Page 76 of The Pakhan's Arranged Bride
“I didn’t. I was driving past, Jadon was going to drop me off outside the doctor’s office. I was hoping to make it to your appointment in time when I saw you—andhim.”
“Thank you,” she says, her voice breaking. “I don’t know what would have happened—" She lifts her hand over her belly again.
I reach over and take her hand, squeezing it gently.
“Let’s get you home.”
On the drive home, I come to realize that I can’t ignore what he said. It’s not something I can push aside.
Ulyana keeps looking at me, as though she wants to tell me something but doesn’t know how to.
I’m going to ask her about it, but this time it won’t be a fight.
We arrive at home and I walk with her into the safety of our mansion.
She’s chewing on her lower lip as she sets her purse down on the coffee table in the living room.
She turns towards me, taking a breath. Her lips press together and her brow furrows. She says nothing.
“Can we talk, little fox?” I ask calmly, sitting down on the sofa, gesturing for her to join me. She nods and sits next to me. Her body is stiff, she’s fidgeting.
“I understand that Miron is a liar and can’t be trusted, but I overheard what he said to you, about your reasons for marrying me—and that you and he have a past.”
I wait, watching her reaction. I haven’t asked a question yet, but she must know what I’m getting at—what I want to clarity.
Ulyana leans forward, her elbows on her knees and her face resting in her hands. She stays that way for ages.
“Ulyana, what did he mean?” I press, still remaining calm.
A long moment passes, but I wait.She is going to tell me. She wants to tell me. She’s just nervous for some reason.
She sits up, sighing heavily, and nods.
“I did marry you in order to come to Las Vegas, so that I could get revenge on Miron. Not so that I could becloserto him—not in the way he makes it sound. I just wanted revenge.”
Revenge?
“For what?” I ask tightly.
“For hurting me, and for hurting my family.” She shrugs, pulling her mouth to the side, fighting tears again.
I stare at her for a long time.
“So, the only reason you agreed to marry me was to get to Las Vegas and have your revenge against Miron?” I ask, wanting to be crystal clear.
She nods again.
Inside me, things are falling apart.
The truth is out, and all the pieces are clicking into place.
I’ve had a suspicion about her since she came here. I’ve had this insistent feeling, one I’ve pushed aside many times, that she was using me for her own reasons and that nothing between us was real. That everything really was just a business arrangement and nothing more.
But over the past few weeks, I managed to let go of that thought all together. We were growing closer, we were intimate, having sex, but not just physical—it was emotional. We were connecting. We were becoming friends.
It felt so real.
And now we’re having a baby together.
