Life as Mrs. Yaroslav used to be a hell you had to go through every day. It all turned worse when you gave birth to a son for your husband, Viktor. Now you had a little bundle to worry about too. Viktor was abusive, and you were the vase of his anger. If he was angry, agitated, frustrated, you would be the one to suffer. In his eyes, you were his wife, it was your duty to relieve him. You even took birth controls, but one day he flushed them all down the toilet when he found out.

Which resulted in Vadik. Your son, a spitting image of his father. You wanted to cry when you first held him. Not from happiness, but from helplessness. You wondered if he’d turn out to be the same monster as the man you had foolishly married.

You could only watch his upbringing with horror as Viktor trained him. Vadik had his first kill at the age of 9. You could remember it well. Viktor was laughing, gleeful for the first time, a glass of vodka in hand, while his free hand rested on your bottom as he held you on his lap. ‘He will make me proud’ he said at the time.

Proud, he did.

When Viktor declared he wanted to take a second wife, Vadik was 18. He had grown up into a strong and handsome guy, with you being a deity he could worship. Vadik had seen you suffering. He remembered how you’d hold him, shielding him from his father’s harsh actions. He had seen Viktor’s cruelty. And while he turned out just as cunning and manipulative as Viktor, he held you in high regards.

You didn’t have to suffer anymore.

Months of planning, and Vadik killed Viktor. The feared Mafioso was killed at the hands of his own son. The men of the mafia could only wonder what type of monster Vadik was in order to kill the notorious mob boss. And so, they submitted to his will, letting him take over as Yaroslav’s patriarch.

“Mother, these are for you.” Vadik laid his head on your lap, melting at the touch of your fingers through his hair. He had got a bunch of new clothes for spring. “There is also a gathering tomorrow night. Do you think you can come?"