Epilogue
Seven months later, I’m rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night to give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. We name her Anya, as Luka likes how close it is to my name while also retaining some of his Russian pride. Just as everyone says, she looks so much more like him than she does me, but I’m sure that over time, I’ll start to see more of myself in her.
Luka was amazing throughout the entire birth process. He stood by my side through everything, even after the epidural made me nauseated, and I ended up vomiting all over myself.
At first, I was so nervous about having him in the room that I thought about making him leave, but when he followed me into the birthing suite without hesitation, I knew I needed him there to see me through.
I’ve never seen a man more attentive with any child. Luka is so involved with Anya that I sometimes feel like he sees her more than me, which alleviates all the fears I had about him not bonding with her or growing disinterested. He’s an incredible father and a wonderful husband.
Rachel has graduated high school and is already talking about college. I’ve never seen her so vibrant, like she’s actually thriving in life instead of just trying to get through every day. Her depression has improved significantly to the point where she’s been able to see her counselor only once a week instead of every other day.
For the first time, I feel like I’m actually watching her grow up. She absolutely loves Anya, and while I’d never task her with caring for my baby, she can barely keep her out of her arms. Between her and Luka, I know that Anya will have so much warmth and support in her life that Rachel and I never had.
Pavel and his daughter come over often, and despite their age difference, Rachel loves to hang out with her. They talk about guys endlessly in Rachel’s guest house while the rest of us talk business over dinner and drinks.
The contrast between this life and the life I thought I would have at this age is immense. I feel like I’ve suddenly evolved into this highly respected, grown woman with matching water glasses and expensive rugs on my wooden floors.
I always pictured myself struggling for eternity. To me, that struggle meant that I would begin every day overcome with dread that I would meet the final nail in my poverty coffin. Would it be a burst pipe in my apartment, flooding all my belongings with water? Would it be a burst appendix? A fire?
With Luka, I never worry about anything. I have so much more space to breathe in my own head that I wonder what my life would have been like if I had grown up in a place like this. To think that there are kids who get to grow up in loving homes with parents who are present and attentive makes me think I could have lived out the myriad dreams I had as a child. I just wasn’t given the right environment.
But now, Rachel and Anya both have that.
Luka’s men were able to apprehend Damien and take over all of his territories once Dmitri was killed. Even though this meant that Luka needed more men to run the territories properly, he made sure that he found even more people than he needed to ensure that he was able to stay home with Anya and me.
This way, we have even more money coming in than we had before, and sending Rachel to college doesn’t even take the interest off our investments.
Being able to send Rachel to college when I never got to go makes me feel like I’ve finally done something right in this life, even if it’s all mostly Luka. I want to see her succeed where I didn’t. I want her to have the time to pursue her passions and interests without having to worry about which work schedule is coming out that day. I want her to know what it’s like to fully enjoy life without the weight of poverty over her head, and for once, I think she’ll be able to have that.
As I’m watching Rachel play with Anya on the floor, Luka calls me over from the kitchen. I get up and cautiously approach him, looking over my shoulder at Anya at least three times before I’m able to fully relax and meet him at the kitchen island.
“Anna, I love you without end. I think we’re at a point in our life together where we take the next logical step,” he says.
“The next logical step?” I reply suspiciously. “I was kind of hoping you’d say that you couldn’t live without me or something.”
He laughs, pulling a diamond ring and dropping to his knee. “Then I’ll make this a little more romantic.”
I gasp, and despite seeing this coming, it still makes my heart pound and my hands shake.
“Anna,” Luka begins, his voice low and steady. “You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met in my life. You make me feel alive inside, even on the days when the world feels like it’s against me. Will you marry me?”
I smile, simply too overwhelmed with joy to speak. Luka raises an eyebrow. “Is that a yes?”
I laugh, tears welling up in my eyes. “Yes, Luka. Yes!”
The End.