Nikolai's shoulders slumped as the weight of his confession pressed down on him. His voice cracked with unexpected vulnerability.
"How could I deny it when part of it was true?" He moved to the window, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. "Yes, my father ordered me to pursue you. To make you fall for me. His grand scheme for some business advantage."
He turned back to face her, eyes pleading. "But I never used those children as pawns in that game, Alex. Never. Those adoption papers weren't part of some manipulation." His voice softened to barely above a whisper. "I genuinely wanted to give them a home. To create the family I never had—with you."
The rawness in his voice made Alex pause. She clutched the towel tighter around herself, studying his face for any sign of deception.
