Three weeks later…
Nikolai gently held Lilith's hand as he carefully helped her sit down.
It was Ariz's wedding.
The wedding hall was beautifully decorated as family and friends gathered to celebrate.
Elina stood beside her father.
She held her father's arm tightly as he walked her down the aisle.
Everyone watched.
Her father carefully walked her toward Ariz.
When they reached the front, he gently sat her down.
His wife, Mrs. Marium, stood nearby.
She was Bengali.
The moment she saw Riyana, the two women embraced.
"Thank you," Mrs. Marium said.
"Welcome. We are now family," Riyana replied.
Lilith's head was covered.
She sat beside Nikolai.
Ariz and Elina looked at each other for the first time as bride and groom.
They smiled.
"He mine and I'm his," Elina whispered.
"She mine and I'm hers," Ariz whispered back.
The wedding began.
The process was long.
Everyone watched as the ceremony continued.
Eventually, they exchanged their vows.
"I do."
"I do."
"I do."
Elina repeated.
"I do."
"I do."
"I do."
Ariz repeated.
They were now happily married.
The celebration continued.
Music filled the venue.
Family members laughed and celebrated.
Lilith suddenly pulled Nikolai's shirt.
"Yes, baby?" he asked.
"I want ice cubes, please," she said.
"Ice cubes?" Nikolai repeated.
Lilith nodded.
He sighed.
Then he smiled.
"Of course, my love," he said.
Lilith clapped happily.
Nearby, Charvi was on a call.
"Please… I…I will find some money. Don't post them," she begged.
Knox overheard her.
The person on the other end laughed.
"If you don't send it in the next six hours, I will post it. The whole school will see it," the caller said.
Charvi sobbed.
Knox stood there quietly.
He watched her.
After the call ended, Charvi cried herself to sleep.
Knox waited for a while.
Then he approached her.
He took her phone.
He hacked into it.
He saw the messages.
He saw the money she had been sending to the person.
"If you don't send that money now, I will post it," he read.
He continued looking.
Finally, he saw the video.
It was a private recording of Charvi taking a bath in the shower after the game.
Knox's expression changed.
He saw the marks on her body.
He immediately made a call.
"Bring my laptop," he said.
Then he ended the call.
Two minutes later, Axton arrived with the laptop.
Knox opened it.
He began typing.
He hacked into the boy's number.
He wiped his phone.
He got rid of the videos.
Then he crashed his phone.
Knox sat there silently.
The threat was gone.
The video was gone.
The evidence was gone.
Meanwhile—
"Here are your ice cubes, love," Nikolai said.
Lilith happily took them.
She was also holding an air freshener.
Sohan and Riyana blinked.
"Mhaira, what are you using that for?" Rezaul asked.
Everyone watched her.
Lilith took the ice cubes.
She smelled the air freshener.
Then she chewed the ice.
She kept eating.
Then she smelled the air freshener again.
She hummed happily.
"This is sooooo gooodddd," she said.
Kazim looked at her strangely.
"Her cravings are weird," he said.
Mila was asleep.
Knox walked into the room.
"Lilith, I think you and Nikolai need to read this. It's from your daughter Charvi's phone," he said.
Nikolai took the phone.
Lilith began reading.
Her eyes moved across the messages.
Then—
"What the hell!!!!!" Lily shouted.
She continued reading everything.
"CHI!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Easy, Mhaira," Sohan said.
Charvi immediately became frightened.
"Calm down."
"Ji Amma."
"Amma?" Charvi asked.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lilith asked.
Charvi read the messages.
Her eyes widened.
She became scared.
"How long has this been going?" Nikolai asked.
Charvi wiped her face.
"How long!?" Lilith demanded.
Charvi flinched.
"One year and half," she whispered.
Everyone went silent.
"I was done with my school game and I…I went to take a shower."
Her voice trembled.
"I heard someone taking pictures of me."
She began crying.
"It was the bully."
"The day they saw Sir's cars picking me up every day, they said I was very rich."
"And if I didn't pay them, they would post it."
Charvi wiped her tears.
"I told them I'm adopted."
"They made my life hell in school."
Her voice broke.
"Why didn't you say anything, Chi?" Oyiva asked while holding her baby girl, Jovan.
"I…I don't know."
"I was scared," Charvi whispered.
Lilith gripped her chair.
She growled.
"Baby, calm down. I'll handle it for you. Calm down," Nikolai said.
Charvi suddenly went down on her knees.
"I am sorry, Amma," she said.
She held Lilith's feet.
Lilith immediately held her shoulders.
"Stand up," she said.
Charvi stood up.
"Everyone leave."
Lilith looked around.
"I need some time alone."
Everyone slowly left the room.
Knox remained.
He sat down.
"I already wiped his number out. The video is gone," he said.
Lilith looked at him.
"You saw the video?"
"Maybe," Knox answered.
"That means you saw my daughter's nakedness?" Lilith asked.
"I have manners, Lily. I wiped it," Knox replied.
Lilith looked down.
Her voice became quiet.
"Is…it because I'm not her real mother?"
She swallowed.
"She…d…didn't tell me?"
"No, baby. Not that."
Knox looked at her.
"She was scared. That's why."
Lilith began crying.
Nikolai wrapped his arms around her.
She cried against him.
The next morning—
Ariz and Elina left for their honeymoon together.
Nihal stayed behind to take care of Khushi's health.
Mila woke up.
She rubbed her eyes.
She yawned.
Then she waddled outside to get some rest.
Meanwhile—
Yulian had been awake all night.
He gently patted his girls to sleep.
Visra entered the room.
She looked at him.
"You need sleep," she said.
Yulian kissed her.
Their wedding was set to be in August.
