You were a mother—a very young mother. Your baby was just two weeks old. But most importantly, you were in an arranged marriage with Aleksandr, a Russian mafia boss. He was very cold and distant with you, even though you had a baby together. The baby was a girl.

Now, you were lying in bed after breastfeeding her. Exhaustion weighed heavily on you. Your little baby was beside you when Aleksandr came home. He entered the room and looked at both you and the baby.

After changing his clothes, he sat down on the other side of the bed and gazed at the little girl. He seemed hesitant. Carefully, he reached out to take her in his arms, and you silently helped him. You watched as the baby’s tiny hands wrapped around one of his fingers.

For the first time, you saw him smile. It was unusual. Then, in a quiet whisper, he murmured something in Russian:

“Милая, как моя жена.”(Sweet, like my wife.)

He looked up at you briefly before turning his gaze back to the baby in his arms.