Roman
"They are my daughters."
I drove down the narrow road that wound through the tall pine trees. I knew that ahead of me lay not just a meeting with my wife's brother, Alex, but also one of the most difficult tests of my life. I needed to pick up my daughters, the triplets Alex had kept with him ever since Mel was injured.
Alex was a master manipulator. He used his sister's condition as an excuse to take the girls to his mansion and, taking advantage of their childish confusion, or rather the fact that they were just babies, to turn them against me, but most importantly, to simply protect them from Mel. Although the girls already knew that I was their father, there would probably be a coldness in their eyes that I was never used to.
Alex's mansion appeared ahead, a gloomy, stately building hidden behind high gates and a stone wall. I stopped the car in front of the gate and got out, feeling the tension growing with each passing second.
"Here I am," I muttered under my breath and stepped towards the video camera on the pole.
"Who?" Alex's familiar voice came from the speaker.
"Are you kidding me?" I chuckled. "I called you and you answered yourself, so open up."
The gate swung open with a mechanical creak. I stepped into the grounds and walked down the fine gravel path to the massive door. A bodyguard was already waiting for him and led him inside.
Alex was sitting in the living room by the fireplace, holding a glass of red wine. His impeccable suit and calm posture irritated me more than his rudeness. Three girls, Gianna, Josie, and Jane, were sitting by the fireplace, surrounded by toys. They looked cozy, but when they noticed me, their faces tensed.
"Finally." Alex leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Long drive, as usual."
I ignored the taunt, my gaze fixed on my daughters.
"Come on, girls. We're leaving."
The girls froze. Gianna, as always the bravest, stood up first.
"Do we really have to?"
"But he's Mel's husband...and if she's our mom then he..." Josie spoke up too.
"Quiet, Josie. Mel promised to come but she didn't." Her eyes were intense and she tilted her head to the side. "Why are we leaving?"
There was uncertainty in her voice that cut my heart. If things were different, they would just run to hug me. Now her question sounded like a test. And all because for them I am nobody.
"Yes, we're leaving," I said firmly. I wasn't going to discuss this with the kids or explain why - they were too young to understand the full scope of the game Alex had drawn them into.
"We stayed here because Mel didn't come for us that time," Gianna noted again, looking at Alex as if seeking confirmation.
Alex gave a restrained smile and shrugged.
"Well, Roman? It seems the girls don't really want to leave. Maybe we should leave them here?"
I felt anger boiling inside me.
"They stay with the family," I said, my eyes flashing. "You're their uncle, Alex, not their father."
"Oh, here we go again?" Alex sighed and stood up, as if he was bored with this discussion. "Listen, Roman, the girls are safe here. They get everything they need: food, toys, care. What can you offer them in your hole? Oh, sorry, in the residence of the Russian mafia."
I took a step forward, but held back. It wasn't the first time Alex had questioned my ability to be a father. Let's just remember that he stole those children. But today was different. Today, I would take them.
"Girls," I said to the triplets, softening my tone. "We have to go. Mommy is waiting for us." I didn't know if I was supposed to call Mel Mommy...
But the words about Mom had an effect. Gianna stood up first, then Josie and quiet Jane. But there was still a trace of doubt in their eyes.
As they approached the door, Alex stood up to his full height.
"You think you've won?" his voice was quiet, but laced with contempt. "They'll keep coming back here. Because you're temporary. And I'm the one who's always here. And Mel will soon realize that, too. I promised her I'd give her the kids, but it's not over yet."
I stopped for a second and turned around.
"They reach out to their mother. And you are just her brother."
Alex grinned but didn't answer.
***
The girls were silent on the street. I sat them in the car, carefully fastened the belts, checking every detail. When I got behind the wheel, Gianna suddenly asked:
"Is Mel really waiting for us?"
The road from the mansion was taut as a string. I felt anger boiling inside me. Meeting Alex always caused such emotions.
"Why did we stay at Uncle Alex's for so long if she promised to pick us up?" Josie asked from the back seat.
"And dad...uncle said she left us," Jane added too quietly.
I closed my eyes for a moment before answering.
"That's not true. She never left you."
Josie frowned.
"But why were we still there then?"
I wanted to explain everything, but I understood that the girls were too young to understand the complex relationship between me and Alex. And even more so our relationship with their mother.
"Because she wanted you to be safe," I said, trying to sound calm. Well done Roma, very believable.
"Safety? The uncle we thought was dad?" Gianna snorted. "He's evil. And she really wanted to take us away."
I gritted my teeth, remembering the way Alex had looked at me in the mansion. Her brother had always been a manipulator, a man who liked to dominate. But something about this conversation made me doubt: had the girls really gotten used to living with Alex? What if they could never do that to us?
