Page 20 of Filthy Lies

He nods. Then he leans down and presses his lips to Sofiya’s forehead. The gentleness of the gesture makes my heart contract painfully in my chest.

“I was so scared,” I admit. “Not of dying. But of her dying before you found us.”

His eyes meet mine, blazing blue like the hottest part of a fire. “I would have torn the world apart to find you both, you know.”

“I know.” And I do know. I’ve seen the evidence of it in the bodies left in our wake. “That’s what kept me going.”

The car speeds through the night, and I lean my head against Vince’s shoulder. Sofiya makes soft, mewling sounds against my chest. My body aches in ways I never knew possible, but none of it matters.

We’re together.

We’re alive.

We’re a family.

“I love you,” I whisper, though I’m not sure if he can even hear me as consciousness begins to slip away again.

The last thing I feel before darkness claims me is his lips against my temple and his whispered reply.

“You are my entire heart.”

9

ROWAN

The medical facility is a beehive of activity. Doctors and nurses swarm around me, checking vitals, starting IVs, examining Sofiya. They speak in urgent tones about blood loss, tearing, possible infection, so much jargon that drifts in one ear and out of the other.

Through it all, Vince never leaves my side. He stands like a sentinel at the head of my bed, his scowl daring anyone to suggest he move. When they take Sofiya for examination, his eyes track every movement, every person who touches her.

“She’s healthy,” the doctor finally announces. “Remarkably so, given the circumstances of her birth.”

The surge of relief makes me dizzy. Or maybe that’s the pain medication they’ve given me.

“And my wife?” Vince’s voice is thrumming with concern.

“Well, she’s dehydrated. Plus significant blood loss and some tearing that we’ve repaired. But with proper rest and care, she’ll make a full recovery.”

Vince’s shoulders sag slightly—the only outward sign of the tension releasing its grip on him.

They move us to a private room that looks more like a suite at the Four Seasons than any hospital ward I’ve ever seen before. Security personnel stand guard outside our door. The nurses bring Sofiya back to me, freshly bathed and wrapped in a proper blanket.

“She’s beautiful,” the night nurse says with a fond smile before leaving us alone.

Vince sits on the edge of my bed. I don’t think he’s blinked since he found us.

“I still can’t believe she’s real,” he says.

“I know.” I stroke Sofiya’s cheek with my finger. “She saved me, you know.”

He looks up, questioning.

“When I thought I couldn’t push anymore, when I thought I was going to die in that horrible place, I remembered whose child she is.Ours.” I shift in place, wincing at the pain. “The doctor who delivered her… is he okay?”

Vince’s expression darkens. “He’s being questioned.”

“He helped me,” I say quickly. “He saved Sofiya’s life. And mine.”

“Then he’ll be rewarded appropriately.” The ice in his voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Unlike the others.”

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