Page 51 of Arranged to Marry the Bratva

"I'm taking you to the doctor. This isn't right."

She pulls away from my touch. "I said I'm fine. Leave me alone."

Frustration wells up in me. She's so stubborn, refusing help even when she clearly needs it. "Don't be foolish. I won't have you jeopardizing your health."

"Please, Nikolai," she snaps, sitting up. Color rises in her pale face. "I'll handle myself."

"You're my wife," I retort. "Your well-being is my concern whether you like it or not."

We glare at each other at an impasse. Why must she fight me at every turn? I only want to protect her.

Finally, she sags, the brief spark of defiance leaving her. "Just… let me rest. Please."

I gently stroke her hair. "You can rest all you like after seeing a doctor." My tone leaves no room for argument.

Anoushka's temper flares again. "I told you, I'm not sick!"

My own frustration boils over. "Then what is it? Are you upset with me about something? Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not!" She looks away, blinking rapidly. "I just… I don’t know how to tell you this."

A nervous flutter begins to form in my heart. "Tell me what?"

When she meets my gaze again, her eyes glisten. "I'm pregnant, Nikolai."

The words hit me like a boulder. Pregnant? Impossible. We've only been married for a short time. I stare at her, stunned.

"Say something," she whispers.

"I… " For once, words fail me completely. A child. Our child. The reality of it steals my breath away. And the truth is, I don’t know how I feel about it.

We never spoke about children.

Anoushka wraps her arms around herself, vulnerable. "What are you thinking?"

I gentle my tone. "That you should have told me sooner. I would have been more careful with you." I cup her cheek. "You will still see the doctor."

“I really don’t think there’s any need for that,” she insists. “It’s only been a few months, and doctors prefer not to scan for three months in at least.”

“I won’t have it,” I shake my head. “You’d need vitamins, supplements. We need to make sure the… “I pause here, unable to say ‘baby’, afraid to say ‘fetus’. “…That everything is all right with you. Maybe there’s a reason why you’re this tired, and we can fix it.”

Relief flickers in her eyes as she watches me take control. She nods slowly. "All right."

Chapter 22 - Anoushka

My heart pounds relentlessly in my chest as I sit nervously in the doctor's waiting room, fidgeting with my hands. Nikolai, showing no signs of anxiety, sits calmly beside me as he flicks through his e-mails, his stoic demeanor only adding to my growing unease.

The longer I’ve let this secret fester, the more in love I’ve fallen with this child blossoming inside me. I gently caress my still-flat belly, imagining how big it could grow.

If the baby is all right, that is.

The sterile environment of the doctor's office seems to amplify every sound, from the faint ticking of the clock on the wall to the shuffling of papers at the reception desk. The smell of disinfectant hangs heavy in the air, almost suffocating me with its intensity. I can hear muffled voices from other patients behind closed doors, their conversations impossible to decipher but somehow increasing my own anxiety.

This is just a routine appointment. Nothing to be afraid of. Only except for the other life I carry.

I put in a silent prayer, hoping all goes well for myself and the little one.

"Anoushka Orlov?" a nurse calls out, her voice cutting through the silence of the waiting room.

---