The small moment of humour faded almost as quickly as it came.
Ulyana's expression hardened again as she carefully shoved the packet into her purse with visible irritation.
"I'm taking you home," Hak said firmly.
"No, thank you," she replied immediately. "I'll call Bear."
Hak stared at her. "Your ankle is injured."
"I said I'll call Bear."
"You're drunk."
"And you're annoying."
Hak exhaled sharply, patience visibly thinning. "Ulyana."
"No." She tried standing properly despite the pain in her ankle, wincing slightly. "I don't need you appearing out of nowhere just to start acting controlling again."
His jaw tightened. "I'm not arguing with you. Get in the car."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
The tension between them snapped taut.
Hak finally lost what little patience he had left. "Why are you being so stubborn?"
Ulyana looked at him in disbelief.
"Why am I stubborn?" she repeated, her voice cracking slightly before anger overtook it. "Do you seriously want to ask me that right now?"
Hak remained silent.
"You disappear for months," she continued, tears beginning to gather despite how hard she fought them back. "Not one message. Not one call. Do you have any idea what that was like for me?"
"You know I was working."
"That doesn't mean you get to vanish!"
"I was serious when I told you to wait for me," Hak snapped back, his own frustration finally surfacing. "I was in the middle of an active investigation when I got pulled away because you decided to act like a rebellious brat."
The words hit immediately.
Ulyana's face fell before anger flared hotter than before.
"Fuck you," she shot back. "A simple text would've sufficed, but apparently that was too difficult for you."
Hak stepped closer, his expression darkening. "I was busy trying not to die."
The rawness in his voice caught her off guard for a moment, but he continued before she could speak.
"I don't have time to constantly reassure you when I'm underground. I need to stay focused every second I'm there." His voice sharpened further. "Nikolai summoned me back because you wanted to be selfish."
Ulyana's eyes widened in hurt.
"I went out tonight because I needed one evening without thinking about you!" she shouted tearfully. "Do you know how pathetic that sounds? Months, Hak. Months of waiting around wondering if you were even alive!"
Hak's breathing had grown heavier now too, both of them too emotional to pull back anymore. "You think this is easy for me?" he asked bitterly.
"You act like it!"
Silence crashed between them afterward.
The alley suddenly felt colder.
Ulyana wiped furiously at her tears while Hak looked away briefly, tension radiating off him in waves.
Neither of them noticed how close they had moved toward each other during the argument until the silence forced them to stand still and actually look.
The silence between them unbearable.
Ulyana's eyes were still glossy with tears while Hak stood rigidly in front of her, frustration and exhaustion written all over his face. Months of longing, anger, fear, and hurt hung heavily between them, too much for either of them to properly express.
Suddenly, neither of them were talking anymore.
Hak moved first. Or maybe she did.
Neither of them would later remember. One second they were arguing, the next his hand was against her face and she had pulled him toward her.
The kiss was immediate and intense, filled with everything they had failed to say for months.
All the hurt. All the anger. All the waiting.
It poured into the moment recklessly.
Ulyana gripped the front of his jacket tightly while Hak held her carefully but firmly against him, like he had spent months fighting the urge to do exactly this. The cold alley, the argument, the noise from the city beyond them all disappeared. Neither of them were pretending anymore.
Then Hak's phone rang.
The sound cut sharply through the moment. They broke apart abruptly, both breathing unevenly.
Hak stared at the screen for a second before answering immediately.
"Yes, Sir."
Ulyana watched his expression shift almost instantly back into composure.
"We're returning now."
A pause.
"I understand."
The call ended. Hak lowered the phone slowly.
"You have to go back," Ulyana realised quietly.
Hak nodded.
It clicked together in her mind then.
Her grandfather had not summoned Hak back earlier.
Hak had come himself.
For her.
The anger she had been clinging to faltered slightly, though it was quickly replaced by something heavier.
Without another word, Hak bent down and lifted her carefully into his arms. This time, she didn't protest. She simply rested against him quietly while he carried her toward the waiting car.
The drive back was tense from the start.
Rain tapped softly against the windows while the city lights blurred past outside. Ulyana sat beside him silently for several minutes before finally speaking.
"So what now?"
Hak kept his eyes forward. "Nothing changes."
Ulyana let out a humourless laugh. "You just kissed me in an alley after disappearing for five months."
Hak's jaw tightened. "That shouldn't have happened."
The words stung immediately.
Ulyana turned toward him slowly. "Excuse me?"
"I mean it," he said firmly. "This cannot happen again."
The atmosphere in the car shifted instantly.
Hak finally looked at her then, his expression conflicted but unwavering.
