Page 109 of Sinful Scars

I stagger backwards as I’m hit with a blinding pain so bad that I almost vomit right there and then.

“Lev?”

Elle’s voice sounds far away, as if I’m trapped underwater.

I screw my eyes shut, trying to take a breath, but I’m already too far gone. I’m going to black out, and Elle will take that as her opportunity to run.

As I slip into the darkness, all I can do is hope is that the Koslovs get to her before Igor does.

And that one day, when all of this is over, she can find it in her heart to forgive me.

27

ELLE

Lev crumples to the floor,completely unconscious.

One minute, he was standing there, talking to me, and then the next, he was out cold. As if a switch went off in his brain.

Is this one of his blackouts?

I go to take a step toward him but stop myself.

He could be faking this as a way to get me to come to him. Today has only proven that I’ve greatly underestimated Lev, and as much as I wish I could trust him, I can’t.

That trust has been severed, and I’m not sure it can ever be repaired.

But seeing him lying there so vulnerable has my stomach sinking.

If he came into the hospital as a patient, I would treat him without question. So, why should right now be any different?

“Lev?”

Nothing.

He doesn’t even stir a little. He’s so still that I can’t even tell if he’s breathing.

My heart is screaming at me to go and help, but my head is telling me to stay the hell away from him. Right now I need to protect myself and my child, so I stay on the opposite side of the room.

“Lev!”

His face is deathly pale, and there’s a slight sheen of sweat across his brow.

He doesn’t look good at all.

“Oh god.”

My hand moves to my stomach, and I think of our child.

Suddenly, this isn’t just about what’s best for me anymore. Despite everything, he is still the father of my child.

Would I be able to live with myself if I just left him here?

I’m crossing the room and kneeling beside Lev before I have a chance to talk myself out of it. I press two fingers to his neck, and when I feel the steady beat of his pulse, I let out a sob.

“Oh, thank god,” I sit back on my heels, looking down at Lev.

He told me himself that he could be out for five minutes or five hours. This could be my only chance to get the fuck out of here.

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