Page 64 of Bratva Prince
* * *
A week had passed,and I’d been locked in my room like a prisoner living in luxury. Sure, I had clean clothes that many women would probably die to have, and a closet that was bigger than my bedroom at the apartment. But what did it matter?
The one thing I wanted most of all—my freedom—was the one thing I didn’t have.
It might sound naive, but I’d had a recurring fantasy that Ivan would appear at my windows, ripping down the bars to pull me out and rescue me from this hell.
My room was locked from the outside. Ever since I swung the candle holder at my father, he deemed me too much of a threat to let me roam about the house.
When my head hit the corner of the desk, I’d been knocked out for over a day. I finally came to, and my mother was staring at me with weeping eyes, relieved I’d finally woken up.
She was the only person I’d had any contact with, and that was only when she was allowed to bring me my meals, staying for maybe ten minutes before my father’s goons would appear, rushing her off.
I’d caught the nasty glint in one man’s eye every time he appeared in my doorway to collect my mother—as if she were a tool. He would watch me, licking his lips, plotting in his mind how he could have me without my father finding out. I knew that because he’d told me once, long ago.
Though, I never said anything before because I was too afraid he would come back and seek revenge for telling. I didn’t bother to say anything now because I was pretty sure my father would let him have me at this point.
He didn’t even pretend to love me anymore. After I’d shown my defiance, he stopped keeping up his fatherly facade, trading it in for the tyrant he was.
Every day, I’d been sick to my stomach. Perhaps it was the stress eating away at me but considering I hadn’t had my period since before I left for Greece, I begged my mother to sneak me a pregnancy test.
* * *
After my mothersnuck in the test, I go into the bathroom and pee on the stick. I place it on the counter and wait. Waiting for the results is possibly the longest five minutes of my life. It feels longer than being stranded on that island.
But then two pink lines appeared, clear enough to shred any doubt in my mind, I knew that it wasn’t stress that was making me vomit.
It was morning sickness. Sharp pains cut through me, and my chest tightens. My mouth turns dry, and I could feel the butterflies in my tummy spread their wings. We didn’t have any condoms on the island, so we used the pull-out method. Which was stupid, but we got caught up in the moment.
I get up and stand in front of the mirror, looking at my stomach.
Pregnant.
Several minutes pass. I take a deep breath.How will Ivan react to the news? I remember our conversation on the beach in Greece. How he said, he always wanted to have his own family. Well, here we are. Come and get us, please, Ivan.
I stare at my tummy for a few more minutes and rub it. “Hey, sweetheart,” I say quietly. “I'm going to be your mommy. Somehow, we will get out of this hell hole.”
I can’t have my baby in this room.I refuse to. I spent hours concocting plans to escape but came up empty every time.
On the sixth or seventh day, I’d been caged in, my father finally made an appearance, coming to speak to me personally, rather than sending his goons.
As he stepped into my room, it felt more invasive than the man with the crooked smile.
He paced about the room, eyeing every corner as if he were searching for something in particular. “Danila told me your mother brought you a pregnancy test.”
My heart stopped, and I had to force myself not to react. Do I deny it? He already knows—Danila, the bastard. I’d kill him with my own two hands if he got my mother beat, too.
“What were the results of this test?” My father asked, his voice unphased, as if he were asking about a report for work.
When I didn’t answer, he shook his head and chuckled. “Ah, so you are pregnant with that bratva bastard’s baby, I presume?”
Still, I didn’t speak.
“I guess I know now what you two did while you were trapped on that island for so long.”
He stepped closer to me, gripping my jaw and jerking me forward. “I have a task for you. One that will get you out of your room if you choose to accept.”
“And if I don’t?” I asked, my voice filled with venom.
