Page 41 of Pregnant Bratva Virgin

“Good news. Laura’s condition is stable, and she’s out of danger.”

Emily sighs and I feel lighter. “Oh my God. Thank you so much. Thank you for saving her,” she gushes.

“Well, this is the first step of recovery. There’s many more, but she’s good.”

“That’s all we need to hear, Doc.” I nod my head and Emily thanks the doctor profusely as we hug tightly.

Chapter Twenty-Three - Emily

Parts of my old life are bleeding into the new one, and slowly I’m making it all work together. I rub my rounded stomach, walking out onto the back porch of the estate, picking some flowers for the house, humming to myself. The months are passing so fast, I haven’t had a chance to enjoy the seasonal changes.

The weather’s changing again, and springtime is one of my favorite seasons. Reconnecting with Stacy and Kiara has been awesome. Parts of my limbs have been sewn back on. We’ve even gone out a few times, but I haven’t been able to tell them everything about my new life.I can’t.

Ryurik is still a mystery to me in many ways, the only real show of vulnerability being when Laura was in the hospital. I saw how he could be a man I could truly rely on and put my full trust in. It’s been hard to reconcile that with the man I read copious amounts of notes on in the department and all the crimes I know he evaded. For the most part, I haven’t seen him take any actions in front of me that indicated criminal behavior.

But who knew what he did all day and during the long nights he is away at Blindside Metro. I’ve got a new personal phone that I’ve purchased, but there’s no guarantee that Ryurik hasn’t tapped it.

“I can’t believe you married the guy from the nightclub. Wow. I need you to do over the wedding. Did you really need to get married without us there?”I had to work harder with them both to repair the friendship, because if I had it my way, both the girls would have been bridesmaids at my wedding.

“I promise you; it wasn’t my decision so much as it was Ryurik’s. We had a quickie wedding,”I told them, and we meetevery few weeks to catch up. I’m going to make it up to them at the baby shower, and there’s nothing Ryurik can do about it.

I use my shears to diagonally cut the mauve-colored roses. I only want a few, and if I asked the gardener, Henri, to do it, he would, but I would rather do it myself.

Next, I snip the white and pink roses happy with the bunch I’ve selected. I’m becoming quite the nester. Heading back inside to beat the heat, I think about my mom’s recovery, so surprised by how it’s going. It’s been shorter than I thought it would be, and I’m due to see her today.

See. You can have a normal life with this man.It’s the story I tell myself every day to bring a sense of normality to this situation. We go out to dinner like other couples. Fight and argue like others. Make love sometimes, and we talk about normal everyday couple things.

Most days I try not to think about his lengthy list of criminal activities because Ryurik doesn’t talk to me about his operations. That’s the part I find strange, but in order to have a normal life, maybe he compartmentalizes it, like me. He heads out to the Blindside early in the day, running the club and checking on operations, but that’s all I know.

When I ask him more about his operation, he doesn’t say much, closing like a clam, and that’s what makes me suspicious. You would think after eight months in, he would tell me something more about the depth of his life. When it comes to taking care of the baby and attending ultrasounds, checking in about Laura, and seeing that I’m okay, he will be there physically, but there’s something he hides, and it’s starting to eat away at me day by day. We’re going to be married forever so why not open up to me?

Walking back inside, I meet Olga along the way. Initially she got my hopes higher than she should have, but reality has brought them crashing back down.

“Good morning. You look like you’re about to give birth any day now. How wonderful!” she delights.

“And my back is feeling worse off for it, Olga. I’m ready for this baby to pop out so I can get a look at it.”

“We all can’t wait.” Olga grins touching my stomach. “Do you need a vase for those?”

“Yes. I was about to go to the nursery and see if the gardener has a spare one.”

“Are you sure? I can get it for you, and you can rest.”

“No, don’t fuss over me. I’ll waddle there. I want to check out what it’s looking like now anyway. Thank you, though. I’m sure I’ll find what I’m looking for.”

Besides, I want to be alone with my thoughts. Ryurik’s already gone for the day and soon enough I’m going to be seeing Mom.

What if he just needs more time to show me?But as I place the stalks of the roses in the vase, I think about all the months he’s already had to show me who he is—to tell me the story of his life. I’ve never pushed him for information. I wanted him to tell me himself, and at times it felt as if he was looking into me, and all I was able to do was stare back at a wall.

We’re having a baby together, and I don’t want my daughter to grow up with a cold, stiff father who doesn’t know how to show love or affection.

Taking my time, I pour the water, thinking about the imaginary bubble I’ve been living in with him and what to do about it. By the end of my impromptu flower arrangement, I’mno closer to the answer. I put the vase into the living room, placing it on the table in there and getting ready to meet Mom.

I perk up some when I arrive at her house, my heart filling up as soon as I walk into the front yard. I look around the garden with its sweetness and it matches her. Maybe she’s the reason I like roses so much. She has a garden full of them.

“Mom!” I call out, knocking on the door, the screen locked.

“Is that you, Em?”

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