine with such relief and calmness coupled with a smirk and a crimson face. Geez Ma. Pace yourself. How drunk are you?

I removed the glass of wine from her hand and requested the server in the lounge to remove the bottle from our table but she grabbed the wine instead and signaled the server to leave.

"I am mad Mama! You know what I want to do right now? I want to find him and give him one good punch in the throat!"

"Oh! Like what you did to him in that meeting -when Nikolai sent you to the safe house but you still came looking for him stubbornly? You had that Papa's girl attitude with you since you were a little girl Ara. Don't tell your Father but your Pa was so proud of you for standing up for yourself against the Russian Mafia Boss and all the Bosses' wives in that meeting." She said under her breath as she finishes her sentence and eventually realizing she's saying things she should not have known.

"Mama, how did you know of that?"

She looks like she's been caught stealing from the cookie jar with that unapologetic yet cheeky look on her face. My mother is an angel and she rarely drinks alcohol, however this time she looks like she's genuinely having fun and my father- who is her best friend and number one promoter of her happiness doesn't look like he's going to burst my mama's bubble.

"Uhm, okay. So Nikolai and Alexei- those two handsome men of yours- they keep in touch with us almost everyday Arabella. Why do you think we don't worry about you even if you barely call or update us about your situation here? Your Pa and I know almost everything that's happening with you. Well, at least your men's version of events I suppose."

I honestly don't know what to think let alone feel about this. I don't know if I am going to be glad because they reach out to my parents or mad because I did not have a single idea about it.

"Ara, listen to me okay? Nikolai and Alexei have been regularly sending money to Palawi. They have been funding projects to build schools, hospitals and facilities to bring electricity and clean water to far-flung communities. This week we are to inaugurate a building for an organization that rescues abandoned children. Nikolai specifically requested that project because he knows how important this is to you. He once told us that he severed your job at St. Mary's School because he's sure that you will have your plate full when he puts up your own charitable organization consolidating every project he has funded in Palawi and that includes St. Mary's school. He took over majority control of that school because oF you. All of these were supposed to be Nikolai and Alexei's surprise birthday gift for you. They were preparing for it months ago. I just don't understand what happened why they forgot about it on the day itself. It did not make sense to me and still does not until now."

I know why. In the middle of a mob war, the conglomerate meeting, my severe allergic reaction which was an attack against the Russian Mafia, my pregnancy, and Yelena's death anniversary-was my birthday. Still, this does not erase the fact that they did not remember. Instead, they were mourning their sister slash lover's death on my own birthday. We were fighting and they accused me of eloping with Artan right before my very special day.

Them forgetting my birthday was only the tip of the iceberg. Truth is, it was just the confirmation of my doubts as to the extent of the lies hidden from me by Nikolai and Alexei, particularly of their relationship with her.

"Now let's not forget that they have their shortcomings-and we all do. I am not in any way condoning whatever behavior they had that made you decide to turn your back from your marriage Arabella. I respect that, that's why me and your Pa support your decision. All I am saying is, in every relationship, especially in marriage, problems like this arise. And the best way to put things into perspective is to communicate. Talk about the problem with your partner-or partners for that matter."

"But auntie, what if there's nothing left to talk about? What if all the things that you need to come up with the wisest decision are all laid down in front of you and there's nothing left but to just leave?"