Page 57 of The Bratva's Forbidden Pregnancy

It’s a fucking trap. He knows, and he’s giving you the opportunity to come clean. Stop pretending and just tell him the truth, my voice of reason said.

“I…I…I don’t…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered.

“Sienna, I’m gonna to ask you again.” He cocked his head to the side, his teeth gritting. “What are you keeping from me?”

Don’t you fucking lie, Sia. Can’t you see that he knows the truth? This is a trick question. Stop making this harder than it already is.

I swallowed, unable to provide an answer.

It was obvious that he’d somehow found out about what I was trying so hard to keep from him, and I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t been expecting to have this conversation with him, at least not yet, anyway.

“Are you pregnant?” he asked keenly.

The words were sharp as a knife, and they daggered my heart, leaving me in a state of discombobulation. All I wanted to do was yank the door open and make a run for it, but I controlled myself.

“Answer me, dammit!” he snapped, fresh out of patience.

I flinched at his reaction, and the next thing I knew, I was already tearing up; my lips were trembling, and my eyes were rapidly blinking in an attempt to hold back the river within.

“Yes,” I finally admitted. “I’m pregnant. And it’s yours.”

Of course, he already knew, but hearing me say it had some sort of effect on him. He exhaled sharply. “How long were you planning on keeping this from me?”

“For as long as I could,” I replied without remorse. “I was going to raise the baby on my own, and no one had to know who the father was.”

He shook his head, casting a disbelieving look at me. “That’s my fucking child we’re talking about, Sienna. Why the hell would you wanna do that?”

“Because, Vlad, there is no future for the two of us. Can you not see it?” I raised my voice, my hands flying to my hair. “Argh! You don’t care about me, and honestly, I’m still not even sure that you care about the baby, so why would I bother with you?” The words rushed out nervously.

“Is that what you think?” he asked, his voice calm and low.

“It’s not what I think, Vlad. It’s what I know,” I blurted. “You…you don’t feel anything for me, so why did you deserve to know? What good would that little piece of information have brought you?”

He said nothing, and his eyes didn’t leave mine.

I continued. “You’re too busy living your life, fucking your escorts, and I cannot—I will not—put that fatherly responsibility on you, you got that?” The first tear dropped, giving way to the next ones that trickled down my cheeks uncontrollably. “It’ll hurt, but I’ll eventually move on; I—I’ll find someone who loves me, and I’ll build with them,” I sniffled, drying my tears, but they wouldn’t stop pouring.

It was like my heart had been cut open and ripped out of my chest.

“Sienna, listen—”

“Don’t Sienna, listen me, Vlad,” I cut him off. “When I wanted to listen, you weren’t there. What makes you think that I’ll listen now?” I broke down, fully giving in to my tears. “I hate you, Vladimir Wolkov. I hate you with everything inside me.”

No, I didn’t hate him. I was just hurting, and I didn’t mean the words I was saying. Maybe I wanted him to feel a fracture of the pain that I was feeling.

“Do you know how difficult it is living with this secret?” I asked. “I have a fucking baby inside me, and I can’t even tell my parents about it. Do you know how painful that is?”

He reached out and held my hand, and despite me struggling against his advance, he didn’t let go. There was something in the way he looked at me that said he could truly feel my agony.

“I understand your pain, Sienna,” he said, drying my tears with his thumbs as he cupped my face in his palms.

“No, you don’t.” I shook my head.

“But I do,” he replied, trying to catch my eyes, and soon he did. “I do understand.”

His touch, together with his words and the way he was looking at me, gradually helped me calm down. I was impressed by his composure, despite my drama. Our eyes were locked on each other’s, and ironically, I found peace in that position. The anger, rage, and hatred I thought I’d felt all slowly started to dissipate as his fingers caressed my hair.

A wave of relief overwhelmed me, and I felt so light, like a load had been lifted off me. I realized then that venting out my feelings was the reason for this peace. All those bottled-up emotions had been the weight pulling me down. I felt better now that my feelings had found expression.

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