AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Baby,” Roman starts to say, but she cuts him off by grabbing my hand and saying, “She’s my sister-in-law, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting her go through this alone.”
I squeeze her hand, giving her a grateful smile, because as brave as I’m trying to be, the truth is my heart is racing and I’m feeling lightheaded at the thought of being alone with a man while I’m naked and spreading my legs.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“You don’t need to thank me, and don’t let the men fool you.” She pats her stomach and smiles up at me again. “I’m tougher than they think, and this will not send me into early labor. Your nephew’s not coming just yet.”
“We can do this in the bedroom across the hall,” Dr. Bianchi says, confirming that my instincts were right about him. He knows how difficult this is going to be for me, and he’s not making me do the exam on a table with my feet in stirrups.
Matvey kisses my head. “Don’t forget, baby, call if you need me.”
I give him a hug, promising that I will, and then I follow Dr. Bianchi across the hall with Emily right behind me. Matvey closes the door for us, and I know he’ll be standing right outside it the whole time. I eye the medical bag that’s already sitting on the mattress. Dr. Bianchi gives a small shrug and smiles.
“I hoped you’d agree to this, and I wanted to be prepared in case you said yes.”
Emily helps me on the bed while the doctor starts getting what he needs.
“I want to be here for you, but seriously if my being here is going to make you uncomfortable, please let me know.”
I grab her hand, noticing that she has my brother’s name tattooedon her inner wrist. “No, please stay. I don’t want to be alone.” I hate appearing weak, and I hate having to lean on her for support when we’ve just met, but I need her here with me.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She smiles and pats my hand before grabbing a blanket to drape over my lower body as I shimmy out of my jeans and panties. Seeing how nervous I am, she starts talking to me while she sits on the edge of the bed near my head. “So tell me every embarrassing story you have of Roman.”
I smile and let out a soft laugh. “The truth is he’s always been a pretty amazing big brother. He basically raised me. Well, they all did. They were ridiculously overprotective.”
She laughs. “Yeah, I can imagine that easily enough. You know the first night we met he called a locksmith and had my locks changed while I was sleeping. Then he kept one of the keys for himself and assigned two men to secretly watch over me.”
“God, he fell hard for you. Girls were always after my brother, but he never looked twice at any of them, and he definitely wouldn’t have cared what kind of locks they had on their doors.”
“I fell just as hard for him,” she admits. “I was pretty much a goner from the very beginning.”
“I’m really glad he found you.”
Before we can get all emotional, Dr. Bianchi walks over and gives my knee a squeeze. “I know this is unpleasant, and I’ll be as quick as I can. I’m going to do some routine tests on you, and I’d also like you to take a pregnancy test.”
“I’m not pregnant. He made me get a shot every three months, and you can test me for whatever you want, but Konstantin had a preference for virgins. He wouldn’t sleep with a woman if she’d already been with someone else.” Turning to Emily, I say, “Please don’t tell Matvey that. He already has so many regrets and guilt and even if we had slept together before I was kidnapped, I would’ve been taken to a brothel or sold to someone else. It wouldn’t have changed the hell I was living in; it just would’ve been a different devil incharge.”
“I won’t say a word, Alina. This is your business to tell, not mine.”
I know my brother isn’t a dumbass, but men can be blinded by women, and I’m so fucking grateful Roman found someone who’s not only beautiful but also genuinely kind. She keeps my hand in hers while Dr. Bianchi examines me. As degrading as Konstantin had been, he never did manage to wipe away my ability to be embarrassed. I never got used to the forced nudity or the humiliation, and now is no different. My face heats up, and when I wince, he murmurs something in Italian, the sound of it soothing, even though I have no idea what he’s said.
“There’s some tearing, but nothing that won’t heal on its own.” His fingers are gentle when they travel lower and my face heats up even more. “He sodomized you, yes?”
“Yes,” I whisper as Emily squeezes my hand tighter.
He continues his exam, being as careful as he can be as he swabs me for the tests, and when he pulls the blanket back down, I let out an audible sigh, glad to have it over with.
“He beat you, too?”
“He did.”
“Do you have any pain anywhere? Did he ever break anything?”
“It’s been a while since he beat me, and nothing was ever broken. A few cracked ribs, though.” I pull my panties back on and sit up. “I haven’t had a period in months. I’m a little worried about that.” My fear is that he’s damaged me permanently in some way. I know I’m not ready for sex or kids, but I don’t want the option taken from me. I want to know that I can have a normal life if and when I decide I’m ready for it.
Dr. Bianchi sees right through to my fears and removes his gloves before giving my knee another soft pat. “It’s not uncommon for the shot he gave you to cause your periods to stop, but so can stress. You’re also underweight, which can have an effect on menstruation as well. My guess is you’ll get it back when you’ve had some time to heal. When was your last shot?”
“A month ago, I think.”
