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This can’t be what I think it is. I’ve never had morning sickness before. Besides, it’s the middle of the day. I’ve only gotten up, and I feel sluggish and ready to fall asleep again. I place my hands on my stomach, willing the gurgling to stop. Calculating days. I never gave birth control a thought while I was here. I never thought I’d let Andrei touch me either. This can’t happen. I’m not ready to have his child. Or any child, for that matter.
Natasha discovers me doubled over, hacking up last night’s dinner. She rubs my back and pulls my hair out of the way. Then two Bratva guards appear out of nowhere. Always watching. And now, they’re watching me get sick all over myself.
Natasha guides me back to the house, and Eva is waiting in the hall. They exchange words in Russian as they all stare at me. Natasha tilts her head in my direction, and Eva’s gaze quickly flits across my belly.
I tug my arm out of Natasha’s grip. “I need to clean up.” At the foot of the steps, I spin on my heels before she can follow. “In private.” I haul ass up the stairs as Natasha hurries behind me. I try to push the bedroom door shut, but she prevents me, placing her body in the way of the door. Soon Eva is by her side, smiling at me, her eyes gleaming with hope.
No, it can’t be true.
“I want to be alone,” I bite out.
Eva is careful not to step too close. She looks around the bedroom as if trying to see where her future grandchild was conceived. Eva and Natasha ignore my wishes and refuse to leave the bedroom.
Eva smiles kindly. “We’ll wait out here while you use the bathroom, dear.”
With a loaded sigh, I give up and head into the bathroom to hide. How long can I stay in here before they give up and leave? Instantly, I regret my decision, or rather, decisions. I know one of them is on the phone, telling Andrei to hurry home. I’ll never leave this place, not now, not when I’m having his baby.
I pull off my soiled dress before the smell makes me sick again. I strip off all my jewelry before stepping into the shower stall, even though I’d like to soak in the bath. I laugh at my fickleness. One moment, I want to stay with Andrei forever, and I bless the luck I’ve been given. But the second it seems like my wish has come true, I want to bolt out that door like a dog off a leash.
The shower only takes twenty minutes, but I sit inside the bathroom wrapped in a towel, wondering if they’ve given up yet. Slowly, I open the door and look out into the empty room. Finally, I’m all alone, and I hurry to my closet. I’ve got to get out of here before Andrei returns. I want to go home, to my real home, and tell my family first. I don’t want them to find out the same way they found out about Andrei.
I pull on a T-shirt and jeans, trying my best to look like old Paige, when my phone blares from across the room. Emma’s name is illuminated on the screen, and I immediately pick up.
“Paige?” Her voice trembles as she waits for a reply.
“Emma, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”
The tears rush out, almost choking off her words. “Dad is being taken to the hospital … he was unresponsive when the hospice nurse arrived. I can’t get there. I’m stuck at school.”
“Don’t worry about it …” I pause. “Where’s Oleg?”
“That creepy Russian guy that follows me around? I ditched him. What the hell is going on, Paige? Dad’s dying, and I have to deal with your shit too.”
Her sentence ends with a high whine, and I take her malice stoically. It’s not me she’s upset with. I’m just the closest target.
“He’s been refusing his chemo treatments,” she continues, “I tried to get him to go, but he won’t. Paige, I wish you were here.”
I can’t take it anymore. Someone should have told Emma of Dad’s decision, but we thought she couldn’t handle it. But is this better? She’s still trying to save a man who won’t save himself. I choke back my feelings; I have to get to my little sister. I have to help her.
My voice is steady. “I’m going to the hospital, and I’ll send a car for you after school.”
“But Paige, I want to be there now.”
“There’s nothing we can do now. Whatever has happened has happened. Please, Emma, let me see what is going on and then I’ll get you.”
She sobs. “I want to see Dad before …”
Emma doesn’t need to finish the sentence.Before it’s too late. That’s what she wanted to say. Before it’s too late.
“Emma, I promise. You’ll be there. I’ll call you from the hospital.”
The next few minutes blur as I race around the bedroom, looking for my shoes and grabbing my purse. I open the bedroom door and listen to the dead silence in the house. There are countless cameras all over this place except for Andrei’s office. I scramble down the steps before anyone can stop me.
They all know what I’ve only just realized. That I’m pregnant, and they’ll be hovering over me until there’s a baby in my arms.
So far, so good. My heart thunders as I slip into Andrei’s empty office, and no one questions me. Holding my breath, I pull out the desk drawer where he keeps the key fob for his Lamborghini. I smirk, thinking how fast it can go, faster than a Rover weighed down with bulletproof plates.
The window unlocks with a click, and I can climb out onto the lawn. My back presses against the wall, and I make my way toward the front of the house. I take a deep breath, steadying my nerves as I peek around the corner. His blue car is only a few steps away, but I’ll be in view of the cameras. I bow my head and think of Emma. And I also want to see Dad before it’s too late. I tear off, running across the gravel and pressing the fob. The car starts with a roar as I jump into the driver’s seat and speed back to my family.
