Page 94 of Daddy Brigadier

His eyes dart to Elise, revealing his unease.

Elise tightens her grip around my fingers in a silent show of support. “Valentin wanted me to give this to you,” he says, drawing an envelope from his pocket and placing it in my hand.

As I meet his gaze, I sense a weight in his eyes, a struggle to stay composed.

Valentin cherished him like a son, and I can only fathom that Andrei reciprocated that affection as if Valentin were his father.

Elise grips my hand tightly. “Come on, let’s go home.”

I look up at my sister, pulling my hand from hers.

“I am going home. I’m heading back to Seattle.”

At this moment, I feel completely shattered, as if every part of me has been torn apart. I need to rebuild the pieces of my heart that have just been buried with Valentin.

She kisses me on the cheek, leaving me.

The graveyard is still and silent now, with only the men lingering near Valentin’s car—my car.

I glance at the envelope, a moment of anticipation coursing through me as my heart races. With a deep breath, I open it and begin to read my letter.

Krasotka,

I will be waiting for you, wearing my Speedos and holding a Mai Tai.

You are my everything.

You belong to me.

Please keep my words close to your heart until we meet again, and I can whisper them into your ear.

I love you!

Eternally yours,

Daddy Brigadier.

With a trembling breath,I unleash a gut-wrenching wail, a cry coming from the most profound anguish of my soul.

I gaze at the dark clouds hanging over the cemetery, the inviting aroma of rain filling the air. I close my eyes, embracing the soothing scent of rain as it begins to patter down.

As night falls, the graveyard takes on an eerie silence, a stark reminder of the inevitable presence of death surrounding me.

“Krasotka,” I hear, a whisper weaving through the rhythmic patter of the falling raindrops.

I quickly turn my head and rise from the ground, sensing that I’m not alone.

Someone is watching me. I narrow my eyes in the darkness, almost convinced I can make out a figure hiding behind a tree.

“Hello,” I call out into the stillness of the night.

Silence echoes back. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

But really, who would choose to linger in a graveyard after dark?

I move toward the car waiting for me, where Lev stands casually against it. As I walk closer, my gaze drifts through the graveyard, and an unsettling feeling clings to me. I can’t shake the feeling that Valentin is still here, lingering right by my side.

“Did you see anyone?” I ask Lev, my new protector and head of my security team.