“No threats are made in the hall!” he said sternly.
Maria turned to the judge.
“You see?” he said. “This man can’t control himself. He even threatens his own son.”
Vladimir was breathing heavily. His eyes were black.
The judge looked at the documents, then looked at Vladimir.
“The court will request further investigation,” he said. “And will consider requests for witness protection.”
Vladimir stood up abruptly.
“This is a farce!” he shouted.
The judge interrupted him:
– Sit down, or you will be removed.
Vladimir sat up, but his face was twisted with rage.
Maria turned to me for a moment and whispered:
– We already have it.
I looked at Peter. He was standing there, alone facing his father, but he wasn’t bending.
And then I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: hope.
Not that stupid hope that everything will just work out.
And the real one is that if you fight, sometimes you win.
And that finally, maybe, good will get a chance.
Not as alms.
And as a deserved victory.
Chapter Eighteen
The decision did not come immediately. The court postponed, ordered inspections, demanded documents. Vladimir left the courtroom without looking at anyone, but I could feel his gaze on my back like a hot iron.
Kalin was pale. His lawyer spoke quickly, as if trying to cover up the panic.
Maria grabbed my shoulder.
“The most important thing now is to keep Mila safe,” he said.
“Vladimir will attack,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Maria nodded. “But he is no longer unpunished.”
That evening we returned to Raya’s. She was very weak. Mila sat next to her, and Sylvia stood on the threshold like a guard.
When I entered, Mila jumped up.
“What happened?” she asked.
“The truth started to come out,” I said. “And Peter… he was brave.”
Mila smiled for a moment, then she thought of her mother and her smile faded.
Raya opened her eyes.
“Nikola…” she whispered. “Did he come?”
“He came,” I said. “And for the first time… he didn’t seem invincible.”
Raya barely smiled.
“Okay,” he whispered. “Then… it makes sense.”
She extended her hand to Mila.
“Come,” he said quietly.
Mila leaned over.
Raya whispered something in her ear that I didn’t hear. Mila cried softly and nodded.
Then Raya looked at me.
“You… promised,” he whispered.
“I promised,” I said.
Raya closed her eyes. Her breathing was getting quieter, but her face was calm.
We didn’t say much. There was no need. There was that heavy feeling in the room that the end of a life was near, but also that this end brought liberation.
At night, Mila fell asleep, nestled next to her mother. I sat on a chair and watched the light from the lamp cast shadows on the wall.
My phone rang. Unknown number.
I picked up without thinking.
“Nikola,” Vladimir’s voice was heard. “Are you happy?”
I clutched the phone.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Let me remind you that it’s not over yet,” he said quietly. “Judgement is slow. And life… is fast.”
“You don’t scare me,” I said, though my voice trembled.
Vladimir laughed.
“I’m scaring you,” he said. “You’re just pretending.”
I fell silent.
“Listen to me,” he continued. “Give it up. Sign it. Get out. And you’ll keep your house. I’ll give you a job. We’ll forget it.”
“And Mila?” I asked.
His voice became colder.
“Mila will be mine,” he said. “One way or another.”
Anger flooded me.
“No,” I said. “She’s not an item.”
Vladimir sighed, as if he was getting tired of me.
– Nikola… you are poor. You don’t understand. The world is for those who take.
“And I will take away her right to live freely,” I said.
Vladimir was silent for a moment, then whispered:
“Then I’ll take something from you.”
The connection was lost.
I sat, trembling. Maria was right: the pressure doesn’t stop. It just changes form.
In the morning, the bank rang again. This time the voice was even colder. They threatened me with foreclosure.
Maria came right away when I told her.
“This is a move,” she said. “Vladimir wants to get you out of the house so you’re weak.”
“And I’m weak anyway,” I whispered.
Maria looked at me sternly.
“No,” he said. “You’re tired. That’s different. And fatigue is treated with support.”
Just then, Sylvia walked in with a phone in her hand.
“We have news,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
