Page 158 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

I reached up carefully, brushing my fingers over the scrapes on his knuckles.

He didn’t wake.

He would have burned the world down tonight if I had let him. There would have been no hesitation. When I forced him to marry me, I hadn’t appreciated that side of him. It had all seemed harmless, like a win-win for both of us. Now I saw it differently. I saw him differently.

My hand closed around the gold band hanging at my throat. I pressed the metal into my palm until it bit into my skin.

If I told Goran about the baby, he would go to war immediately. If I stayed, he would take the assault, theft, and kidnapping charges and spend years in prison. If I fought my father openly, he would escalate.

Where would it end? Who would get hurt? Or worse…who would die?

My marriage to Goran meant everything to me. But at the end of the day, prison was a concrete cage where Goran would be vulnerable to the whims of my father.

Not being with him was torture. Watching him rot in a cell because of me…that would be the death of us both.

I shifted carefully, easing out from under his arm. His grip loosened just enough for me to slip free. I lifted the blankets and was about to slide out when he stirred.

His brows pulled together, and my heart nearly stopped.

“Lani,” he murmured in his sleep.

I froze.

“I’m right here,” I whispered.

He relaxed again, and his breathing evened out.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood slowly. Gathering my clothes from the floor, I dressed in silence. Every movement sounded loud in my ears.

Picking up my purse, I noticed the blue-and-gold box sticking halfway out. I’d purchased it earlier for the baby reveal. With a sigh, I pulled it out and stared at the pretty ribbon before glancing back at Goran.

I had imagined giving it to him. Imagined the smile on his face and the two of us arguing over strollers and car seats, while we planned our future.

But everything had changed.

Resolved in my decision, I stepped into the small bathroom and closed the door behind me, careful not to click the latch.

Opening the box, I stared at the pregnancy test, emotion rising so fast it clogged my throat.

Two lines. Clear and certain.

My hand pressed instinctively to my stomach, wanting to protect my child.

“Don’t worry, baby,” I whispered. “I’m working on a plan to keep you, me, and your father together.”

My father didn’t know about the pregnancy or the marriage. Those were my key advantages.

A fake marriage to Julian bought me time. The pregnancy gave me leverage. And I would use both to free us when the time was right.

I slid the test back into the box and carefully replaced the lid. For a moment, I considered taking it with me. But if my father or Julian found it, I would lose the upper hand.

Dropping it into the garbage, I quickly crumpled some tissue and tossed it on top. Then, I turned off the light.

From the narrow hallway, I looked at Goran one last time.

He had rolled onto his back. His arm stretched across the space where I’d been, like he expected me to return and was inviting me to cuddle.

I stayed in the doorway, unable to step inside. If I did, I would break and abandon my plan.