Pregnant

The sway of Lucian’s steady steps carries me through the warehouse, each footfall a quiet promise that I am no longer trapped. Part of me is convinced this must be a hallucination—that any second, I’ll wake up, still bound, still drowning in the dark. But when I press my face into the crook of his neck, the heat of his skin grounds me. The scent of him—smoke, leather, and something distinctly Lucian—tethers me to reality.

He doesn’t let go. Not once.

The blinding sunlight stabs at my eyes as he carries me outside, the stark contrast making my vision blur at the edges. I cling to him like a lifeline when he lifts me into the backseat of a waiting SUV. My entire body feels like it’s still tied to that steel chair—muscles locked, nerves frayed, phantom pain pulsing across my skin. The fear hasn’t left me yet. Maybe it never will.

Someone climbs into the front seat and starts the engine, but I don’t look up. My universe narrows to the sound of Lucian’s heartbeat beneath my ear, steady and real. He came. He saved me. I’m safe now.

“Aurora,” Lucian murmurs, his voice rough as he brushes his lips against my forehead. “No one will ever hurt you again. I swear it on my life.”

The words should comfort me, but instead, they splinter something deep inside. My body tenses, a breath catching in my throat. I flinch away before I can stop myself. His jaw tightens, but his arms stay firm around me, his touch achingly gentle.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly, guilt thick in his voice.

I shake my head, unable to speak past the knot in my throat. The car hums beneath us, and exhaustion begins to creep in, dulling the edges of my fear. I let my eyes close, letting myself be cradled in the warmth of his hold, letting myself feel safe—for just a moment.

By the time we reach the house, I can barely keep my eyes open. Lucian carries me inside, up the stairs, as if I weigh nothing at all. Every movement sends a dull throb through my battered body, but I don’t complain. I don’t fight him.

“I’ll have a doctor come check you over,” he murmurs, easing me onto the bed.

The suggestion of being sedated again sends a violent shudder through me. Panic bubbles up, sharp and suffocating. “No,” I rasp, voice raw. “Please. I don’t want…I can’t—”

His hands twitch, like he wants to hold me, but he doesn’t push. “All right,” he relents. “If that’s what you need.”

I squeeze my eyes shut against the burning sting of fresh tears. “Please… I just need a moment to myself.”

His silence stretches between us, heavy and uncertain. When I finally open my eyes, his dark brows are furrowed, a storm of emotions swirling in his gaze. “I can’t leave you like this, amore.”

I force out a breath. “I know you want to help. But please…I just need to be alone right now.”

Lucian exhales sharply, but he nods. He stands, hesitates for just a second, then presses the lightest kiss to my temple. It’s so fleeting, I almost think I imagined it. But as he steps back, his voice drops to a whisper.

“I love you.”

Then the mattress rises as he leaves, the soft click of the door the only sound in the quiet room.

I sit there, gripping onto myself, forcing my breathing to slow. Only when I’m sure he’s gone do I finally let go. My entire body trembles as the dam inside me breaks. Heaving sobs rip through me, curling me into myself, choking me. I don’t know how long I stay like this—minutes, hours—until a gentle knock at the door pulls me from my anguish.

“Come in,” I croak, hastily swiping at my damp cheeks.

The door eases open, and Giulia slips inside, her normally bright face pinched with worry. “I know you wanted to be alone,” she says softly, “but I had to check on you.”

She perches on the bed beside me, her small hand seeking mine, offering warmth I didn’t realize I needed. I take it, fingers curling around hers like a drowning person grasping for shore.

“When I was in that steel box…” My voice is barely above a whisper, raw and scraped thin from hours of sobbing. “All I could think about was that I wouldn’t live to see the sky again.”

Giulia’s fingers tighten around mine. “But you did,” she says firmly. “Lucian found you. He tore through hell to bring you back.”

A violent shudder rips through me. “I should’ve listened to him,” I admit, voice thick with regret. “I was too stubborn. Too proud.”

“You are not to blame for the deeds of cruel men,” she says fiercely. “Don’t you dare think that.”

I shake my head, but the shame lingers. “And I kept thinking…” My breath hitches, a new fear clawing its way to the surface. “What if Riccardo decided to—” My voice breaks. I can’t say it.

