Page 46 of Come Alive
I was crying. The tears dripped steadily down, landing on James still resting in my lap. He blindly reached up, to my hand holding the gun. He pulled it towards his head.
“You are more important than I will ever be. You have to do this. For me, for yourself, for Isobella, for Kazi, and Mateo.”His hand wrapped around mine. “You can’t die here. You arepregnant.”
My blood froze at the last word.
“Pregnant?” My father’s voice echoed around the room. “Pregnant?!”
Chapter 28
Stephen
His Mistake
All that was ever wrong in the world began when his wife became pregnant. At first, he had been hopeful the child would calm his wife’s wayward sense of self. But then, Dolly had grown: stretch-marks, baggy skin, excess fat, a desperate attachment to the unborn baby.
She was hideous. Nothing as he imagined the perfect wife to be. He couldn’t even bear to look at her until nearly a year after thebirth.And after that? He had never lain with Dolly again.
She was his to display, to keep pristine, but he didn’t want to risk another unnecessary hindrance to his life. Strong men deserved dutiful women to support them in silence, to accept their rage, to allow them to maintain their perfect appearance to the outside world.
And then hisdaughterhad grown—the exact replica of her mother, except more stubborn and spoiled by Dolly’s love.
The child was filthy, constantly getting into messes, disrupting the peaceful calm his home was meant to be. But Dolly alwaysdisrupting his discipline, enraging him to no end, until she dared toleave him.
It was the final straw.
And though he was forced to replace his perfect doll—his daughter had been a near perfect replica.
Except now, she had done the unforgivable.
She waspregnant.
“Stay here, wait for my signal,” Stephen directed to the men surrounding him as he got up from his chair. It was placed before a screen of monitors, where he was able to keep an eye on the entire facility.
He had wanted to make Yara kill James. Force her to do the unforgivable act and then swoop in to show her she was the monster she always claimed Stephen to be.
Stephen knew who set their house alight all those years ago. Knew it was his darling daughter who had dared cross him.
He should have been angry, furious at her betrayal. But…he had found himself proud of her. She was truly his kin.
His blood.
She had earned her freedom, at least for some time. But the longer they were apart, the louder the voice in his head screamed he needed his doll. Needed her by his side. Needed her to fix all of the damaged parts.
How can she be pregnant?
He had kept meticulous records on her medical records. Of the implant in her arm.
It was no matter; he wouldtake careofthe pregnancy and keep James locked away until she wasfixed.
Stephen entered the long hallway off of the security room. He furrowed his brow when Eve wasn’t where he left her. She should be out here on her knees waiting for him. In fact, no one was at their posts, except he had seen them on the screens just minutes ago.
Stupid bitch, her time has run its course.I’ll deal with her next. And the guards after that.
Stephen pulled a gun from the holster on his hip as he made his way down the hall towards Yara and James.
Every step closer to them, his rage clouded his vision, images of Dolly’s pregnant belly, of her trying to escape, of her blood coating his hands, of the trembling girl. The last screw in his brain unwound, leaving his rational thought to the wayward.
Stopping at his destination, he whipped the door open.
