But what about Kon?
Sweet, kind, sexy, slightly terrifying, and unbelievably incredible Kon?
He's been so good to me, more than I deserve, with everything that's been going on, and now his baby is inside me.
A baby that would give him the family he desires and yet has accepted he will never have due to his condition.
"Fuck," I whisper. "What do I do?"
I stare hard at my reflection as if she will take on a will of her own and give me an answer, but she remains as shocked as I am and doesn't say a word.
I can't go out there and tell them I'm pregnant. But if I go out there with nothing, then they'll kill me.
Suddenly, Mathew's words jump back into my mind.
"We need her."
They need me.
That's it!
In a flurry of activity, I rip open the last test and dip it into the liquid soap dispenser, then into the toilet and quickly dry it off with some tissue.
I can't let them know I'm pregnant, but I can buy myself some time to work out what the fuck to do.
My family remains on the line, but the Vasiliev brothers have just as much to lose.
Thankfully, the third test shows a negative reading so I keep that one and destroy the other two, then I splash water on my face to cool the flush in my cheeks and head back out to the table.
Lev and Mathew are deep in conversation but they draw apart when I approach. Rather than sitting, I throw my test at Matthew's chest, and he recoils in disgust.
"What the fuck?"
"I'm not pregnant," I snap in a hushed whisper and I lean forward, bracing one hand on the table and invading Mathews' space while Lev picks up the test and examines it.
"It's over for you," Lev snarls.
"No, it fucking isn't," I snap back. "You need to back the fuck off, you hear me? Women aren't fucking machines that can churn out a baby on command. If you had any fucking sense, then you would be doing everything you can tohelpme get pregnant rather than hindering it!"
Trying to imitate Kon is difficult since the man speaks with such power, but I do my best to imitate how he talks with purpose.
"Believe me when I say I will do everything I can to save my family, but this stress and pressure you're putting on me? It's too much. It's affecting everything. So if you really want to bring Kon down and get revenge for your brother? Then help me. Stop fucking hindering me, you got it?"
Silence falls and I'm left panting as my flurry of confidence rapidly depletes in the face of two men who have torn me apart again and again.
One wrong word and this is all over, but if I have a chance, then this is it.
Mathew surprisingly leans back against the booth, while Lev scoffs and tosses the test into his empty coffee cup.
"What, did you find your balls back in that bathroom?" Lev asks.
I don't look at him. I know if I do, I'll crumble, so I keep my gaze locked on Mathew.
His jaw works side to side for a long moment, then he sighs. "Fine. How long do you need?"
"A month," I reply, drawing that out of thin air. I didn't really expect to get this far. "And I don't want to hear from you unless I call first, understand?"
Mathew and Lev exchange a glance and while Lev shifts in his seat and grunts, he doesn't speak.
