RHEA'S POV Near blinding white lights shone down from the tall ceiling of the dance studio. The brilliance of it made me miss the blue skies and natural sunshine of the Italian coast. It seemed like only yesterday I had my toes buried in the sand, with Aleksander lounging beside me. Now I faced the mirror-wall of the studio above the theater with my leg perched on the balance beam."So, tell me again why you came back early," Ricky whispered beside me. His eyes darted around the other ballerinas, stretching silently in the studio for our daily cool down. His eyes on mine in the mirror this time."Aleksander had a work emergency." Even a week later, the disappointment stung.Ricky rolled his eyes. "What could be so important at work that a man would risk his new wife's wrath? Women are scary."An unladylike snort escaped me. A few eyes turned in our direction. Ricky and I locked eyes, and he failed to muffle his chuckles. The new dance instructor merely shook her head at us. Thankfull
My body turned to stone as gears shifted in my head. I froze completely with one hand braced on the edge of the sink. My knuckles turned white from my impossible grip on the pale stone."Maybe you should take one." Ricky insisted. "No," I repeated absently, almost as if my conscience wasn't in my body anymore while my lips continued moving. "It's not possible." I murmured repeatedly. He let out a baffled scoff, dropping his hand from my tense shoulder. "Yeah right. I've seen the way Aleksander looks at you. Tell me with one hundred percent certainty that it's impossible." He spoke.Half a second passed. I took a sniffled inhale, fighting back a tide of something rising within me— something inevitable. The first tear breached the corner of my eye, hugging my lashes and threatening to fall."I'm on the pill. I've been on the pill for years. I've always been so careful." I murmured more to myself than Ricky. When I'd worked through the contracts, I'd had to be careful. Falling into bed
Nikolai spent years pulling himself away from the Russian mafia. While those connections still existed, they didn't rule his life, nor mine. However, I couldn't forget the life I came from or the home I'd been born in.If they were still alive, my parents were certainly living under the control of the Bratva back in Russia. For that reason, I owed Nikolai and Annika my life. They took me away and gave me a life worth living.And I massively fucked up by killing Dax.Knowing that my actions saved Rhea, and to a lesser extent the other dancers, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Rhea was mine and no one else would ever own any part of her. Not Dax, Luca, or anyone under the Genovese umbrella.Nevertheless, this world Jameson tried his best to keep me away from was one of merciless revenge. I'd taken mine by killing Dax and now his family wanted theirs. Because of my actions, I'd become a target. As my wife, Rhea was too.In the days since returning home, I'd worked relentlessly on
RHEA'S POV (Content Warnings: Blood, Miscarriage Mention)That night, Aleksander's embrace lulled me to sleep. After a relaxing shower together and a stomach full of good food, he took me into his arms and played with my hair until I passed out. It didn't take long for dreams to steal me away lately. I began snoring as soon as my head hit the pillow.In the late-night hours after I'd fallen asleep, a visceral wrongness descended upon me.Startled awake by an instinct that something happened to me it was still happening. Perhaps it was only the beginning.Exhaustion fled my body as icy panic flared within my chest. Whatever it was, my eyes snapped open to the heavy darkness of the bedroom. A blanket of shadows blocked out any light from illuminating my path, which let me know the hour was late.My limbs scrambled to get up from the bed. Shoving at the blankets tangled around me and rolling away from Aleksander's heavy frame. He groaned in his sleep at the movement but didn't wake. I w
Time moved in an odd blur. One minute I'm in the bathroom with Aleksander helping me put clothes on and the next I'm standing by the front door as he tugged one of his old college hoodies over my head. His lingering scent filled my nose and despite the situation, I enjoyed his tenderness. It kept me grounded."I called a driver to take us to the hospital. Are you okay to walk to the street and get the car?" Aleksander paused with one hand on the doorknob. My lips parted as my brain worked on remembering how to speak.Thinking better of it, Aleksander shook his head and jerked the door open. "I'll just carry you." His powerful arms swept my feet off the floor in the next instant. Cool night air blew over my face as he carried me into the night.An unmarked black sedan waited for us on the curb. With the heavy tinting on the windows, I couldn't make out the driver. At this hour, it wouldn't be Antonio. I would have preferred his smiling face right now.Effortlessly, Aleksander cradled m
ALEKSANDER'S POVIf God had a sense of humor, it was certainly a cruel one.The timing couldn't be worse. Paired with the bone deep fear for my wife's safety at seeing so much blood on her legs, I wasn't sure how I was functioning. Not only was the Genovese family on our trail, but this additional factor also impeded her safety.While I was confident that I could handle the Italians, this was something I had no control over. Another wrench in the plan that I couldn't fathom the depths of. How could I protect Rhea from this? A technician arrived for the ultrasound moments after we received the results. Rhea wasn't speaking much in her stunned state, and I couldn't blame her. I didn't know what to say either."Implantation bleeding is simply a byproduct of the fertilized egg attaching itself to the uterine lining. It's very common and usually isn't a sign of any problems," Dr. Alexander further explained."Usually isn't," I repeated. The weight on my chest prevented me from drawing in a
It ripped a chasm open in my chest to think of this massive news driving us apart. I held onto my crumbling nerves until they slipped from my grasp."Have I done something wrong?" I blurted.Startled, Rhea froze. A long exhale deflated her body, and her shoulders fell. Her head angled enough to watch me from the corner of her eyes, still rimmed red."What?" she exclaimed. Her brows lifted higher with each second that I didn't answer. She dropped her arms from her shoulders to curl them protectively over her abdomen. "No. I'm just sorry that this happened. It's my fault. I got so swept up in the wedding planning I forgot to take my pills.""Rhea," I gaped at her.She turned, fully facing me. Tears spilled over her eyes, flowing down her cheeks as she rushed to speak again. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen.""You have nothing to apologize for, baby."She spoke too quickly to hear me. Instead of stopping, she barreled over my words. "I really am sorry, Aleks
RHEA'S POV One whirlwind after another. One blow after another. Each time dragging me deeper and deeper into the arms of despair. Falling, sinking until the darkness swarmed over my head and I saw no light, no inkling of how to pull myself back up from the depths.My night started in pitch-blackness and blood. It ended in tears as the dawn crested in golden light over the horizon. A despondent ache carved a hole in my chest with pointed claws, wicked and sharp. Each slash cut deeper until no heart remained within me.We arrived at the Makalov mansion as the brilliant globe of the sun peeked over the city-line. Streaks of crimson cut through the rich blue morning sky. It mimicked whatever madness I felt inside of me.There was blood in the water, and I'd find no rest among these sharks.Aleksander left me in the room of his childhood. A room where he fucked me on the bed before dinner with his family. Now where he intended for me to stay for God knows how long.During a heart-wrenchin