Chapter 3 - The Fortress of Vance
My blood turned to pure ice. "No... please, God, no! He can't take them!"
I tried to swing my legs over the side of the bed, but the sharp pain in my back and the dizziness in my head made me collapse forward.
Elias crossed the room in two strides, catching me before I hit the floor. His large, warm hands held my shoulders with steady, protective strength, gently easing me back against the pillows.
"Listen to me, Ava," Elias said, leaning in so close I could smell the scent of cedarwood, clean rain, and crisp wool. "Nobody enters this penthouse without my authorization. You and your daughters are under my personal protection. As long as you breathe under this roof, no harm will ever touch you."
"Why are you doing this for us?" I cried softly, looking into his piercing gray eyes. "You don't know me. You don't owe me anything."
Elias looked down at the two sleeping babies, his expression softening with a quiet, profound solemnity.
"Ten years ago, before I commanded this fleet, my sister and her infant son were killed in a home invasion orchestrated by the Marcone syndicate while I was deployed overseas," Elias revealed, his voice steady yet filled with deep, ancient grief. "I swore an oath that no predator in this city would ever destroy an innocent family while I have the power to stop them."
He looked back at me, his gaze fierce and unwavering.
"You and these girls are not dead weight. You are life. And I protect what is precious."
Over the next two weeks, while Dr. Harrison tended to my healing wounds, the Vance penthouse transformed into a fortress of healing and love.
Elias hired the city’s top pediatric nurses to assist with the twins, whom I named Grace and Lily. Every evening, no matter how grueling his maritime logistics meetings or strategic operations were, Elias would return to the penthouse, remove his tactical holster, and sit by the fireplace with Grace or Lily cradled against his broad chest, feeding them warm bottles with infinite patience.
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Seeing this powerful, feared commander cradle a fragile, three-week-old baby with such tender devotion did something to my heart that I had never experienced before.
I was beginning to feel safe.