"You know what my life is," he continued quietly. "You know who I belong to."
"My grandfather."
"Yes."
"And?"
"And I cannot be with you."
The finality in his voice felt like a blade sliding into her chest.
Ulyana looked away sharply, blinking back tears before anger covered the hurt again.
"Whatever," she muttered coldly. "We're done then. I don't care anymore."
Hak visibly reacted to that.
Only slightly.
But enough for her to notice.
Still, neither of them corrected the misunderstanding growing between them. Neither knew how to properly explain what they were actually afraid of.
Hak feared dragging her into a dangerous life he believed would destroy her.
Ulyana feared being unwanted.
So instead of honesty, they chose distance.
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
And by the time the car reached the mansion gates, whatever existed between them had already begun breaking apart.
- -
By the time the car pulled into the mansion grounds, the tension between them had frozen over completely.
Hak stepped out first before moving around to Ulyana's side. Without asking, he lifted her carefully into his arms again.
She didn't argue, she didn't look at him either.
The grand entrance doors opened before they even reached them.
Vadim stood waiting inside.
At first, relief crossed his face at the sight of Ulyana safe. Then his eyes landed on Hak.
Everything changed.
The colour drained from his face.
Hak immediately sensed something was wrong.
Before anyone could speak, Vadim stormed forward and punched Hak hard across the jaw. The impact echoed through the entrance hall.
Ulyana gasped in shock as Hak barely staggered from the hit. "Vadim!" she shouted.
"Where the hell were you?!" Vadim roared.
His voice cracked violently at the end. The anger collapsed almost instantly afterward.
Vadim stumbled back before dropping to his knees, his breathing uneven as he covered his face with his hands.
Hak's expression darkened immediately.
"What happened?"
Vadim looked up at him, eyes red and furious all at once. "The target you left alive tonight," he said shakily. "He recognised Ivan. He knew he was Nikolai's son."
Ulyana felt her stomach drop.
Vadim's composure finally shattered completely. "He put Ivan in a coma."
The words hit like a gunshot.
Ulyana immediately pushed herself out of Hak's arms despite the pain shooting through her ankle.
"Where is he?" she whispered.
No one answered fast enough.
She limped forward desperately through the mansion halls, ignoring the pain entirely now as panic overtook her. Hak moved instinctively to help her, but she pulled away from him without a word.
Staff moved quickly and quietly. Guards stood tense at every entrance. The usual warmth of the home had vanished beneath suffocating dread.
When Ulyana finally reached Ivan's room, the sight before her broke something inside her chest.
Machines beeped softly beside the bed.
Ivan laid motionless beneath dim lighting, bruising visible along his face and neck despite the medical treatment already given. Tubes and wires surrounded him in ways that made him feel suddenly unfamiliar.
Too still.
"Vanya…" she whispered brokenly.
Ulyana collapsed beside his bed, clutching his hand carefully as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Her older brother, who had always laughed the loudest, teased her endlessly, protected her without hesitation was now silent.
Behind her, Hak stood frozen near the doorway, genuine guilt settled visibly across his expression.
If he had completed the assignment properly…
If he had not left…
Vadim remained outside the room entirely, unable to even look at his twin like this.
A while later, Nikolai arrived. The old man entered calmly despite the heaviness consuming the mansion. His eyes settled first on Ivan, then Ulyana, and finally Hak.
Unlike Vadim, there was no rage in the old man, only calculation and understanding.
"This was not intentional," Nikolai said quietly.
Hak lowered his head slightly. "The fault is mine regardless."
"No," Nikolai replied firmly as he rested a hand on Hak's shoulder. "This is the result of poor planning. Emotions interfered with execution."
The words were harsh in truth, but not cruel.
Nikolai understood exactly why Hak had left. And he understood that Hak would punish himself far worse than anyone else ever could.
Vadim suddenly appeared in the doorway again, eyes still wet with anger and grief. "He could die," he snapped bitterly.
Nikolai's gaze sharpened instantly. "Control yourself."
Vadim clenched his fists tightly.
"You are emotional because it is your twin brother," Nikolai continued coldly. "But emotional reactions solve nothing."
The room fell silent.
Even devastated, Vadim immediately lowered his head in obedience.
Nikolai turned back toward Hak afterward.
"Come," he ordered. "We will discuss our next steps."
Hak hesitated only briefly, his eyes drifting once more toward Ulyana.
She never looked back at him. Her entire focus remained on Ivan.
That hurt more than the punch ever had.
Without another word, Hak followed Nikolai out of the room toward the private meeting hall, while behind them the quiet sound of Ulyana crying beside her brother echoed painfully through the mansion.