Ivan walked through the long, dimly lit corridors just after leaving Vladimir's study. His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway. He had a mix of different emotions swirling inside him like a violent storm.
Anger came first - hot and burning, making his hands shake uncontrollably. Then bitterness, tasting sour in his mouth. The hate followed, dark and heavy, settling in his chest like a weight. And betrayal cut deepest of all, sharper than any blade. His own father had thrown him away like discarded trash.
But underneath all that seething anger, there was something else. Sadness and pain, so deep it made his chest ache with every breath. It felt like his whole world was collapsing around him. He wanted to cry. He wanted to fall to his knees right there and let all the tears come out.
But then he saw her.
