I stand there in his arms, trembling, the test still clutched in my hand. His heartbeat is steady under my cheek; it’s always strong and reassuring.
The pregnancy has just rewritten every rule we have carefully drawn between us, yet the walls I have built around my heart remain stubbornly in place. Part of me wants to push him away, to run from the terrifying reality of bringing a child into this dangerous world. The other part, the part that has been cracking open for months, desperately wants to believe the safety he is offering is real.
Tears slip down my cheeks before I can stop them. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I whisper against his shirt. “We had a deal. Business only. One night… and now…”
Alexey pulls back just enough to cup my face in both hands, thumbs brushing away my tears with surprising gentleness. His brown eyes hold mine, intense and unwavering.
“One night changed things,” he says quietly. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I will protect you both with everything I have. You’re not alone in this, Anja. Not anymore.”
I search his face, looking for any sign of regret or anger. There is none. Only that intense protectiveness and something deeper I am still too afraid to name.
The whirlwind inside me, from the betrayal by Fadir to the slow burn of revenge, and now this unexpected life growing inside me, has left me reeling. I am still the girl who has lost her dream job, her apartment, and nearly her freedom because she trusted the wrong man. Now I am carrying the child of a menacing enforcer I have bargained with out of fury.
Yet as Alexey holds me, one hand still resting protectively over my stomach, a small, fragile part of me wants to believe him.
The walls between us cracked the night we first came together.
Now, with this baby, they might shatter completely. I am not sure if I am ready for what lies on the other side.
***
The morning after the positive pregnancy test, the penthouse feels different. Like a heavier presence, and the air itself knows something monumental has shifted.
I haven’t slept much. Every time I close my eyes, I see those two pink lines. Every time I open them, I feel the weight of the tiny life growing inside me. Alexey held me for a long time last night, his hand resting protectively over my stomach, murmuring quiet promises I am still too shocked to fully believe. Eventually, he walked me to my suite, kissed my forehead, and left me to process alone.
I am sitting on the edge of the bed in the same oversized t-shirt I'm wearing the night before, staring at nothing, when a soft knock sounds on the door.
“Anja?” Alexey’s voice carries through the wood, calm, but with an undercurrent of purpose. “May I come in?”
“Yeah,” I nod before remembering he can’t see me.
He steps inside, already dressed in a navy button-down shirt and black slacks, looking every inch the composed enforcer despite the early hour. His brown eyes find mine immediately, softening just a fraction when he sees me still in yesterday’s clothes.
“I’ve arranged for our family doctor to come to the house this afternoon,” he says without preamble. “She’s discreet, experienced with our… situation, and will do a full exam andultrasound. I want to make sure everything is progressing safely.”
I swallow hard. “Okay.”
He crosses the room slowly and stops a few feet away, hands loose at his sides. “There’s more. We’re moving to the family compound immediately. Today.”
The words land like a stone in still water.
I stand up quickly, arms wrapping around my middle. “What? No. Alexey, I’m not ready for that. This place… the penthouse, it’s been my safe space. Moving to the estate means more people, more eyes, more… everything. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m pregnant. I can’t just pack up and—”
“You will move,” he cuts in, voice firm. Something more threatening flickers across his face, but not the cold detachment I am used to; his genuine anger and protection are unmistakable. “Fadir’s last attempt nearly exposed your past to his men and his surrounding allies. He’s getting desperate. The compound has better security, more layers of protection, and the entire family close by. You and the baby will be safer there. Nothing will change my mind on this.”
His tone leaves no room for argument. The same calm authority he uses when planning moves against Fadir is now directed at me, and it stings.
Anger flares hot in my chest, mixing with the fear and exhaustion already churning inside me.
“You don’t get to decide that for me,” I snap, voice rising. “This is my body, my pregnancy. You can’t just order me to move like I’m one of your men who has to follow commands. I’m not some asset you get to relocate for your advantage!”
Alexey’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t raise his voice. “This isn’t about tactics. It’s about keeping you both alive. Fadir has already proven he’ll use your past against you. I won’t give him another opening.”
“Just… get out. I need space.” I turn away from him, fists clenched at my sides.
He hesitates for a moment, then leaves without another word, the door clicking shut behind him with quiet finality.
For the next two hours, I slam around the guest suite like a storm trapped in a bottle. I yank open drawers, throwing clothes into a half-hearted pile on the bed, then shove them back in again. I pace. I cry. I curse under my breath at the unfairness of it all—at Fadir for pushing me into this corner, at Alexey for being so infuriatingly right, at myself for the part I’ve played in letting one impulsive night rewrite everything.
