Page 184 of Emerald Malice

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NATALIA

“Nat!”

I’m lying on the bed, ready for the ultrasound, when Kat and Mila burst into the room. Dr. Abdulov is unceremoniously shoved aside to make room for both women. To his credit, he does his best not to look too upset about it.

I accept Mila’s hug, but my eyes are on Kat. She looks good considering that she was held hostage for… actually, I don’t even know how long.

But I don’t see any obvious signs of torture or abuse. Then again, I know better than anyone that the worst scars can’t always be seen.

“Are you okay?” we ask in unison.

“You first,” I insist, refusing to let go of her hand.

She nods and tries to talk, but her voice breaks. She swallows and tries again. “I’m fine. No one hurt me, but I was… scared.”

“Did they talk to you? Did you see anyone you recognize?”

“If you mean Viktor, then no. And no one spoke to me. Even when I screamed and demanded answers, they just ignored me.” She drops down heavily on the edge of my exam table. “I mean, I knew it had something to do with you, but no one would explain what it was.”

I know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but I feel the weight of those words. They settle on my chest and get heavier with each passing second.

“I’m so sorry, Kat?—”

“Don’t!” she snaps before I can even finish. “This is not on you. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“And the baby,” Mila adds. “Is the baby okay, too?”

“That’s what we need to determine,” Dr. Abdulov interjects with slight impatience. “All we need to do is check for the heartbeat and then you’ll be free to continue your conversation.”

Mila and Katya back away and let the doctor take the lead. He lifts my shirt and presses a heartbeat monitor against my stomach, poking and prodding until, finally, the room fills with the sound of the baby’s heartbeat.

I could feel the little kicks on the drive over, but she’d gone uncharacteristically still since we got back to the manor. Until I hear it, I don’t realize how worried I’d been that I wouldn’t.

“She’s okay,” I splutter, feeling the tears rush down my cheeks. “She’s okay.”

Mila claps a hand over her chest and Katya grabs my hand.

The only problem is Dr. Abdulov is frowning, his forehead creasing the longer the heartbeat continues. That is definitely not the expression you want your doctor to have when he’s staring at your unborn baby.

“Doctor? Is something wrong?”

Without changing his expression, he moves the wand around my belly, searching for something.

That’s when I hear it, too.

The baby’s heartbeat sounds strange. Like there’s an echo.

Finally, Dr. Abdulov’s face clears. As he sets the wand down, he smiles. “Everything is fine, Ms. Boone. But it seems you’re having twins.”

Katya and Mila explode in gasps and tears. Dr. Abdulov explains the positioning of the babies and how he found both heartbeats, but I can’t hear a thing. The thunder of my pulse in my ears is drowning out everything else.

Twins.

Two babies. Twice as much to love.

So why is my chest filling with dread?

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