Page 51 of Untouchable Queen
She looks peaceful, almost like she could just be sleeping, except for the angry bruise turning her cheek a bluish purple. And when the doc goes to run his results, I settle onto the edge of the bed so I can take her delicate hand in mine. Her nails are painted their usual crimson. They’re shaped to perfection, andit hits me then that Tatiana is so meticulous about the image she presents to the world, that sometimes I can forget she’s not indestructible.
The guilt gnawing at my stomach is agonizing, and I gently run the backs of my fingers over her uninjured cheek, willing her to wake up.
Dr. Rossi clears his throat as he comes back into the room. “Well, it would appear Mrs. Agosti has a concussion. With enough sleep and a few days’ rest, she should be alright, but if she has any severe headaches or memory loss, don’t hesitate to call me. Ice would help minimize that cheek’s bruising. Otherwise, her vitals look good. She and the baby look quite healthy in fact.”
“Baby?” My head snaps up at the word, and I look at Dr. Rossi as if I’m really seeing him for the first time. “I’m sorry, did you say baby? Tatiana’s pregnant?”
The gray-haired doctor gives me a knowing smile. “Yes, I suppose congratulations are in order. It looks like she’s about a month along. She might not even know she’s pregnant yet if she’s not experiencing any early signs. Has she been feeling tired lately or throwing up?”
“No…not that I’m aware of.” I run the last few days back in my mind but can’t think of any time—except for tonight, right before she came into the warehouse.
My stomach knots as I realize I didn’t just put Tatiana in danger. I put our unborn child at risk. I’m not sure anything could make me feel more awful.
But I’m going to be a father?
My heart swells as I look back down at my wife’s face.
“I’ll leave you with some Tylenol in case she’s experiencing any mild discomfort, though I would recommend spreading out the dosage. And again, call me if any symptoms worsen.”
“When will she wake up?”
Again, Dr. Rossi gives me a soft smile. “When she’s ready.”
I nod. “Thank you, Doctor.”
The room feels agonizingly quiet after he finishes collecting his tools and leaves. It’s just me and Tatiana, and though I know I should go dispose of my clothes and wash the blood off my body, I can’t seem to bring myself to leave Tatiana’s side.
She’s pregnant? Tatiana’s carrying my child?
Emotions flood me—joy, excitement, anticipation. I’m anxious to know how Tatiana will react when she finds out. She knew it was an eventuality. We discussed it before we even got married, and it’s not like we’ve been using protection, but I’m still surprised it happened so quickly.Then again, I’ve spent every spare second I have making love to her, so is it really that surprising?
I sit with her for what feels like minutes, but when I look up, I find the sun slowly creeping over the horizon outside our window. I need to clean myself up before Tatiana wakes. If she doesn’t like the sight of blood and she’s starting to feel morning sickness, she shouldn’t see me in this state.
Quickly, I strip my clothes, tossing them on the bathroom floor with the intention of burning them—like I do any outfit that might place me at the scene of a crime. Then I step into the shower and rinse the night’s violence from my body.
It’s oddly touching to realize that Tatiana insisted on leading her men to provide me with backup knowing that she can’t stand the sight of blood. It feels like everything I learn about Tatiana makes me love her more.
She might be the most fiery, stubborn, high-spirited woman I’ve ever met, but I love the challenges she gives me. I value her opinion more than anyone else I know. She’s smart—probably smarter than me. And underneath all that intelligence and strength and ambition is a woman with a heart of gold. Sometimes, I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to call her mine.
I can only hope that someday, I’ll be worthy of her.
Stepping out of the shower, I grab a towel and wrap it around my waist. Then I grab my pile of bloody clothes and head to the sink. I’ll take them down with the trash after Tatiana wakes. Tipping the bin, I’m halfway finished dropping the soiled fabric into it when something catches my eye, and I pause. Slowly withdrawing the pile of clothes, I drop them on the floor to carefully extract the thin strip of plastic I saw.
My heart stutters to a halt in my chest. It’s a pregnancy test—and the two pink lines tell me it’s positive.
Tatiana knew.
She already knew and she didn’t tell me.But for how long?I scan the contents of the trash, looking for a receipt—anything that would indicate when she took the test. But I find nothing.
I can’t be certain how long she’s known. Only Tatiana can say. But one thing’s for certain. She’s been keeping it a secret, and that disturbs me deeply, because I genuinely thought we were reaching a turning point as a couple. I knew that, while it wasn’t the best way to go about the start of our relationship, forcing Tatiana’s hand was really the only way I could get her to marry me.
Since then, I’ve tried to make up for my mistakes. I’ve apologized. I’ve shown her through every way I can think of that my feelings for her are genuine. But it would seem nothing I do will convince her. Maybe what she said in Positano is the truth of the matter—what I’ve done is unforgivable. She can never love me. That possibility is soul crushing.
I should be thrilled that we’re going to have a child together. But instead, all I feel is guilt and rejection. Because clearly Tatiana doesn’t care for me any more than she did on our wedding day if she’s been keeping this secret from me.
My only hope is that she found out today and wanted to wait to tell me once the deal with Saturo was done—because there’sno way in hell I would have let her come tonight if I had known she was pregnant. I’m furious with her for keeping it from me for even that long, but I desperately want to believe that’s the reason she didn’t say anything. The alternative is unbearable.
I guess I’ll have to wait and get my answer when Tatiana wakes up.
