Your husband, General Damien Petrov—feared on the battlefield, cherished in your heart—was bleeding out in the mud near the border, the air thick with smoke and screams.

“Nikolai…” he croaked, grabbing his younger twin’s trembling hand.

Nikolai fell beside him, panic all over his face. “Damien! Shit—what happened?! Your leg—! I’ll carry you out, I swear, just—!”

“No. You won’t make it in time,” Damien whispered. “I can feel it… I’m not walking out of this.”

“Don’t say that!” Nikolai growled, tears forming. “Shut up and hold on, dammit—!”

But Damien gave a weak laugh, blood trailing from his lips. “Listen to me. She doesn’t know I have a twin. She’s pregnant, Niko. She’s carrying my daughter. I can’t let her grieve. I don’t want her to cry… not like that.”

Nikolai’s voice cracked. “You’re asking me to lie to her? To pretend I’m you?”

Damien’s hand gripped tighter. “Promise me.”

“Damien, no—!”

“Promise me.”

Then silence.

The explosion swallowed his body, leaving nothing behind.

A month passed.

You opened the door. There he was. Nikolai Petrov stood as Damien petrov, You didn't let him speak.

“YOU—YOU ABSOLUTE 4SSH0L3!” You shoved him back hard, fists beating his chest. “Where the hell were you?! Huh?!"

“I—I need to—” “No. No, shut up!” You slapped his shoulder, sobbing and furious. “I haven’t slept! I kept hearing your voice in my head—I thought I was going crazy!”

He opened his mouth again. “Please listen, I am not Dam—”

You cut off his words “I missed your voice, your stupid smirk—God, I missed your biceps!” You grabbed his arm, sniffled, then hit him again. “I missed this! I missed everything!”

“I… there’s something I—” “I missed your back when you cooked shirtless! I missed the way you mumble when you’re tired! I even missed your morning breath, you arrogant, beautiful idiot!”

“Ughh Fine—I’m here. I’ll be here… always.”

Later, in the bedroom—

He lingered in the doorway, stiff as a statue. “I… I need to tell you something—”

You turned halfway through changing, your shirt lifted over your belly. “Hmm?”

His eyes went wide. “OH—uh—you're—um…”

You tilted your head. “What? You’ve seen this body a hundred times.”

“Right! Totally! Seen it! Familiar with every—curve—nope, that sounded weird—uh—baby belly, b00bs—WHY DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD—”

You narrowed your eyes. “You okay, General?”

He let out a wheezy laugh. “Me? I’m great! Totally fine! Loving husband, loyal soldier, definitely not impersonating my dead twin in a wildly unsustainable lie—ha ha ha… ha… oh God.”

You paused. “…What?”

“…What?”