Vengeance

CHAPTER 6

It has been ages since Mikhail had experienced a peaceful sleep. He could not decipher what it was about Tabitha that had drawn him to her, but simply having her presence beside him was enough to make him feel better.

He felt complete.

Since the day he was left in that orphanage, he never woke up with a smile on his face. In fact, he had only cursed his existence when he had to open his eyes each morning, that is, if he had managed a wink of sleep.

Today, however, was not like any other day. He actually had a small smile playing on his lips, but it soon turned into a scowl when he noticed the space beside him was empty. It might be too soon to admit, but he panicked when he couldn’t see Tabitha in the room and couldn’t imagine her leaving him alone in this house.

But then the rich fragrance of coffee calmed him down. Hoping it was Tabitha in the kitchen, brewing, he made his way towards her. When he saw her gracefully moving about, preparing breakfast, he felt relieved, like he could finally breathe.

He wanted nothing more than to stride over, pull her into his arms, and hold her close. He even took a step forward, but then the sudden realization of having morning breath hit him, and he rushed back to the bathroom to fix that issue.

He grabbed his toothbrush and squeezed the paste onto it. He should have simply brushed his teeth there, but he didn’t want to miss a single opportunity of not having Tabitha in front of his eyes. So, he made his way back to the kitchen, continuing to brush as he silently observed her.

Tabitha was undeniably beautiful. She didn’t have the body of a model, but that didn’t diminish her allure. To call her simply attractive was an understatement. No words could adequately capture her essence. Her presence, her soul, defied description, and even the most poetic adjectives felt inadequate when it came to her.

Mikhail was perfectly aware that he didn’t know her. Neither did he have any clue what kind of person she was, but somehow he knew that she was beautiful inside and out. She had the charisma that could easily attract any male specimen to get to know her, but he would be damned if it happened now under his watch.

Even now, early in the morning, when Tabitha was still in her previous night clothes, her hair loosely tied in a messy bun, she looked adorable. Flawless.

"Mikhail!" Tabitha exclaimed when she saw her boyfriend staring at her while brushing his teeth. "I didn’t realize you were in the room."

“Good, because it just gave me more time to enjoy your presence like a silent spectator. It is rather enchanting what this heart can experience.” Mikhail said, his steps slow as he moved closer to her, his gaze tender.

Tabitha let out a quiet gasp, her heart fluttering. She had never seen her boyfriend so open before. It was endearing, and she loved this new side of him. The accident had undeniably changed him.

However, her astonished expression didn’t escape his notice, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you always seem so surprised when I show you appreciation?”

“Because you never openly admired me. To be honest, I was starting to doubt if you even liked me,” she said, her smile tinged with sadness.

‘Dumb, Anatoly,’ Mikhail thought. What the hell was he playing with a girl like her?

Mikhail could tell Tabitha lacked self-assurance, and he suspected it had something to do with his twin brother's attitude toward her. But he was going to change that aspect.

He won't let his brother destroy this innocent soul. He didn’t know what his twin's game was, but Tabitha didn’t belong to him for sure. Mikhail didn’t know if he deserved Tabitha, which mostly he didn't, but he would worship her if she let him be with her.

"Well, then, I have been a fool not to appreciate a woman like you. Because, Miss Tabitha, you are becoming the sole reason for my existence." He kissed her tenderly, drawing her closer by wrapping his arm around her waist. Her hand rested on his chest as he pulled her in.

The kiss was slow at first, yet brimming with passion. Who knew that innocence could be a new definition of passion and that a woman could be no less than an oxygen source for a man's life? He knew he was doomed at that moment, and she was the only one who could save him. She held the strings of his life.

"Is it cruel of me to say that I like you being Mikhail more than you being Anatoly?" She asked, her breath shallow as they pulled apart for air.

"Honestly? I couldn’t be more pleased. I like being Mikhail more than Anatoly." Mikhail’s voice was sincere, a rare honesty in his words.

This was something he had longed to hear ever since he met his mother. He had never harbored a grudge against his brother for being the one chosen by her, but the realization that she had managed to completely erase him from her life stung. A small part of him, deep down, had begun to despise Anatoly.

He was glad that at least one person appreciated him.

"Now, how about I take a shower, and then we can eat our breakfast? Or perhaps you'd like to join me there," he teased, watching as Tabitha’s face turned bright red.

She playfully hit him on the chest, causing him to laugh, a sound he hadn’t heard from himself in what felt like forever. It felt good, and he savored it.

Tabitha was dreaming of being with Mikhail in his room when she came face to face with the devil himself, who was now revealing to her a side of herself that she could only imagine had existed.

"Oh." When she saw him half-naked, she flushed tremendously. He was merely dressed in a towel.

Mikhail looked at her with amusement and couldn’t help but tease her. "Moments like this make me wonder what kind of man I was before the accident."

"A kind of man who likes to keep to himself, barely expressing. I know it is rather bold of me to say and not sound like a b***h, but you are way different from Anatoly I knew. I have never been this open to anyone, but currently, with you, there is something that just makes me want to share my deepest secret. It is scary but in a good way."

He felt a sharp pang of guilt at the thought of hiding his true identity from her, but he pushed it down. He couldn’t bear the idea of losing her before she even had the chance to truly see him, to know the man he was. She deserved honesty, but he feared that the truth would drive her away. Not yet. Not before she had the chance to fall for him, for who he was now, not who he was before the accident.

It was a gamble, a dangerous one, but he couldn't risk it. Not yet.

The slight fear of losing made his head race, so he chose the best option for them. He chose to taste her lips.

One day, he will reveal the truth about his identity, that he is not Anatoly, but his twin, Mikhail. But, first and foremost, she needed to know him. He is going to reveal to her his actual side, one that he has suppressed and has never felt the need to show others. The only people who knew him were his adopted father, his best buddy, Robert, and Alfonzo, his left and right-hand men.

Before things got out of hand, they both ate breakfast, but Tabitha had to go. However, he did make her commit to having dinner.