Page 67 of Triplet Babies
“Mmm.” Her gaze drops to my midsection, lingering for just a beat too long before returning to my face. “That must be it.”
The look is sharp, knowing, and settles in my bones like a warning. She suspects or knows something, and the predatory gleam in her eyes tells me exactly how dangerous that makes her. “I should get back to work.” I take a step toward Yarik’s office, desperate to escape this conversation.
“Of course. Don’t let me keep you.” She moves aside with graceful ease. “Have a lovely evening, Sarah.”
I slip into his office and grab my bag with shaking hands, my pulse jumping erratically. That wasn’t a casual comment about my appearance but a threat. It was delivered with a smile and wrapped in false pleasantries, but it was still a threat.
The workday doesn’t end for another twenty minutes, but I need to get out of here. Now.
Instead of going to my car, I head for the guesthouse, where I can have privacy to call Nina. The small building sits at the edge of the estate grounds, originally built for visiting family but now used mainly for storage. It’s quiet and isolated, which makes it perfect for a conversation I don’t want overheard.
I dial Nina’s number with trembling fingers, pacing the small living area while it rings.
“Hey, how’s work?” Her cheerful voice only makes my panic worse.
I blurt it out in a rush. “Nina, I think we have a problem. A big one.”
She sounds alarmed. “What happened?”
“Katya knows.” The words are still a jumbled mess. “She made some comment about me having a glow, and the way she looked at me... she knows about the baby. Babies. She has to.”
She inhales sharply but sounds calmer when she speaks again. “Slow down. What exactly did she say?”
“That I looked different and had a glow. Then she stared at my stomach like she could see right through me.” I sink into anarmchair covered by a dusty cloth, my legs suddenly unable to support me. “Nina, if she knows, if she tells people before I tell Yarik...”
“Okay, breathe. Maybe she was just making conversation. Lots of people comment when someone looks happy or rested.”
I let out a harsh sound that’s mostly bitter amusement and fear. “This wasn’t that kind of comment. This was a warning. She’s letting me know she has ammunition against me.”
She goes quiet for a moment, and I hear traffic in the background. “What do you want to do?”
Panic seizes me. “I don’t know. Maybe I should leave. Pack up and disappear before this gets any worse.”
She exhales slowly. “Sarah, you’re spiraling. You can’t run every time something scares you.”
“Can’t I? It worked before.” I press my free hand against my still-flat stomach, thinking about the three lives growing inside me. “What if she tries to hurt me? What if she goes after you?”
“She’s not going to hurt anyone. She’s a socialite, not a hitman.”
I shake my head instinctively. “You don’t know these people like I’m starting to. They’re not ordinary rich people, Nina. They’re dangerous.”
She sounds worried again. “You have to talk to Yarik and tell him what happened.”
The suggestion makes my chest constrict with fresh panic. “Tell him what? That his fiancée might know I’m pregnant with his children? That’s assuming he even wants to know about thebabies, which I haven’t told him yet because I’m terrified he’ll choose obligation over love.”
“Sarah—”
“What if seeing Alex yesterday wasn’t paranoia? What if he really is here, working with Katya somehow? What if they’re both coming for me and I’m sitting here like a target?” My voice rises with each question, the fear spiral taking hold completely. Everything that felt safe and possible last night now seems fragile and threatened. The ultrasound folder in my bag feels like evidence of a crime I haven’t committed yet.
“You need to calm down before you make any major decisions,” she says firmly.
“Staying calm is what gets you hurt. Staying calm is what lets dangerous people get close enough to destroy you.” I tremble. “Waiting to see what happens could get me and the babies killed.”
I think about Alex’s charming smile in the early days, how he seemed so perfect and attentive before the control and manipulation started. I consider Katya’s cold beauty and intelligence, certain she’s probably been planning my destruction since the moment she realized Yarik cared about me.
“What if I can’t protect them?” The question comes out as a whisper, my hand moving unconsciously to my stomach again. “What if I’m not strong enough to keep my children safe from these people?”
“You are strong enough. You survived Alex, you rebuilt your life, and you’ve been handling working for a man you know is dangerous because you saw something in him worth the risk.”
