Page 101 of Sinful Lies

Not only that, but Giovanni is still keeping well out of my way. He’s barely even emailing me with tasks, so I’m finding myself with a lower workload than usual, but I’m not complaining.

My nausea isn’t going away, and I’m exhausted even after sleeping eight to ten hours every night.

I swear Bianca wasn’t this bad when she was first pregnant with Leo.

Life seems to be running strangely smoothly, though the bubble is going to burst at any moment.

I know Giovanni is simply biding his time, hoping that Dimitri will eventually get bored of being by savior andback off, and Giovanni can go back to harassing me at every moment of the day. And if he were to find out about the baby…

If putting a ring on my finger had him pinning me against the wall, who knows what he’ll do when he finds out I’m pregnant. The thought makes my stomach churn.

I really need to tell Dimitri.

I decide to take lunch at my desk, if only to be close to a bathroom in case my morning sickness hits and to keep an eye on my emails. I’m waiting for a few case reports to be approved, and I don’t want to have to stay late to get them finished. Not when a nice soak in the bath and an early bed are waiting for me when I get home.

Karlie heads out to the local coffee shop, promising to bring me back a pastry, which means I have a bit of peace and quiet in our corner of the office for the next hour.

Half way through my lunch break, Bianca calls, and her name flashing up on the screen has a smile tugging at my lips. Ever since we both got married, we’ve been so busy living our new lives, and I don’t want us to lose the close friendship that we’ve spent years building.

“Hey,” I greet, tucking my phone between my ear and shoulder as I quickly finish up an email.

“Hey! I just put Leo down for a nap, so I thought I’d check in.”

I grin. “Because Alexei is away, and you have no one else to talk to.”

She laughs. “Pretty much.”

“B, I’mfine. You don’t need to check up on me every day.”

“Uh, yes, I do. That’s my job.”

“Were you always this much of a mother hen before Leo?”

“He’s made it so much worse.” She groans. “I just want to mother everyone. Honestly, Danil refuses to be alone with me because I had a go at him at dinner the other week for not eating his vegetables. What the hell is wrong with me?”

“It’s sweet that you care so much.” I quickly click send on my email and close my laptop. “But I’m honestly fine.”

“So you keep saying…”

We’re both quiet for a moment, and my throat starts to clog.

“Zara?”

I let out a breath as I lean back in my chair, trying hard not to let the tears escape down my cheeks.

“You still haven’t told Dimitri, have you?”

“No…”

“Babe, you need to tell him. Secrets never stay secret for long. The longer you wait, the worse it will be. Trust me on that one.”

“I know, you’re right. It’s just…” My hand falls to my stomach, and I start to crack.

“What’s holding you back? Are you scared of his reaction?”

“I guess on some level I am…” My voice thickens with tears. “I just wonder if he’s actually starting to fall in love with me because I sure as hell am falling for him, but it can’t be that easy, right? I mean, that was never part of the plan?—”

My eyes widen and I press my lips together as I realize what I’ve just admitted.

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