Page 20 of Forced Pregnant Bride

Gritting my teeth, I asked the one before me, “There’s still a debt to pay, and you’re asking for my help?”

A well of tears rose to her eyes, and she hiccupped again, more violently, trying not to let them spill. “Please….”

I slapped her cheek.

It wasn’t hard enough to cause fatal damage, but it was a slap, nonetheless. The tears streamed down her cheeks effortlessly, and my heart squeezed more uncomfortably. “I told you, don’t fucking beg. It’s fucking irritating.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

This girl….

I wanted to laugh. I’d slapped her, andsheapologized? Rising to my feet, I shoved my hands into my pocket. The only thing left was a fucking halo. “And don’t fucking apologize, either. Look, I don’t run a hospital or a charity organization. Your father still fucking owes me, and according to the contract he signed, it means your brother owes me, too. But, considering the situation, I’ll give you a new offer, aone-timeoffer.”

She looked up, eyes guarded and full of salty water. She didn’t have to hide it; she didn’t trust me. “What’s that?”

“If you’re willing to take Jayden Skye’s place and give yourself to the Bratva instead, we will consider your brother a freeman.”

A flash of horror replaced her crinkled nose and teary eyes. I’d literally shoved her into a tight spot. After my visit, I’d taken the time to run research on the female sibling. She was a sixth-grade teacher, and that was one of her major achievements. No social life. Extracurriculars included baking, reading, and taking care of more kids, including her brother. Her job meant a lot to her, but nothing else could compete with her brother’s space in her life.

I saw it, her reluctant resignation, before she shook her head slowly. “Fine, I’ll do it.” Her voice was weak. “But my brother needs a hospital.”

“You’ll do what?”

By the deeper crease on her forehead, I knew I was putting her through what was possibly the most painful moment of her life, pressing her deeper into a corner from which she had no literal escape. But I needed the clarification to make sure she knew what she was signing up for.

“I’ll take Jayden’s place.” Her eyes met mine again, with a deeper sadness but fierce protectiveness over her brother. “I’m surrendering. But get my brother to a hospital.”

She didn’t beg. Wonderful.

I chuckled. “Good.” She was learning fast enough. Turning around, I told her over my shoulder. “You should know, there’s no turning back. This is it for you, Serena Skye; I own you now. You’re stuck with me. For good.”

Arlo said bad things happened when I chuckled. Now, we were just going to have to wait to watch how terrible things would get.

Chapter 9 – Serena

They had Jay taken to a hospital. At least, that was what he assured me—the man of midnight and ice. The only man that dared to slap me across the cheek. Remembering it now, I patted the smooth skin. It didn’t sting then; it just momentarily left me stunned.

For all his ruthlessness and calculated cruelty, something in his voice told me he wasn’t lying about getting my brother the care he needed. It’d been a week since the scare, the car accident, and I’d learned to read him over the last few days. Though he was an evil man by anyone’s measure, I could sense a strange, unsettling honesty in his tone. At least I could be somewhat relieved for Jay; he was alive and was getting medical help.

Like the past few days, today, it rained. Unlike what we’d been used to, however, the shower was light, with no dark skies or thunder. Instead, it drizzled, with white, puffy clouds floating in the blue heavens above.

I stood in one of the guest rooms of Timur’s mansion, staring out the window at the vast estate sprawling below me. If I’d needed any verification to confirm the Russian’s untold wealth, the view before rendered such thought unnecessary. It was impossible to deny the beauty of the land, the long stretches of green fields and orderly gardens giving way to dense clusters of trees along the edge of the property. The horizon felt so far away here, as if this place existed in a world of its own, untouched by everything beyond its borders.

In the time that had passed, my mind had slowly begun to accept the new reality. No more David, Salome, or Angela. I no longer had my life. Strange that there was a calmness now, a sense of resignation settling over me, wrapping around the memories and dulled emotions that had once pulsed so strongly.Here I was, safe and isolated within his mansion’s grand, silent walls.

Both a cage and a refuge.

Because he’d left me no other choice, I accepted it for what it was.

But the weight of silence pressed down on me; my thoughts spiraled into darker and darker places. I couldn’t stop wondering: What would they do to me now? The question gnawed at the back of my mind, feeding off my fear and insecurities, each new thought more terrifying than the last.

Would they traffic me, selling me to the highest bidder like some faceless item on a black-market list? The thought made my stomach twist. Or maybe they’d shove me into some sleazy brothel, forcing me to work until I was drained of everything I had left to give. I wouldn’t put anything past that man.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the images that flooded my mind. The pit in my stomach grew heavier, as though it was filled with stones, each new terror weighing me down further. He’d mentioned something about harvesting organs.

Oh, my God.

What if they sold me off to some desperate buyer in need of a new heart or kidney?

---