Page 51 of Captured By the Bratva

Would it soften him, make him more of the man I sometimes glimpse in our quiet moments together? Or would he tighten his grip even more, locking both of us in his world of control?

My heart stops as the faint line appears, unmistakable and steady.

Positive.

I feel a rush of heat, then cold, then nothing but a numb awe. I can hardly process it, can barely believe it. The weight of it settles over me like a tidal wave, filling me with a strange, wild mixture of fear and wonder.

Just to be sure, I open the second test with shaking hands, holding my breath as I repeat the process, going through the motions as if on autopilot. The line appears again, steady and undeniable. I sit down heavily on the edge of the bathtub, clutching the tests in my hands, barely able to think straight.

There’s no doubt about it.

Pregnant.

I’m carrying Ivan’s child.

35

CATHY

Anya looks at me with her steady, knowing gaze as I emerge from the bathroom. I blurt it out before I can stop myself. “Anya, I’m pregnant.”

For a moment, she just stares at me, then her face softens, her hands reaching out to hold mine. Her fingers are warm, steadying me as the reality settles in, and I feel the weight of my own words.

“Oh, Cathy,” she says, her voice thick with sympathy. She squeezes my hand, offering comfort without asking questions, without judgment. The kindness in her touch almost makes me break down right here. “That’s wonderful news.”

“But how can I bring a child into this?” My words rush out, and I don’t hold anything back. “How can I raise a baby with someone like Ivan? He’s so intense, so angry. I don’t know if I can do this with him.”

Anya stays silent, listening, her expression deeply empathetic, but with a hint of something else—something almost sad. “Ivan’s anger... it’s real, yes, but it’s not as simple as you think, Cathy,” she says, her voice soft yet firm.

I hesitate, sensing she’s about to share something heavy. “What do you mean?”

Anya glances away, as if gathering her thoughts, and when she speaks, there’s a faraway look in her eyes. “Ivan didn’t always carry this weight,” she begins. “He was so different once—gentler, protective. After Sofia passed, he clung to Elena. She was his light, his only family.” She pauses, and the sorrow in her voice is palpable. “But that light was taken from him in the worst way.”

A chill runs down my spine as I listen, but I’m not prepared for what she says next.

“Jimmy Holland destroyed her.”

The words sink in slowly, reluctantly. I stare back at Anya. “Jimmy? As in my ex-fiancé?”

She nods. “He met her while she was traveling. Hooked her in but he had no idea who she was related to. She kept that part quiet, wanted to stand on her own two feet. Jimmy manipulated her, used her, and made her think she was nothing. She handed over all her money. She was so ashamed of what she’d done, she took her own life rather than ask for help from her family.”

She sighs. “Pride can kill. Such a shame. Ivan blamed himself of course.”

Images of Jimmy flash through my mind—the charming smile, the sly glint in his eyes whenever he talked about that “unstable ex.” I’d always brushed it off as another one of his manipulations, but now… now I see the truth. He was talking about Ivan’s sister. My head spins as I try to piece it all together, to understand the depth of what Anya’s saying.

She continues. “Ivan swore he’d make Jimmy pay for every single thing he’d done. Started following him, getting ready to snatch him. But then he spotted you and everything changed.”

I groan. “And Jimmy only got his claws on me because he found out about who my father was.”

“My guess is Elena let slip that Robert had a daughter out there somewhere. It wouldn’t be impossible for a man like Jimmy to fill in the missing pieces. A husband gets to share the inheritance of his wife.”

“Then he kills her.”

“Precisely.”

I feel the weight of her words settling heavily in my chest, each piece of this story sinking in like a stone. My mind races as I piece it all together. This marriage—it wasn’t about my inheritance. It wasn’t about me, not really. It was about revenge.

Ivan married me to get to Jimmy. The truth is even darker than I’d imagined. He doesn’t care about me or the money. Only about revenge.

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