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"I knew it!" I exclaim gleefully. "Your flirting that night was so obvious. Ivan didn't know what to do with himself."
Martha grins. "He is pretty adorable when he gets all flustered. But I wish he would be more forward, you know? Ask me out already! Instead of just running off."
She sighs in frustration and takes an aggressive bite of her toast.
"Maybe I could put in a word with Dimitri," I suggest lightly. "Give Ivan a little push in the right direction."
Martha's eyes light up. "Would you?" Then her face falls. "But what if Ivan isn't actually interested? I can’t tell if it is an act or not.”
I reach across and squeeze her hand reassuringly. “Trust me. He probably needs a bit of encouragement to make the first move.”
Martha smiles, looking hopeful. “Well, if he doesn’t ask me out soon, I might just have to take matters into my own hands.” She winks.
“Now that I would pay to see,” I laugh. “Ivan wouldn’t know what hit him.”
We both dissolve into giggles.
I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see Lorenzo’s name flash across the screen. I hesitate, not wanting him to ruin my pleasant morning with Martha.
“Ugh, it’s Lorenzo,” I say.
Martha frowns. “Don’t answer it if you don’t want to.”
Taking a deep breath, I slide my finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Lorenzo demands angrily without even a greeting. “What have you been doing, Sara?”
I grip the phone tightly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Nothing that concerns you, Lorenzo. I don’t have to report all my activities to you.”
He scoffs. “Don’t play games with me. I know you’ve been sneaking around with that punk behind my back. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
I feel a flare of anger at his accusatory tone. “So what if I have? I can study with whomever I choose."
"Watch yourself, Sara," he warns, his voice low. "You know our families have an agreement. If you do anything to jeopardize that, I'll make sure you regret it."
I've had enough of his threats. "Go ahead and do your worst," I snap. "I'm not your piece of property."
Before he can respond, I end the call and quickly block his number. My hands shake, but I feel exhilarated at standing up to him.
"Everything okay?" Martha asks gently.
"Better than okay," I say with a smile. "I just blocked Lorenzo's number."
"Good for you!" Martha grins and holds up her coffee mug. "This calls for a celebration. A toast to your newfound freedom!"
I laugh and clink my own mug against hers. Can I really call this the start of a new chapter?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SARA
My eyes flutter open to the pale morning light filtering through the blinds. I stretch under the covers, relishing the soft warmth of my bed, when a wave of nausea hits me. I bolt upright, clapping a hand over my mouth as my stomach lurches violently. Staggering from the bed, I barely make it to the bathroom before vomiting into the toilet.
I sink down onto the cold tile floor, leaning my head against the wall as I wait for the nausea to pass. What's wrong with me? I haven't felt this sick in years. Was it something I ate last night? Martha and I shared the same takeout, I’ll have to ask her.
A dull ache throbs in my belly, and I lean my head against the cool porcelain, trying to catch my breath. Then a thought crosses my mind - when was the last time I had my period? I grab my phone to check my period tracking app. My heart sinks when I see that I am over a week late. That has never happened before - it has always come like clockwork.
A nervous knot forms in my stomach as a terrifying possibility enters my mind. I couldn't be... pregnant, could I? I could be. I did let Dimitri fuck me raw. I enjoyed how his skin felt while rubbing the inside of mine…
