Page 7 of Claimed By my Ex’s Uncle

He falls silent for a moment, then reaches back to press his hand against the door and make sure it is entirely shut.

"Why would he send you?" I ask, still in denial about what he is claiming. "I don’t understand. The two of you hardly spend any time together as it is. I don’t get why⁠—"

"He didn’t send me. He has no idea I’m here."

"Then what are you doing here, Ilya?”

"I have my guys watching Petar. Monitoring communications," he explains. "When I heard that you had texted him the time and address of this appointment, it didn’t take much to figure out that it was a clinic. I put the pieces together."

My head spins. He is speaking like all of this is the most natural thing in the world, like he truly can’t hear how wild this all sounds. But he stands there, unmoving, clearly unwilling to yield his position.

And for the first time, I have to acknowledge, even just to myself, that he could be right.

The timeline matches up. I had sex with two guys that week, both of them unprotected, a foolish mistake I wish I could go back and fix. I never wanted to see Ilya again, never thought I would. I never imagined for a second that I would find myself here, facing down the consequences of what happened that one reckless night.

"This is to confirm the pregnancy, right?" he asks as he glances around the office. "Has she taken the test yet?"

"Well, she was going to, before you came storming in⁠—"

He pulls open the door, calling for the nurse and telling her that we’re ready for her. I glare at the back of his head, wondering if he has any fucking idea just how obnoxious he comes across right now. I doubt he would give a damn, anyway. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who would worry much about what other people thought of him, let alone someone like a nurse.

"You’re ready to take the test?" the nurse asks me, shooting Ilya a look as she moves to my side again.

I nod.

"And you’re sure you want him in the room for it?"

I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should take this opportunity to banish him while I still have a chance. But something about the way he’s looking at me warns me that I should think better, so I nod.

"Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, that’s fine."

"Let’s move this along," Ilya announces, leaning over her. "I want to know what arrangements I have to make."

I stare up at him as the nurse swabs my arm once more, drawing it into her hand carefully. I can tell that she is distinctly aware of his presence, unable to shake his stare. I can’t say I feel any differently. What arrangements is he talking about? Does he think that he has some kind of right to this child? He is certainly acting like it, and I don’t know what I can do to dissuade him of that fact.

I hardly feel the prick of the needle as it enters my arm, and the sudden wooziness that rushes to my head as she draws back could just be because of the way he is looking at me.

And I get the feeling that, whatever the results of this test, my life isn’t exactly going to be simple from this moment out.

Chapter 4

Ilya

"I have the results."

The nurse pulls the door closed as she stands there before us, and I can tell she is still less than impressed with my presence here. Let her be. I am not going to stand aside and let someone else lay claim to the child I know to be my heir.

"And?" Rose prompts her nervously, twisting her hands in her lap.

"They’re positive," she replies. "You’re pregnant."

"Thank you, nurse," I reply, nodding to the door. "Give us a moment, please."

She parts her lips, clearly thinking about protesting, but something about the way I’m looking at her seems to dissuade her. I look over at Rose, who is staring at the floor, clearly too stunned to react. Her light brown hair has fallen into her face, and her blue eyes are fixed on the floor, her back hunched like she can’t begin to make sense of any of it.

I need to get her out of here. Now that the pregnancy is confirmed, with no room for doubt, I need to make sure that my heir is secured. It doesn’t matter what happens; I need to ensure that she and my child are safe.

"Did you drive here?"