Page 34 of The Bratva King's Pregnant Bride

Reaching the house, I took in one amazing detail after another, from the large fountain and stone steps to perfectly manicured gardens, to the beautiful red roses that bloomed everywhere. Everything that was here was beautiful.

It was such a big house for someone who lived alone, too. The fact that this place existed meant that it belonged to someone rich and powerful—and Dominik was definitely rich and powerful.

“Welcome to my—our home,” Dominik said with a small smile, ushering me inside.

My shoes fell on marble tiles and, looking down, I saw a reflection of a high, white ceiling. It looked to have been hand-carved, with intricate and beautiful patterns.

The entire house was spotless, and decoration was minimal. If there hadn’t been any furniture, there wouldn’t have been anything there. There wasn’t a single stain on anything. Not a single piece that was out of place or broken.

The rooms were so bright and well decorated, too, that you could imagine it had been designed just for guests. It reminded me of how I imagined a home should be when I was younger, which made me wonder exactly what happened to that life.

I was surrounded by more beauty. There was a huge painting over the fireplace.

The scene depicted a gorgeous woman standing on an ocean shore, her long blonde hair billowing behind her. It was truly captivating. In the foreground, the man in the painting was clearly looking at his love, but his expression was not joyful, the way she was looking at him.

There were bookshelves filled with a wide array of titles and a small collection of weapons scattered about on every wall of the hallways.

All this combined to make the house very inviting, indeed.

Dominik led me to me a well-furnished room, large enough to fit three of my apartments in it. There was a king-size bed, covered with a dark blue and gold colored bedspread.

On the walls were two large paintings. One displayed an elegant landscape of the sea, with mountains in the background, while the other showed a breathtakingly-attractive lady holding hands with a man who wore a crown, but one more intricate and complicated than any I’d ever seen.

“This will be your new room,” Dominik said and gestured for me to enter, adding, “At least, you can call it yours… till after the wedding.”

“Whose wedding?” I asked absentmindedly, my eyes taking in the view of the room.

“Ours.”

“Okay.” Suddenly realizing what he’d just said, I snapped my wide, stunned eyes back to him. “Wait. Wha—what did you just say?”

I needed to be sure to be certain I wasn’t dreaming up other people’s replies, else, if my case was that bad, best I be left in the hospital to fully recover, as I wasn’t even sure what the problem was.

Sighing, Dominik looked to the floor, then raised his head to meet my gaze. “I, of course, will marrying you. You’re the mother of my children, and according to our tradition, that means we must be married. It’s how things are. Besides, no child of mine will be born out of wedlock. And at least—”

I shook my head. “No. Absolutely not.” I crossed my arms. “I am not ready for marriage. I have a life. I have things I wish to do. I have dreams and goals. No. Marriage isn’t on my radar at the moment, and it won’t be for many, many years. Okay, at least, three or four. Not now.”

Amid my confusion, Dominik took my hand and pulled me close to him with a sharp jerk that had me gasping. I inhaled his cologne, feeling his intense gaze on me.

In a low voice, Dominik said, “I know this isn’t what you wished. I know you still have a long life ahead. You have plans. You have said this over and over.”

He shook his head, seemingly exasperated. “I have told you that none of that matters. Soon, you will belong to me—every bit of you will be mine. It doesn’t matter if you’re ready or not. This, dear Maya, is fate.” He shook his head. “Don’t fight it.”

His mention of ‘fate’ pricked something within me, and I found myself offended. Did Dominik see himself as fate or, perhaps, as an agent of fate?

“I want to hear laughter in this house,” Dominik continued, enveloping me with his body, his voice growing quiet. “The laughter of children—our children. I’m tired of the company of other ladies. I want something that is mine. And you?” His grip tightened. “You are mine, Maya. You will last. You fill up the holes of my life, and you make me want to be something I’ve only ever seen as nothing but a fool’s dream.”

Dominik caressed my cheek with the back of his hand, then looked at my belly, as if saying a temporary goodbye to his unborn babies, he turned and left the room.

Slowly, I pondered all Dominik had said and, still taking in the view of the exquisite room which was now mine, I moved to the bed.

I considered the prospect of actually getting married to Dominik. It sounded surreal. Unbelievably surreal. If it was a dream that I controlled, I was willing to wake up from it.

I didn’t want to marry to a monster. I wanted a stable home and environment, one absent of blood and violence.

However, at this point, it looked as if I had no choice but to heed Dominik’s words. My gut clenched, and suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach.

It wouldn’t do good to dwell on things now. It would take me time and effort to figure out where I was headed. So, ignoring the discomfort in my stomach, I sat down and took off my clothes.

---