Page 31 of Pregnant By the Bratva

His audacity sends a fresh wave of rage through me. I lunge forward, ready to pound him into the ground for even daring to say such a thing, but Sarah throws herself in front of him, her hands clutching my shirt as she begs me to stop. “Ivan, please! He’s just an old friend. This isn’t what you think!”

Her touch is enough to make me pause, but just barely. My chest heaves with the effort of holding myself back, the urge to protect what’s mine, and the need to understand just what the hell is going on here. I look down at her, searching her eyes for the truth, for some explanation that will make this all make sense.

“He means nothing to me,” she says, her voice trembling but steady. “I swear, Ivan, he’s nothing.”

I narrow my eyes, trying to gauge her sincerity. Before I can decide whether to believe her, Leo pushes himself to his feet, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and desperation. “Nothing?” he scoffs, wiping blood from his lip. “Is that what you’re telling yourself, Sarah? You used to love me—hell, you still do. You can’t hide that from me.”

His words are like gasoline on the fire. I shove Sarah aside, my patience snapping as I land another punch squarely on Leo’s jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. “You don’t know a damn thing about her,” I snarl, standing over him, every muscle in my body coiled and ready to strike again.

“Ivan!” Sarah cries, scrambling to pull me back. She throws herself between us once more, her small frame a barrier I can’t bring myself to push through. Her hands clutch at my arms, her voice frantic. “Please, stop. This isn’t the way.”

I glare down at Leo, my fist still aching from the force of the blows. He’s sprawled on the floor, dazed but glaring up at me with a look that makes my blood boil. But Sarah’s touch, her voice, holds me back from finishing what I started. She’s desperate, pleading with me in a way that shakes something loose inside of me.

Before I can say anything, a security guard rushes over, his eyes wide with alarm as he takes in the scene. “Sir, you need to leave. Now.”

I’m not used to taking orders from anyone, especially not some low-level security guard, but I know the attention we’re drawing isn’t good. This isn’t the time or place to continue this fight.

“Get him out of here,” I snap at the guard, who quickly moves to help Leo to his feet.

As the guard drags Leo away, I turn back to Sarah, my chest still heaving with barely restrained anger. Her eyes are wide, filled with a mix of fear and something else—something I can’t quite place.

“Who is he?” I demand, my voice low and dangerous. “Don’t lie to me, Sarah.”

She hesitates, her gaze flickering to where Leo was just moments ago. “He’s… he was my boyfriend. Before everything. Before the Mafia.”

Her admission sends another jolt of anger through me, but this time it’s tempered by something else. Jealousy. The idea that anyone else might have had her, even before I came into her life, is like a thorn in my side. I force myself to stay calm, to focus on what’s important.

“Is that what this is about?” I ask, my voice tight. “You think you can just run back to your old life? Run back to him?”

“No,” she says quickly, her voice filled with urgency. “I wasn’t planning anything like that. He just… showed up. I didn’t know he’d be here.”

I search her eyes, looking for any sign of deceit, but all I see is sincerity and fear. Slowly, I exhale, forcing myself to relax, if only slightly. “You’re mine, Sarah,” I remind her, my voice firm. “Don’t forget that.”

She nods, her gaze dropping to the floor as she takes a step back. “I know,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. “I know.”

I take a deep breath, trying to push down the lingering anger and jealousy. “Let’s get out of here,” I say, my tone brooking no argument. I don’t give her a chance to protest, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the gallery. Artem falls in step behind us, silent as ever, but I can feel his eyes on me, assessing the situation.

As we leave the gallery behind, I feel the weight of everything that just happened settling over me. I don’t like the way it makes me feel—vulnerable, exposed. I need to remind Sarah of who she belongs to, to erase any lingering thoughts she might have about her past, about Leo.

More than that, I need to remind myself that I’m the one in control. No one else. Not Leo. Not even Sarah.

***

The drive back to the villa is thick with tension, the silence between us charged with unspoken anger and confusion. My knuckles grip the steering wheel tightly, the image of Sarah inthat man’s arms seared into my mind. The more I think about it, the more my blood boils. I can’t shake the look on her face when she saw him—a mix of shock and something else I can’t quite place. The way he touched her, held her, like he had any right to do so, makes me see red.

When we finally pull up to the villa, I don’t even wait for her to get out of the car. I’m around to her side in an instant, my hand gripping her arm as I lead her inside. The door barely closes behind us before I push her up against the wall, my body crowding hers, my hands on either side of her head, trapping her in place.

“What the hell were you doing with him?” I demand, my voice low and dangerous.

She looks up at me, her green eyes wide, a mixture of defiance and fear in them. “It wasn’t what you think, Ivan,” she says, her voice trembling slightly. “We were just talking.”

“Just talking?” I snarl, leaning in closer, my face inches from hers. “Is that what you call it when another man puts his hands on you, when he hugs you like that? Do you think I’m a fool, Sarah?”

Her breath hitches, but she holds her ground, her chin lifting slightly in defiance. “It’s over. I told him that. I told him I’m with you.”

The words ignite something dark inside me, something primal and possessive. The thought of anyone else even thinking they have a claim on her, touching her, holding her the way I do, drives me wild. I grab her chin, forcing her to look up at me, my grip firm but not enough to hurt her. My eyes bore into hers,searching for any sign of doubt, any indication that she might still care for that man.

All I see is the same mix of defiance and confusion, the same fire that drew me to her in the first place.

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