Baby. The word hits me right in the chest. I’m growing his. A new life in all this crazy.
I carefully place my coffee down on the counter and straighten my spine, looking up at him. I’m not scared of him, nor to challenge him.
“Do you love her, Miki?”
He squints at me, a look of skepticism on his face, and shakes his head, the movement a subtle but definite rejection. Yet, it isn’t enough.
“Hmm.” I’m not sure if I believe him.
“The fuck?” he mutters and takes a step towards me.
“Stay where you are and answer my goddamn question with words. Do you have feelings in any kind of romantic way towards that bitch?”
The rage starts to build in my chest, a tight, suffocating feeling that threatens to consume me. Her snide comments, the looks. She radiates such jealousy. The little ways she fawns over Miki to try to make me feel small. The constant interruptions. Reminders of his care for her.
“I’m going to need you to explain what the hell is going on here, Ana.”
I let out a laugh and push myself off the counter, closing the distance between us. His gaze pierces down, the darkness in his eyes almost consuming him, but I catch a glimpse of the amber specks that lie within. Those little bits of light in there.
My fingers trace the contours of his chest, and I offer him a smile that looks sweet and warm, the contrary to what I really feel. They say you have to scare a man sometimes to get them to reveal the truth. Mikhail is no different. Under this hard exterior, there is a man who loves deeply in there. A man whowould be an amazing father, a protector. A perfect husband for me.
“I will ask you one more fucking time, Mikhail. I want to know, is my husband in love with another woman? Do you feel even a minuscule bit of what she feels for you?”
He strokes the back of his hand along the side of my face, and I pull it away.
“What she feels for me? Ana, where is this coming from? I’m yours, baby.”
I clench my fists against his chest, my nails digging into my flesh.
Not good enough.
“She’s in love with you. Do you love her back? It is a simple question. Because if you do, I can’t be here. I’m not competing with her for my own husband's attention. I know my worth. You are either all in with me or I’m out. Was I just someone to keep you entertained until you could have her? If you’ve played me… I swear to God I will break you, Miki.”
I see the creases appear around his eyes. He’s fucking smirking under his mask.
I push against his chest and he grabs both of my wrists, a small growl escaping from him.
“Break me? Please, enlighten me how. And then I will give you a lesson inbreakingfor this little outburst.”
The son of a bitch. My heart races, a deafening roar filling my ears as his grip tightens, preventing any chance of escape. Fine. I let a small, sadistic smile creep up on my lips. I want to slap the grin from his. I look straight into his dark, unblinking eyes, my words measured and cold.
“You want to know how I’ll break you? I’ll find a guy, I’ll let him fuck me, hard, on your bed, in your precious corvette, on your bike. Every fucking surface in your home. Even your desk at work. And then you know what I’ll do… I’ll hunt her down,drag her by her hair back here and slit her throat. To be honest, I will probably leave her on your cum stained bed for good measure. And then you will have neither of us. Because I will be gone, out of your life just a distant memory and you can wallow forever about how you let the one women who would love you unconditionally, who would give you everything she had despite your demons, how you let her slip away because you couldn’t answer a single. Fucking. Question.”
I’m almost out of breath by the time I finish. God, it felt good. It’s probably all true, I am crazy about this man. I’ve told him before I would fight for him, for us, and I am. And now even more so for our baby.
He lets go of my wrists and a sinking feeling washes over me. What if he isn’t answering because I’m right? He doesn’t want to upset me. What do I do?
“Sounds like you’ve really thought this through, beautiful.” He drawls out, reaching behind his head. He fumbles with the balaclava, his hands shaking as he pulls it free and throws it to the ground, the fabric crinkling as it lands.
I keep my eyes fixed on him. I’ve seen his scars. I love them because they are part of him. But I know not to stare. It’s his biggest insecurity and it will take time.
“Don’t sweet talk me. But yes. I have. I don’t get played by men, Mikhail. Even you. So tell me the truth… do you love her?”
I can feel every aggressive beat of my heart against my ribs.
“God, it’s a good fucking job I love you crazy,” he mutters, rushing forward, his arm wraps around my waist and his mouth just a breath from mine.
“No. Fucking. Way. Ana. I love you and only you. I feel nothing for her, she is just an inconvenience I am trying to get rid of as we speak. I’m protecting my sister that is as far as it goes. But love… Ana, my heart is all yours. I promise.”