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Sophia
Why do I feel like my days are mashing together? It has only been three days since Maxim forced himself into my life. I feel like my life has become too uncertain. I’m not sure of what is right and what is wrong anymore. When I told my dad that I wanted to follow in his footsteps because he was my hero and I wanted to be like him, this was not what I had in mind. I wish he were still alive. He was the only person I could talk to without the fear of being judged or ridiculed. He was my best friend. Now it feels like I’m all alone in this world. Tears form in the back of my eyes. God, I miss him so much.
“I’m scared,” Elena says, and I try to control my emotions before I reply, “I know, love. We have to stay positive.”
“It’s hard, but I’ll try. How much time do we have left?”
“We should be arriving in two minutes. Just hang in there. okay?”
I’m worried about her. She is too young. Has she even enjoyed her life? I can’t imagine what she has gone through in her short twenty years. I hope Andrei isn’t like her dad. She needs a break, and I’m scared for the baby. I’ll talk to Andrei about this because she needs to eat more, she’s underweight, and that’s not good for the baby. I turn on the radio for background music as we drive the last bit to the clinic in silence.
When we arrive, Andrei is already waiting by the door. I throw the car in park because when Elena sees him, she practically flies out of the vehicle. She runs to him and hugs him. He seems to care about her from the few interactions I’ve seen, but I don’t trust him. Things are always different behind closed doors. I sigh. Let's get this over with.
Before I can open the door, Maxim is opening it for me. I’m surprised at the gesture. No one has ever opened the door for me. Not even things with Luca were good. Maxim gives me his hand to help me out. I, being me, refuse it and get out without his help. When I’m out of the car, I turn to him. He has his usual mask on, a mixture of constipation and grumpiness. He kind of looks like Garfield, now that I think about it.
“And they say chivalry is dead,” I say to him, trying not to fall into a fit of laughter over my thought.
“Who am I if not chivalrous?” He gives me a sexy smile that makes me melt. God, he’s too sexy for his own good.
“You should add that tidbit to your dating profile. Maybe you can find someone and leave me alone,” I say while walking away.
Before I can take a step further, he grabs my wrist and turns me around to face him. “You need to stop doing that. I’m getting fucking tired of you manhandling me,” I snap at him. He gets close to my face. Close enough that I can feel his breath on my lips.
“And I’m fucking tired of you saying shit like that. Get it in your head, Sophia. I’m not going anywhere, and you belong to me. Our relationship will go much smoother if you stop fighting the inevitable,” he whispers, then kisses me. Hard. I want to melt into his kiss. Forget about everything and give in to him. It will feel nice having someone to come home to. To talk about my day. Someone to warm my bed.
He can’t just come into my life and assume I’m his because he says so. That’s not how this fairytale is going to play out. He wants me. He has to work for me. I refuse to have history repeat itself. I won’t make this easy for him, not as I did with Luca. He flashed me a grin one day, and I melted for him like butter. I thought no one would love me back then because I didn’t fit the mold of what society said was perfection. I took all the insults, cheating, and humiliations because he gave me the time of day. But that Sophia is dead. I’ve learned I’m worth so much more. Pushing on Maxim’s chest, I take a step back.
“Don’t you ever dare manhandle me like that again. I know the human body very well. I can kill you in so many ways that seem like you died in your sleep.” I walk away, not giving him the chance to reply. When I get to the door, Andrei stares at me in disbelief. Have these men never seen a woman stand up for herself? Looking at Elena reminds me that they haven’t. A sickening feeling forms in my stomach at the thought. These poor women are born into a cruel world, molded to fit a man’s standard. A perfect submissive. Just another reason as to why Maxim and I can’t be together. His world will expect me to fit that mold, and I will never be that for him. I can’t just sit back and let him control my life.
“What?” I snap at Andrei. He puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture. That’s what I thought.
Opening the door, I turn off the alarm and let them in. I need to make this quick. I have to meet my mom and Jenny in forty-five minutes. Good thing Lolita’s, the restaurant we’re meeting at, is only a few minutes away.
“Give me a few minutes to get everything set up, then I’ll call you in,” I say to Elena and Andrei. Maxim is still outside, probably tending to his wounds. Good, maybe he will learn not to mess with me. After walking into the examination room, I set things up quickly.
All set. Now I need Elena. I peek my head out and tell them to come in. Andrei walks in first, then Elena. I pat the examination table.
“Lie down, please.” This time, the process is much faster.
“All right, let's see the baby.” I press the transductor on her belly and move it around, searching for the baby. My heart beats erratically out of my chest. I’m scared of what Andrei and Maxim will do if something were to happen to the baby. It takes me a little bit, but when I see the little peanut, I let out the breath I was holding.
“The baby is good, Elena.” I look over at Andrei as much as I hate to do this. I must think of her and the baby’s well-being.
“She needs to eat better and drink more water. She’s underweight.”
“Now that she’s under my roof and responsibility, that will change.”
“Good. I want to see her weekly.” I need to make sure that this poor girl is being cared for. I clean the jelly off of her belly.
“I’ll be outside.” Giving them privacy, I leave the room. They have a lot to talk about. When I step through the door, I knock into something hard. I stumble back, but firm hands wrap around my waist and stop me from falling. Looking up, my eyes connect with Maxim's ocean-blue eyes. After a heartbeat, he breaks the spell I’m under.
“How is the baby?” he asks.
I straighten up and step away from his embrace.
“The baby is good."
He exhales while shaking his hair. “Thank fuck. If something happened to that baby, I wouldn’t have been able to stop Andrei from bringing a war to Marcos’s doorstep.”