Giulia’s grip on my hand turns bruising. “That bastard is dead. No one will ever hurt you again.”

I want to believe her. I really do. But the trauma is still too raw, the wounds still too fresh.

Then, before I can stop myself, the words slip free. “Giulia, there’s something I have to tell you.”

She studies me, her blue eyes swimming with concern. “What is it?”

My stomach twists. My hands shake. “I think…I might be pregnant.”

The silence that follows is deafening.

Giulia’s eyes go wide, her breath hitching in shock. “Aurora…”

“I don’t even know if it’s real,” I whisper, pressing a trembling hand over my stomach, “and I’m already terrified I might have lost it.”

“Oh, bella,” she murmurs, voice thick with emotion. “You’re not alone in this. We’ll get through it together. All of us.”

Tears spill over again, and Giulia doesn’t hesitate. She pulls me into her arms, cradling me against her like a child, rocking me gently as I break apart all over again.

I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe again. But for now, in this moment, I let myself believe that I am home.

That I am not alone.

That I survived.

"I guess I should find out… before… before I speak to Lucian."

The words feel fragile on my tongue, like they might shatter if I say them too loudly. My heart pounds as I reach for the small box Giulia offers me, my fingers trembling slightly.

"I’ll stay with you," she says gently, pressing it into my hands.

I nod but don’t trust myself to speak. Instead, I force my legs to move, lowering my feet to the carpet. They feel unsteady, like they might give out beneath me, but somehow, I manage to push myself upright.

"I’ll be right back." Giulia presses a quick kiss to my forehead before darting out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I stare at the box in my hands. The instructions are simple.

Pee on the stick. Wait three minutes. Check the result.

Simple. And yet, I hesitate.

I was so sure before. So sure I wasn’t ready for this. But now… Now, the thought of knowing I might have been carrying a child and then lost it—it’s a grief I don’t know how to process. A grief I never expected to feel.

I inhale sharply and shake my head, trying to banish the intrusive thoughts. There’s no point in agonizing over possibilities. I need to go through with this.

The bathroom feels colder than it should, the tile sending a chill up my spine as I step inside. I close the door behind me, the soft click sounding too final. My fingers tighten around the box as I take a deep breath.

This is real.

No matter how much my mind tries to convince me that none of this is happening, the cold bite of the toilet seat beneath me and the steady ticking of time prove otherwise.

One hundred and eighty seconds.

That’s all it takes.

I settle for counting in my head, welcoming the empty distraction. Each second drags, stretching time unbearably thin. My heartbeat is loud, nearly drowning out everything else.

When the timer on my phone chimes, my hands are unsteady as I reach for the test.

I stare.

Two pink lines.

Bold. Unmistakable.

A strangled sound escapes me—a mixture of a sob and a laugh. My free hand covers my mouth as tears slip down my cheeks. My body trembles as I slowly rise to my feet, barely aware of the motion.

Somehow, despite everything, despite all we’ve been through, a life has taken root inside me.

Lucian and I… we created this.

A shaky breath leaves me as I wipe my face with the sleeve of my shirt. When I open the door, Giulia is right there, her hands clasped together, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Well?" she asks breathlessly. "Am I going to be an auntie?"

I swallow hard, holding the test out for her to see. "I’ll… I’ll need to see a doctor. But it’s possible."

The second Giulia sees the result, she shrieks loud enough to shake the walls. Before I can react, she throws herself at me, wrapping me in a crushing hug.

"Sorry, sorry!" she says quickly when I yelp, pulling back just enough to look at me. "I got too excited. I’m sorry! Here, come lie down again."

Still in a daze, I let her lead me back to the bed. She fluffs the pillows behind me, helping me settle in like I might break.

And maybe I will.

Or maybe… maybe I’ll be stronger for this.

Maybe we both will.

We laugh and cry together, the emotions too big to contain. But before I can fully process everything, the door flies open with a loud bang.

Lucian.

His eyes are wild, his chest heaving as he takes in the scene. And then—his gaze locks onto the test still clutched in my fingers.

Everything else fades.

Because now… now, I have to tell him.