Page 43 of Viparious

Tali hesitates, looking around as the sun comes up to make sure no one overhears him. His voice is barely audible and doesn’t match his character.

“I was young, and Vlad made us move when we started hearing the rumors. But he apparently killed sixteen people in one night, then walked back home covered in blood and dirt in the middle of the day. Everyone said he looked like he’d crawled out from hell.”

I relax into his side as I hide my face by leaning my head on his shoulder. There are so many questions. I can’t ask them though. He doesn’t know anything other than rumors despite knowing the bastard all of his life.

Tali tries to force himself to stay awake, so I’m not alone, and I’m numb. Why couldn’t I have married him? He’s normal, or at least he’s not unnecessarily cruel. I might not be attracted to him, but he respects me, unlike the man I’m tied to.

When Viktor comes down, I grab Tali’s arm, and I sound desperate.

“Can I sleep on your floor?”

I can’t be around Vlad’s things while waiting for him to come back to play pretend. He softens and looks towards the kitchen to make sure Viktor is out of earshot as he misunderstands me.

“It was just a rumor. People say shit all the time.”

I’m not afraid of anything Vlad could do to me physically. I know he wouldn’t hit me. He’d destroy me in ways that would be unseen. Whatever Tali sees on my face makes him give in with a small smile.

“Take any room you want. Vik’s is the one with cars all over it. Unless you want a car bed too?” His attempt at a joke makes me return his smile and I shake my head before forcing myself to stand and hide away.

* * *

Whoever in controlof my life — God, fate, or the universe, all three of them — they’ve conspired with the single goal of how to make my life worse by giving me an escape. Now I’m dragging another life into it, but my fucked up brain keeps defending Vlad. He doesn’t care for me, but that doesn’t mean he won’t care for his own child.

When my third message in as many weeks goes unanswered, I realize that’s a fucking lie. I’m already thirteen weeks pregnant, and the father of my child is MIA. What a fucking joy my life is. He’s spent three weeks doing God knows what, or who, without any trace of life. He’ll be with her, and I’ll be with my child. My hand goes to my stomach despite there being no bump and I give the little bean every promise for more. They won’t know pain or neglect. If that prick doesn’t want me, he’ll still be in their life, but if he denies my child, I’ll kill him.

The doctor doesn’t comment on me being alone as she steps into the room, confirming I’m pregnant yet again. I’ve done upwards of fifteen tests in the last four days, so I don’t need her to continue repeating it, and Val’s message comes through when she goes to get the needles for my blood work.

Val:

We’re outside, which room are you in? Tali said he’s got you those nasty cookies you like

How are they even related? Vlad has forgotten I exist, but his brothers have done everything. They don’t act like I’m somewhere I shouldn’t be, and they both sat on the bathroom floor with me when I was throwing up. Whoever raised them should have raised that bastard. Maybe he’d know how to act like a fucking human being instead of whatever creature he’s currently embodying.

Choosing not to reply, I close my eyes and breathe. I can do this on my own. I’ve never had anyone hold my hand before and this is no different. Even Grandfather and Dariya refused to coddle me, thinking that’s what went wrong with my father. The door opens but I don’t open my eyes, I pay enough to block everything out if I want to.The sound of dress shoes have my eyes springing open and my dumbass heart assumes it’s the one Vartanov who couldn’t give a fuck if I was living or breathing.

Instead, Valentin, Dani, and Vitali awkwardly stand by the door. The latter makes a stupid joke as he holds his hand out, “If I give you this don’t break it, I’ve got a fight coming up and I heard pregnant women have weird strength.”

I wish I had siblings, people who understood me and bonded, so it wasn’t just me. I wouldn’t be like Vlad, taking them for granted and I’m going to steal his brothers in the divorce.

They all move to stand by my head as the doctor comes back. Dani is kind and wraps her fingers around mine as she gives me a tight-lipped smile. The doctor’s brows go up at the two criminals in the room, but she recovers quickly and ignores them as they get larger, watching the needle push into my skin. I used to hate needles, it’s funny what a broken heart can change. She rests the vials on the table as she focuses on me to ignore everyone else as she asks, “Are you ready to see your baby now?”

Dani squeezes my hand, and my audience doesn’t say a word until they see their niece or nephew. Val and Tali bicker over the sex louder than usual, probably trying to get me to react. All I can focus on is the little thuds and watching its heartbeat. It hasn’t felt real until this moment. Even now, it’s like I’m watching a TV show. The little gray blob isn’t inside me; it’s just projected on the screen for me to see.

Until Val opens his fat fucking mouth.

“It looks creepy as fuck. Like some sea creature.”

Dani glares at him and my voice is deadly.

“Don’t call my child a sea creature. Or weird. Or curse in front of them.”

I never thought about having children as anything outside of the hypothetical. It was something I was removed from. My mind detached everything to do with family because mine was cold. But this child won’t have that. It will have uncles who care about it and a cousin who’s more excited than anyone else. Above all, it will have a mother who will protect them from anything. Including their father if it’s required.

Looking up from the screen, the doctor hesitates and tries to figure out the roles of the idiots behind me.

“Do the dads want a printout each?”

They both fill with disgust, spitting out the same thing.

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