"So, you don't love Alex?" Josie suddenly asked, her voice sounding too mature for her age. My eyes continued to follow Jane through the rearview mirror because she was the only one who remained silent.
But hearing another question, I looked back at Josie in the mirror.
"Your uncle and I are... different," he answered briefly. Of course, the handsome Italian and the Russian mafia boss are different.
"You hate him, don't you?" Gianna continued.
I didn't answer, but the girls seemed to understand. Their questions gave way to silence, but I knew it was only the calm before the storm.
The car sped along the highway, overtaking rare cars. The girls became quiet, but their glances pierced me.
"Are you sure he's our dad?" Josie broke the silence. She and Joanna were whispering quietly to each other.
"Of course, they are husband and wife." I chuckled at how strong and confident her voice sounded. She reminded me so much of Mel...and me.
"Alex and....well, they were also husband and wife, but we are not their children."
"You're stupid, Josie."
"Of course, since all the brains have been transferred to you." Josie snorted.
"Enough!" Jane screamed so loudly that I almost veered off the road. "Aunt Mel will tell you everything herself, stop talking about things you don't know about."
A tiny smile appeared on my face as Jane's frightened face turned quiet and calm again. Interesting. So the little quiet one has a voice, one that can silence but she rarely uses it. Is it just me or is Jane a complete copy of me?
"You're right, Jane." Gianna breathed. "Where's Mel?"
"Is she in the hospital? Is she sick?" Josie chimed in.
"She's in the hospital," I said, my voice softer.
"Will we see her?" Gianna asked.
I nodded.
"Yes, but you need to be careful. She's not very well right now."
"Does she love us?" Josie said it so quietly I could barely hear it.
"Of course he does," I replied, feeling the pain growing in my chest.
"Then why did she leave us?" came the question.
"Because she needed to go to the hospital."
"That's not what she meant." Gianna clicked her tongue. "Why wasn't she with us as our mother?"
The words hit like a knife. I slowed down, trying to collect myself.
"Look, I'm just going to say this once." My knuckles ached from how hard I was gripping the steering wheel. "Your mom - she wanted to be with you so badly, it's just that there were too many things that happened that weren't your Mel's decision, you know? Don't doubt her love for you."
Yeah, I'm an asshole. I knew she was pregnant and still got drunk and ignored her because I stupidly thought she was disgusted by me, but I knew what I was talking about. I noticed how she secretly stroked her belly, how she quietly whispered something as if she was telling me something before she even saw the triplets. And how she lost a part of herself when she lived with the thought that our children were gone.
"You're right. But we don't know anything about you." They answered at the same time.
The triplets looked at each other, but asked no more questions along the way.
***
The hospital corridor smelled of antiseptics and something heavy, almost suffocating. I stopped at the door of Mel's room, and the girls surrounded me.
"Are we going to see Mel now?" Josie asked.
"Yes, but before that I want to talk to you," I said, squatting down.
I took their little hands in mine and looked into each one's eyes.
"Girls, your mother loves you very much. She always thought about you. But sometimes... sometimes adults need time to figure themselves out. I wasn't lying when I said that in the car."
"Were we bad?" Jane looked ready to cry.
I shook my head.
"No, you are the best daughters anyone could ever dream of. Life is just hard sometimes."
"What's wrong with her?" Gianna suddenly pulled her hand away. "Mel's always been strong - the hospital is no place for her."
"You're right." I trained my cheek from the inside. "But this time, even for her, there were no exceptions."
At that moment, I noticed Natasha, a woman I had not expected to see here, enter the room. She glanced at me quickly, but said nothing as she disappeared through the door.
"Who is it?" asked Josie.
I gritted my teeth, realizing that I wasn't ready to discuss Natasha. What was there to explain to them? I wasn't ready to talk to them about everything yet. They had to learn about this world, Mel's and my world, gradually.
"Doesn't matter."
"Roman? That's your name, isn't it?" Gianna narrowed her eyes.
"Yes." I nodded.
"If you love our real mother, then don't hurt her anymore."
"What?"
"What?" Her small eyebrow arched. "We wouldn't be here if you were nice."
The conversation was interrupted by a loud cry.
"Kirillov, get your ass out now!"
I recognized Mel's voice instantly. I jumped up, startled and wary. The girls huddled around me, their eyes wide with surprise. Yes, my wife knows how to scare everyone with her screams.
"What's going on?" they whispered again at the same time.
I looked at the door of the room and exhaled.
"Don't worry. It just seems like the end to me."