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If I can’t defeat Yevgeniy, then I’ve become powerless.
And if I can’t beat him, I can’t get Galina back.
With the war hanging over my head, she’ll never return to me. I need to create a world where she and our baby are safe. This is all my damn fault, I think, slumping onto my bed. If I hadn’t driven her away with how I treated her, I wouldn’t be in this situation.
46
GALINA
When I see the doctor, I rub my eyes. For a moment he looks like the doctor Arsen summoned the day I learned I was pregnant. It’s not him though. It’s funny. I almost wish he was. Stop trying to look for connections back to him. You can’t be with Arsen. You can’t.
“Hello there,” the man says with a smile. “I’m Dr. Tillmore. You must be Ms. Halloway?”
My mother and I share a quick look. Thanks to Josh, we’ve been set up in a small house on the outskirts of the city. He’s arranged for false names for us as well. “Yes, that’s right,” I say.
“Excellent, excellent.” He smacks his lips in a way that makes my skin crawl. “Lie back on the bed, and let’s see how far along you are.”
“I thought Audrey would be here.” I glance at my phone for any messages. It’s a brand-new phone, a burner that’s meant to be disposed of after a single use. Josh has gone all out on precautions. From what I know about the Grachev Bratva, I believe his paranoia is justified.
The doctor shrugs lightly. “She showed me in. I’m not sure where she went after that.”
Baffled by this info, I start to head for the door.
“It’s all right, dear,” Mom calls. “Audrey is fine. Let’s focus on this.” She pats the white blankets on the mattress to encourage me.
Chewing my bottom lip, I eye the door anxiously. “I guess it’s okay … I just wanted her here.”
“I’m here, malyshka,” my mother reminds me gently.
With a helpless smile, I return to the bed. Hopping up, I settle onto the soft material, reclining until I’m propped up on the large pillows. Though this house is outfitted with newer furniture and appliances, the building itself hasn’t been updated in some time; the rooms are drafty, and we’ve taken to smothering ourselves in multiple blankets.
I don’t mind the quaintness or the minor construction issues. It’s nice to be back in a house where I can see all the details. There are no endless rooms or hoard of staff tracking me with their prying eyes.
I do miss Olesya, though ... and Ulyana. She took a huge risk in helping spirit me off Arsen’s property. I hope she’s okay.
The doctor clears his throat to get my attention—I was zoning out. “Sorry, what was that?” I ask.
“I said lift your shirt, please.”
Doing as he says, I roll the light blue cotton over my belly. Dr. Tillmore squirts a palm-size wad of clear gel onto my skin. I jump at the sensation—I had forgotten how cold the ultrasound gel can be.
As he presses the fetal Doppler against my belly, a new yet familiar dread snakes into me.
“Let’s see now,” he mumbles to himself as he works the tool. My mother holds my hand on the other side of the bed. Her breath is coming fast but soft. Her excitement is palpable.
But so is my fear that the past is about to return.
The screen is black and white. As Dr. Tillmore shifts the device around, a crackling rumble emanates from the speakers. Steady and rhythmic.
Before he tells me what it is, I’m already crying.
The heartbeat ... That’s my baby’s heartbeat!
I never made it this far with my first pregnancy. On some level, I was convinced this one would be the same. My mom grips my hand tighter; she’s fighting back tears and failing.
“The baby’s heart sounds healthy,” he says kindly. “Congratulations, Ms. Halloway.”
“Thank you,” I reply through my sniffles.
