Page 73 of Captive Vows
Did he just say what I thought he said?
Is she really?—
Gabriella settled against me as the car sped off. She scrambled to sit upright, clutching at the armrest. Rocked by the shocking bombshell of what that Rivera asshole said, I was too slow to react and assist her. To help her.
Is that true?
Is she carrying my child?
How the fuck?—
I didn’t have the time to ask her. With those Rivera thugs trespassing on my turf, I had to handle the issues of an enemy too close for comfort. My phone rang. Of course, it did. I was always on. Instead of demanding an answer from Gabriella about what that man said, I answered Emil’s call.
“They started trouble at the back of the resort,” he said, reporting in like I trusted him to always do.
Everyone in my organization was held to the same expectation to be quick to share intel.
They were held to the standards of honesty, too.
Something I had a nasty and sinking suspicion Gabriella hadn’t thought to consider.
She’s been lying?
All this time?
How long?
With half of my attention on what my son reported, I tried not to get sucked in and carried away by the tidal wave of confusion. Thinking back to when I’d first slept with Gabriella, then when she’d seemed to have her menstrual time, something I would only know because she’d tell me before we fucked, I realized she hadn’t had her period. Maybe that one time, which hadn’t lasted long, now that I thought back to it.
When I was married to Maria, she’d been so eager to start a family with me. We’d tracked her ovulation and cycles to better ensure the beginning of having kids. That was how she’d given me Emil so quickly. I’d knocked her up on the first try. We’d been expecting a daughter when she was killed.
But with Gabriella and how I hadn’t focused on anything long-term with her, it hadn’t even crossed my mind. All I’d homed in on was teaching her how to please me and how she could take her own bliss from my touch. I hadn’t slowed down to consider protection since she was a virgin and wouldn’t have any diseases to give me. I hadn’t paused to consider not knocking her up because I’d been so impatient to have her after taking a gradual approach to getting her submission.
All while Emil talked, filling me in on the latest trouble the Riveras planned at that location, I steamed and stewed over this revelation.
She’s fucking pregnant?
And didn’t think to mention it to me?
Rage and fury built and mixed within me on the drive. Once we arrived, I was too shocked and disappointed to face her.
I got out, waiting for her to exit. Giving her only a stern glower, I directed her inside with a point of my finger. “Go. Wait inside.”
Still on the phone with Emil, who was back at that resort property handling the aftermath of the Rivera attack and ambush, I nodded and exhaled a long breath. “All right. We are back now and I’ll speak with you when you get here.”
Ivan strode toward me, face serious and eyes narrowed. “Is she all right?” He shook his head. “I was just updated about the ambush.”
“She’s fucking pregnant?” I roared.
He went still, staring at me like I’d spoken another language. “What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“She’s pregnant.”
“Are you asking or telling me this?”
I huffed, stalking through the house with him at my side. “Oh, so it’s news to you, too?”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” He didn’t miss a beat, matching my stride and not slowing until my office door was in view at the end of the hall. “Allen!” Facing me as we entered my domain, he shook his head. “Uncle, what are you saying? Gabriella is pregnant?”
