DAMIR
It was one of those warm spring mornings where everything seemed a little softer, a little slower. Except the two giggles echoing through the marble halls one light and delicate, the other bright and childlike.
Eli and Sonya.
Since the day Regio dropped her off for her school break, my mansion had transformed into something… warmer. Livelier. Sonya had woven herself right into the fabric of our home, her laughter trailing through the corridors like a melody. And Eli, my sweet Eli he hadn't stopped smiling since. They were inseparable.
From sunup to sundown, they clung to each other. The amusement park. Backyard games. Even bedtime. She'd sneak into our bed, curl up against Eli, and he'd wrap his arm around her like she was his own little sister. And I'd watch, quietly. Watching the two of them sleep beside me sometimes felt like something holy.
But I missed him.
Not in a possessive way…not always. I just… missed having him to myself. The way he pouted and teased me. The way his fingertips would ghost over my chest in the morning. The way his voice sounded when he murmured sleepy, spoiled things like, "Carry me, Damir. I'm too tired."
So when I heard them pattering down the staircase that morning, I positioned myself perfectly behind the doorway. Sonya's tiny laugh echoed like chimes as she tugged Eli along, their hands clasped.
Just as they turned the corner….
"Got you," I whispered, arms curling around Eli's waist.
He let out a surprised yelp, the kind that ended in laughter, kicking his legs as I lifted him from the ground. "D-Damir! Put me down!"
"No," I said with a grin. "You've been cheating on me with Sonya. I'm claiming my time."
Behind me, Sonya gasped theatrically. "Hey! That's not fair! Uncle Damir, give him back!"
I chuckled and turned, still holding Eli like a prized possession. His arms wrapped around my neck on instinct as I twirled with him just once, spinning through the middle of the grand foyer like a madman. The maids nearby paused, stifling laughs behind their hands. One even dared to whisper, "Mr. Volkov's finally lost it."
And maybe I had.
"Damir, seriously!" Eli squirmed, cheeks flushed, legs kicking.
But I held on tighter. "I just want one minute, kotyonok. One. She's had you for three days straight."
Sonya had started chasing us, her bare feet padding against the tiles, shouting, "I'll get him back! I will! I'm fast!"
"You are fast, little monster," I called over my shoulder. "But I'm faster. And bigger."
Eli's laughter spilled out, pure and airy, head thrown back as he clung to me. My arms tightened around his waist without thinking, lifting him a little higher so I could nuzzle into his neck.
He smelled like vanilla and citrus shampoo. Like home.
"Okay, okay, fine," he breathed, breathless with laughter. "One minute. But she's gonna cry if you keep this up."
I looked over and saw Sonya slowing down, pouting now, hands on her hips. She had that dramatic Volkov scowl that only meant one thing: trouble.
"Eli, tell your husband to put you down!" she whined.
My heart skipped at her words. It was a joke, a child's teasing remark. But still, it echoed in my chest.
Eli laughed, face pressed against my collarbone. "Damir, did you hear that? We're married now."
I tilted his chin up to look at me, smirking. "Then kiss your husband."
His lips parted in surprise, then a smile stretched across his face, playful and shy all at once. He leaned forward, brushed a quick peck against my lips before whispering, "You're ridiculous."
"And you're mine," I said, and set him down gently.
Sonya crashed into him the moment his feet touched the floor. "You're not allowed to steal him again!" she scolded, fists on her hips.
"I'll make a deal," I said, raising both hands in surrender. "You get him all day. But tonight, he sleeps beside me. No negotiation."
"Fine," she huffed, taking Eli's hand and dragging him outside. "But only if I get extra strawberry milk."
"Done."
The moment they vanished into the gardens, I watched the back of Eli's head as it glowed beneath the sunlight. His laughter, soft and silvery, floated back to me, tugging at something deep in my chest.
He was so good with her. So gentle. So protective. She adored him.
And in that moment, I knew something with a clarity that struck me like lightning:
I wanted to build a family with him.
Not just moments like these. Not just brief afternoons of stolen kisses and innocent chaos.
A life.
A home with his scent on every pillow. Mornings where I'd watch him pour cereal into a bowl for Sonya or whatever little angels came after her. Afternoons filled with tiny socks on the floor, cartoon music in the background, Eli's soft humming as he cooks in one of my oversized shirts. Nights where his skin would press against mine, and I'd kiss the curve of his neck as he told me about his day.
I didn't say it. Not yet. He said wasn't ready to hear it. And maybe I wasn't ready to say it.
But that promise settled inside my chest like an oath.
One day, I would make Eli mine in every way. I'd give him a home, a family, a love that never faltered. One day, we wouldn't have to steal moments in the hallway or hide soft kisses from curious little eyes. One day, it would be real.
The maids were still giggling when I walked past them again.
"He's in love," one of them whispered.
I didn't correct her. Because she was right.
So painfully, helplessly, terrifyingly right.
And for once in my life, I wasn't afraid of that truth.
I will always ready to give him everything.