Page 39 of Forced Pregnant Bride

“I don’t.”

“Then stop talking to me like you do.”

The withdrawal in her eyes told me she didn’t need to know I didn’t mean it. For whatever it was worth, Serena didn’t trust me, and the crazy part was I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

I sure as hell hadn’t given her any reason to. But for the sake of our baby, I was going to do everything within my power to make sure she didn’t have to walk around me with protective pines sticking out of her back. I crossed the room toward her, fingers curled and teeth clenched.

“You’re fucking pregnant.”

“But you didn’t know that. Neither of us did. So stop acting like a superhero all of a sudden.”

“What would you have preferred, then? That I take you to a fucking bank after you fainted?”

She pushed herself off the bed, glaring with less intensity than the first time we’d walked into the room. Placing one hand on her hip, she gestured with the other. “I don’t know, maybe? Again, I didn’t know you cared enough to consider taking me to a hospital.”

This time, I didn’t bother with a response since even I battled with conflicting emotions inside. Did I or did I not care?

To convince myself, I wanted to say I didn’t, but the subtle glimmer in her eyes held hope that I did. When I said nothing, her shoulders sagged, and she rolled her eyes, returning to bed and leaning against the headboard. “Whatever.”

Whatever?

Even her comebacks were childlike and fucking innocent.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and her hand hovered over her invisible baby bump. “You asked why I’ve been smiling since we left the hospital.”

“Now, you want to talk?”

Serena’s eyes snapped open fast enough to shoot me a glare before fluttering shut again. “I’m only talking to you right now because I want to get this off my chest, and you happen to be the only one in the room.”

Watching her display childish tantrums was amusing. I could lean back on that goddamn wall and watch her the entire day.

“I’m happy, Timur.” Silently, like she harbored a secret only she knew about, her lips quirked to the side and wobbled. “That’s the most genuine reason for my smiles. I’m happy, elated…excited, even, for this great news—our baby. I guess I’ve always wanted this, the opportunity to be a mother to someone else other than my brother. Hilarious, right?”

No.

Nothing about her past misery was funny to me. But I listened instead of speaking. She looked like she needed more listening ears and shoulders to lean on than mouths to stoke the fire of her concerns.

“Growing up, I was fortunate to meet my parents in love, if I can say that. Sadly, it didn’t last very long. Soon, the fights started, and some nights, it just went on and on until one of them would have to stomp out of the house for silence to reign.” She chuckled, and it sounded dry and detached. “I used to relish those moments of silence. It was the most peaceful it could get. By the time Jayden was born, there was barely any love left to share around in the house. They tried to act for Jay’s sake. You can guess how that turned out. When they both noticed it wasn’tworking, my mother, if I can still call her that, gave us quite the distance.”

“She left.”

I didn’t know I’d spoken until Serena’s eyes flew open, meeting mine with drawn brows. Maybe she thought I didn’t care enough to listen to her sob story and was surprised to find me still standing by the bed, staring at her intently like it was a matter of life or death.

Relaxing, she shrugged, still pinning her curious gaze on me. “Not immediately, no. It happened after a trip I’d pressured my father into taking us on. Jayden fought against the idea. He’s never really been a camp-in-the-woods guy, and my mother surprised Daddy and me by agreeing to it. I remember that day like it was yesterday, Timur; I’d been so happy, I didn’t even mind Jay’s incessant whining in the truck on our way there. I thought she’d agreed because they were going to try to become a happy family again.”

“No?”

She laughed again, shaking her head and flicking a teardrop under her eyelids. “No.”

I flexed my jaw and narrowed my eyes. She didn’t have to say a word. It didn’t matter how long ago her family broke apart; it still hurt her.

“Boy, how wrong I was. That night, they had an argument like never before. It was worse, lasting from dusk till after midnight. For a trip meant to last the entire weekend, my father asked Jay and me to pack our things the following morning and head to the truck. He made us promise not to ask about our mother or say a word that would link her in our conversations. Of course, we promised to make Daddy happy. Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a bee sting to know she’d left us without a word.”

Serena sniffled, her voice wobbled, and the fake smile that grew on her face put a dent in her brave façade. “No need tobore you with what happened after when you can already guess. Nothing was the same after that, not Daddy or Jay. Our father became physically and emotionally unavailable, leaving me to fill the shoes of both parents for my brother. And when our father died, I had to work multiple jobs to pay off Jay’s expenses and my tuition, and the rest is history.

“I’ll never regret being there for Jay. It’s just that, in the end, that awful experience left me with a dream to take care of my own child the way neither of my parents took care of me. When the doctor said I was pregnant, the joy that I was going to get my dream of being a mother filled my heart. Plus, the bonus part is knowing that it doesn’t really matter how twisted my current situation is; I know that my child will grow up in a secure household.”

Seeing her cry made a different kind of bloodlust consume my body, the type that made me want to do whatever it took to wipe those tears from her eyes and put a real smile on her face whatever it took.

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