Page 69 of Cruel Russian Pakhan
What did you expect to happen when you engaged in sex without protection, Katya?
I couldn't help but see a parallel between my mother and myself. I had gotten pregnant by a man who wasn't my husband—well, technically, anyway. I had gotten pregnant by a man who used me for his sinful desire. A man who didn't love me. A man who heard the news and bolted.
You fucked up, Katya.
But unlike my mother, giving up my baby wasn't an option.
Not that Lev would let you give him or her up.
I remembered what Lev told me.If your father had known, you would’ve been in his life. Bratva leaders are very protective of their children, especially their daughters.
Shit.
Would Lev try to take the baby? Would Artyom step in, claiming the child was illegitimate since Lev and I were supposed to annul our marriage, and decide to keep it? Would he even care? A part of me believed Artyom wouldn’t give a damn about the baby, but he’d be furious that he couldn’t marry me off to that fifty-five-year-old creep. Hell, he might try to marry me off to someone even older out of spite, and let Lev keep the baby.
The thought made me sick.
This wasn’t how I’d ever imagined finding out I was pregnant. I used to dream it would be magical, joyful. Rainbows, laughter, and that weird craving for pickles everyone talks about. Not…this. Not calculating a strategy like I was preparing for World War III.
I sighed and leaned back against the pillow, closing my eyes. I needed someone to talk to. Maybe I could call Ninel and Mariya, see if they could come visit me. I needed a listening ear, and if it came with advice and a shoulder I could cry on? I'd take that, too.
As I opened my eyes and turned to pick up my phone from the small table next to the bed, the door to my room opened, and Vera and Kira walked in.
I was stunned for a heartbeat before they rushed in and wrapped their arms around me.
I barely registered Lev’s voice from the doorway saying he'd be right outside.
“What are you both doing here?” I asked once they finally let me go.
“After Lev acted like a lunatic at the house, we got worried,” Vera said casually. “So we had our people track you both down.”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Kira asked, her eyes flashing. “Because if he did, I swear…”
I gently squeezed her hand, cutting her off. “No. He didn’t hurt me…not physically, anyway.”
I pushed myself upright, and Kira sat beside me on one side of the bed while Vera settled on the other.
“What happened?” Vera asked softly. “Why are you here?”
Before I could answer, Kira’s fingers brushed against the sonogram photo resting on the table next to the bed. I hadn’t been able to look at it, not after Lev walked out earlier and never came back.
Kira’s voice broke through the silence, a mix of shock and wonder. “Katya…you’re pregnant?”
My eyes flicked to Vera’s. Guilt swelled in my chest. “Vera, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Vera pulled me into another hug. “Katya, you and Lev are married. It’s okay. Just because he and I were supposed to get married doesn’t mean I ever wanted him.”
“You’re not angry?” I asked, pulling back to search her face.
She smiled. “I’m not. Being a Bratva woman means being loyal to our families and factions. That loyalty often means forming alliances through marriages to people we don't even love.”
There was a sadness in Vera's voice, a longing in the last few words she said.
I tilted my head. “So…is there someone you do love?”
Vera blushed.
I gasped. “Vera! You have to tell Artyom. Maybe he can help you marry him.”
