Page 42 of Pregnant By the Bratva

I turn my head slightly, finally meeting Ivan’s gaze. His eyes are dark, intense, filled with a protective fury that I knowis for me. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to keep me safe, to erase any threat to my life, but this… this isn’t the answer.

“No,” I say quietly, my voice firm despite the exhaustion that weighs me down. “Don’t kill her, Ivan.”

He looks at me, his brows furrowing in confusion. “After everything she’s done, you want to let her live?”

“Yes,” I whisper, feeling the weight of my decision settle over me. “Her life… it’s already a punishment. She’s lost everything, she’s pitiful, and that’s worse than death. Let her go, Ivan. Let her live with what she’s done.”

Ivan watches me closely, searching my face for any sign of doubt, but I hold his gaze, resolute in my decision. I won’t let this cycle of violence continue. I won’t let my mother’s death be another weight on my already burdened soul.

After a moment, he nods, his expression softening slightly. “If that’s what you want,” he says, his voice gentle.

“It is,” I reply, closing my eyes again, feeling the tension slowly start to drain from my body. “I just want to move on. I want to focus on our daughter, on our life… not on the past.”

Ivan leans down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” he murmurs. “We’ll move forward.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks. The silence stretches between us, filled with the weight of everything that’s happened. Finally, Ivan reaches out, his hand brushing a stray lock of hair away from my face. His touch is warm, grounding, and it takes everything in me not to break down all over again.

“It’s over now,” he says softly, his voice a low rumble that somehow manages to calm the chaos inside me. “No one’s going to hurt you. Not as long as I’m alive.”

His words are meant to comfort me, and they do, but they also stir something inside me—a question that’s been gnawing at me since this all began. I turn my gaze to him, searching his eyes for answers. “Why?” I ask bluntly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this?”

He looks at me, confusion flickering across his features. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you protecting me?” I continue, my tone more insistent now. “Is it because I’m the mother of your child, or because I’m some prize you think you won from the enemy?”

His expression hardens slightly at my words, but I can see the emotion behind his eyes, the struggle to find the right response. I sit up a little, my heart pounding as I continue, needing to understand. “All my life, I’ve been used by people. My mother, Kace, even Leo. Am I just another tool to you? Is that why you protect me, because you see some use in me?”

For a moment, he’s silent, his jaw tight as he considers my words. Then, finally, he speaks, his voice low and filled with something I can’t quite name. “No,” he says, his tone resolute. “It’s not about that, Sarah.”

I wait, my heart in my throat, as he searches my face for a moment longer before he finally says the words that change everything. “Because I’m in love with you.”

The confession hangs in the air, and I feel like the ground has been pulled out from under me. I stare at him, my mind reeling, trying to process what he’s just said. In love? With me?I search his eyes, looking for any sign that he’s lying, that this is just another way to manipulate me. All I see is sincerity, raw and undeniable.

My breath catches in my throat, and for a long moment, I don’t know what to say. I’ve spent so long guarding my heart, so long believing that love was something that could only hurt me, that hearing those words from Ivan is almost too much to take in.

“Ivan…,” I begin, my voice trembling, but I can’t find the words to express what I’m feeling. It’s too much, too overwhelming.

He reaches out, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear I didn’t even realize had fallen. “I know it’s hard to believe,” he murmurs, his voice softer now, almost tender. “It’s the truth, Sarah. I’ve tried to fight it, to keep it at bay, but I can’t anymore. I love you.”

His words wash over me, breaking down the walls I’ve built around my heart, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself feel—really feel. The weight of his confession, the truth in his eyes, it all crashes into me, and before I can stop myself, I lean in, pressing my lips to his in a tender kiss.

He responds immediately, his hand slipping to the back of my neck, pulling me closer as our lips move together in a slow, deliberate dance. The kiss is gentle, yet filled with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine. It’s as if all the pain, all the fear, melts away in that moment, replaced by something deeper, something real.

When we finally pull back, I rest my forehead against his, my breath mingling with his as we sit there, holding on to eachother like lifelines. “I love you too,” I whisper, the words slipping out before I can think, before I can second-guess myself.

He pulls back slightly to look at me, his eyes searching mine as if he’s trying to make sure he heard me right. “You do?”

I nod, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. “I do,” I say, my voice trembling with the weight of the truth. “I’ve been so scared, so guarded, but… I can’t deny it anymore. I love you, Ivan. I think I’ve loved you for longer than I’ve been willing to admit.”

His eyes soften, and he pulls me into his arms, holding me close, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go. I bury my face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him, letting the warmth of his embrace soothe the raw edges of my heart.

In that moment, with his arms around me, I feel something I haven’t felt in a long time—hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, we can build something real, something lasting, out of all the darkness and pain.

I shift slightly in Ivan’s embrace, tilting my head up to look into his eyes. The intensity there, the raw emotion, takes my breath away. Without thinking, I lean in again, pressing my lips to his with a renewed urgency, a desperate need to feel closer to him, to make this moment last.

He responds instantly, his hands tightening around me as he deepens the kiss. It’s no longer the gentle, tentative kiss we shared just moments ago. This is something more, something filled with all the passion and longing that’s been building between us for so long. His lips move against mine, firm and demanding, and I feel a surge of heat course through me, igniting a fire that I can’t contain.

I let out a soft moan, and before I know it, I’m pulling him down with me, guiding him onto the bed so that we lie side by side. My hands slide up his chest, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath my fingers, and I press myself closer, needing to be as close to him as possible. His hand moves to the small of my back, holding me against him, and I can feel the tension in his body, the way he’s barely holding himself back.

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