Page 42 of Vendetta Crown

I take a shaky breath, meeting his golden eyes.

"I might be pregnant," I tell him.

There's no use in trying to hide this information.

The tray trembles slightly in his hands and then falls from his fingers.

His expression shifts through a kaleidoscope of emotions. Shock, confusion, then something that looks like cautious wonder before settling into fierce protectiveness.

11

RUSLAN

"I might be pregnant."

Three words. Five syllables. And suddenly my entire world stops.

Pregnant?

My mind races through calculations. The day of our wedding. The sex we had when she tried to run from having her identity revealed. That had been five weeks ago. It's possible. Very possible.

My heart hammers against my rib cage. A child. My child.Our child. Inside her. That child was growing when that monster Kristofer had his hands on her. When he threatened her.

When he hurt her.

I feel myself sway slightly, rage and terror and something else—something bright and fierce—all swirling together inside me.

"Are you sure?" My voice comes out rough, barely controlled.

Aurora's hazel eyes look up at me, wide with uncertainty. "I don't know for certain. But I'm late, and I'm never late. And the nausea..."

I cross to her side in quick strides, and kneel beside her chair. Taking her slender fingers in mine, I notice they're trembling. Or maybe my hands are the ones trembling.

"Zarechka," I whisper. "How soon can we find out?"

"Hannah is talking to Daria about getting a pregnancy test." She squeezes my fingers. "It could be nothing. Maybe it's just stress. Everything that's happened…"

"Or it could be something." I can't help but stroke her cheek, just below where that bastard's handprint is still fading.

I'm trying to keep my expression neutral, but inside, I'm drowning in contradictions. Elation that she might carry my child. Terror that this will put her in even more danger. Guilt that I wasn't there to protect her from Kristofer.

Underneath it all, a fierce, primal possessiveness that makes me want to hide her away from the world where nothing can ever hurt her or our potential child again.

The door swings open and Hannah rushes in, slightly out of breath. In her hand is a small pink box.

"Got one," she announces, holding up what must be the pregnancy test. She glances between Aurora and me, her expression softening. "One of the staff is trying right now so she let me have this one."

I watch Aurora rise from her chair, steadying herself slightly against the table. Her face is pale, but there's determination in her eyes as she takes Hannah's hand. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest.

"I'll be right back," Aurora says, leaning down to press her lips against mine.

The kiss is brief, tentative, like she's afraid of what I might be thinking. I cup her cheek gently, mindful of the bruise that's still healing there.

"I'll be waiting," I promise.

As she walks away with Hannah, I remain frozen in spot, watching her retreating form.

I've never imagined myself as a father. Not after what happened with Leslie. Not after seeing what being Vitaly's son did to Lev and me.

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