Page 44 of Accidentally Knocked Up By the Bratva

She stands abruptly, the blanket falling to the floor. "Oh God. Oh God, I can't… I can't believe this."

Chapter 16 - Zara

I stand there frozen, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. The living room suddenly feels claustrophobic, closing in around me as I struggle to process Abram's words. A Bratva leader. The man I've been falling for, the one who swept me off my feet, is part of the Russian mafia.Headsit, in fact.

My mind conjures scenarios terrifying for even nightmares. What if I want no part in this? Would he hunt me down? Can my life ever be the same again, knowing what I do now? Something in me itches to test the waters, to understand the boundaries of what he’d let me get away with.

My shock turns to simmering rage at this betrayal. After all, if I think about it, I fell for a man I never truly knew. As for the version I fell for? Never existed.

My hands clench into fists at my sides as I glare at him, my voice trembling from pain and rage.

"I want to leave. Now." The words come out sharp and cold, cutting through the tension in the room.

Abram's eyes widen, a flicker of panic crossing his face. He rises from the leather couch; his movements are fluid and graceful despite his imposing frame. He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively back away, bumping into an end table. A crystal vase wobbles precariously.

"Please, don't be afraid," he says, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "I would never hurt you."

I want to believe him, but doubt gnaws at me. How can I trust anything he says now? He lied to me for so long; how do I know he’s not lying now?

I blink rapidly, trying to reconcile the gentle man I know with this new, dangerous identity. "Why… how is this possible?" My voice comes out as barely more than a whisper, my mind jumping between wanting to leave and wanting answers.

"I should have told you sooner," Abram continues, his voice low and soothing. "But I was afraid of losing you,” he admits softly.

Instinctively, I yearn to tell him he might just lose me now, but my anger forces me to keep my thoughts to myself. After all, he doesn’t deserve my vulnerability, when he thought I didn’t deserve the truth. All I can manage to do is shake my head, disagreeing with I don’t know what, but needing him to know I’m not receptive to his excuses.

He takes a step toward me, his hand outstretched. "Zara, please. You can't leave. It's not safe."

I back away, shaking my head. "Not safe? Because of you and your… your criminal empire?" The words taste bitter on my tongue.

"Listen to me," he pleads, his voice a mix of urgency and concern. "You were just kidnapped. Those men are still out there. If you walk out that door, I can't guarantee your safety.” Abram runs a hand through his hair, a rare display of agitation. "My involvement with the Bratva… it puts a target on my back. And now, on yours as well."

A chill runs down my spine.

"There are rival organizations, other criminal enterprises that would love nothing more than to see me fall," Abram explains, his grey eyes intense as they lock onto mine. "And they'll use any means necessary to achieve that goal. Including targeting those I care about. Especially you. You have to stay Zara, please. So I can keep protecting you."

A humorless laugh escapes me. "Protect me? PROTECT ME? You're the reason I'm in danger in the first place!"

Abram almost bends into himself with pain, the frustration evident in every line of his body. "I know, and I'm sorry. But please, Zara. Leaving now would be a death sentence."

I pause, my heart racing. Part of me wants to run, to put as much distance between myself and this man as possible. But another part, a part I'm not ready to examine too closely, recognizes there could be truth in his words. Still, I have an edge of rebelliousness in my heart, convincing me to get more clarity before I let him believe we could be on the same team again.

"You've manipulated me, Abram. Kept me in the dark about who you really are," I say at last. “I really don’t know what to think anymore.”

I pace back and forth, my mind reeling. "What else haven't you told me? How can I trust anything you say?"

Abram's face contorts in pain, and he takes a step toward me, hands outstretched. “Zara…”

I flinch away from his touch, and he drops his hands, defeat written in the slump of his shoulders.

"I should have told you everything from the start," he admits, his voice low and rough. "But I was afraid. Afraid that if you knew the truth about the Bratva, about my role in it, you'd run. After all, why would a woman as incredible as you ever be with a lowlife like me? And I…" He swallows hard, his piercing grey eyes meeting mine. "I need you in my life, Zara. More than I've ever needed anyone."

The raw emotion in his voice makes my heart stutter, urges me to tell him he’s not a lowlife, but my brain tells meto stick to my guns just until I decide if it’s worth trusting him again or not.

I force myself to stay strong. "That doesn't excuse your lies, Abram. You took away my choice. The choice of wanting to be with you should always have been mine, Abram. You had no right to decide what I could or couldn't handle."

His shoulders sag further, and he nods, a tremor running through his body. "You're right," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "God, you're so right. And look where my choices have gotten us." His eyes, usually so confident and assured, are now filled with a pain that makes my breath catch. "You could have been hurt tonight or worse. It would have been all my fault, and now, I wish I had left you alone in the very first place. It was my selfishness, god-damn it," he stands straighter and punches into a wall next to him. “That almost cost you your life!”

I watch as he runs a hand through his dark hair, his composure crumbling before my eyes. "If something had happened to you, Zara… I could never have forgiven myself." His voice hitches, like he’s holding back tears.

---