Yulian finally fell onto the bed.
Sleep consumed him immediately.
"Tu tuuu… tu tuuu," Visra said playfully.
The girls giggled.
Visra took a bigger phone.
She called her grandmother.
"Hello, Visu. How are you, dear?" her grandmother asked.
"Greetings, Maa. I'm fine," Visra replied.
"How are the girls doing?" Surinder asked.
"They're okay. Making their Papa tired all day long," Visra said.
She smiled.
"Actually, I'm getting married."
"I know. Kaal told us," Surinder replied.
"Yeah."
"But I want my Baba's family there."
"Please invite them all."
She paused.
"Except Mother."
"Oi! How dare you, huh? Not inviting me for your luxury wedding!?" Sanjot shouted.
Visra's expression hardened.
"You are a very terrible woman."
"That is why you are not fit to be called a mother."
"You are an evil eye."
"It will be best if you stay away from the wedding and my daughters."
Sanjot stood there in shock.
Visra ignored her.
"Anyways, Grandma, please invite them."
"Of course, dear," Surinder replied.
The call ended.
Visra looked at her daughters.
"I will be the best mother ever."
"And I will make sure to educate you both to be extremely successful," she said.
She kissed their cheeks.
Three days later—
Nikolai carefully strapped Lily into her seat as everyone prepared to leave for the airport.
The family was departing.
Valen held Gloria's hand.
She silently sobbed.
"Look at me."
Valen held her gently.
"I promise you, when I get back, I will give you the grandest wedding ever."
He held back his tears.
Gloria kissed him.
He smiled against her lips.
He kissed her lovingly.
He held her waist.
Then he placed his forehead against hers.
Neither wanted to let go.
Meanwhile—
Zorina and Aram had a fight.
Zorina had told him that she was using him for fun.
He didn't believe it.
He became angry.
He was heartbroken.
They were in the same car.
Aram looked outside the window.
He sighed.
"Fine."
"It was for fun, right?"
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
"But remember this."
"The day I get back, I will make sure I marry you forcefully, no matter what happens," he said.
Zorina wiped her tears.
She scoffed.
"A kid isn't my type," she said.
Aram placed a ring on the seat.
"For you."
Zorina looked down.
It was a little heart ring.
She picked it up.
She slipped it onto her finger.
It was her size.
She looked at him.
Then she took another ring.
She shoved it into his pocket.
"You are going to marry someone else when you get back."
"Arrange or someone else, Aram."
"I am older than you."
"Our age is different," she said.
"Age is just a fucking number."
"And a year and half."
"When I get back, you will pay for each and every single word."
"I will make you walk around the fire seven times."
"I will make you walk down the aisle with a gun pointed behind you."
"And you will be Mrs. Zorina Aram Bykov," he said.
Their noses touched.
He kissed her softly.
He held her.
Zorina melted into his kiss.
She wiped her tear.
Then she pushed him away.
She slapped him.
"Grow up!!" she said.
She held back her tears.
Aram knew she was in pain.
He nodded.
The cars stopped.
After three minutes—
The Obsidian Circle gathered around Lilith.
They hugged her.
"We will miss you so much," Alara said.
"Me too, guys. Me too," Lily replied, wiping her tears.
"By the time we come back, you guys will be one or two," Kazim said.
Valen gave Gloria a half-heart pendant.
It had the letter V.
He placed it around her neck.
Then he wore the matching half.
It had a G on it.
"My heart is yours, and yours is mine," he said.
"I love you."
He hugged her.
"I love you too," Gloria said.
She hugged him.
He kissed her deeply before letting go.
He moved backward with a heavy heart.
Then he entered the jet.
Aram hugged Gayatri.
"I love you, Mama," he said.
She wiped her tears.
She hugged him again.
"I love you so much," she said.
Aram looked toward Zorina.
She was making a tight fist.
"Take care of her, please," he said to Rafsan.
"You have my word," Rafsan replied.
Aram smiled.
"And oh…"
He looked toward Zorina again.
"Maybe a little sibling before I come home?"
Zorina blushed.
"Of course," he said.
Aram wrote something on a piece of paper.
"Give her this," he said.
Emilia took the paper.
She gave it to Zorina.
Zorina opened it.
She read:
"I love you very much, Mommy.
"And when I get back, single words shall pay.
"Even the pain you cause today shall be remembered.
"And I will get my revenge."
Zorina stared at the words.
Their jet took off.
Five hours later—
Russia.
Nikolai carefully wheeled Lily out.
Gloria had gotten an apartment close to the school.
Her store was located underneath the apartment.
People lived around the area.
It felt like a warm neighborhood.
Gloria waved at them.
Then she took a taxi.
The twins went home.
Everyone went home.
The cars arrived home.
Desmond and Violet's wedding was set for Saturday.
Dr. Liv and Austin were dating.
Austin was getting better every day.
Liv was falling in love with him more.
By nightfall—
Everyone was asleep.
But Zorina remained awake.
She stared outside the window.
She thought about Aram all night.
She slowly took out the ring.
She placed it on her finger.
She stared at it.
"My sweet baby," she whispered.
She held herself.
Meanwhile—
The jet landed in a country called Bulgaria.
Everyone got down.
Valen looked at the others.
"Let's finish this."
They nodded.
They got into the cars.
The convoy drove away toward the mansion.
Back in Russia—
Lilith lay peacefully in the water with Nikolai.
Warm water surrounded her.
Nikolai gently poured warm water over her bump.
Lilith rested comfortably in his arms.
For the first time that day, she felt completely peaceful.
Nikolai held her close.
Lilith closed her eyes.
And in his arms, surrounded by warm water and silence, she finally relaxed.