Chapter 17 — Kiera
I bit on the cloth between my lips, groaning in pain as I pushed with every ounce of strength in me. My skin was covered in sweat, my fingers clutching the sheets tightly.
The agony of childbirth was tearing at my intestines, veins lining my forehead. My legs were spread apart on the hospital bed, shaking as my vagina stretched out.
“Almost there, Miss Kiera!” the doctor said, her voice smooth and encouraging. “I can see his head.”
My swollen belly was blocking my view, and I was too weak to push further. However, for the sake of my child, I let out a loud cry, straining.
The sharp pain rippled through me, tightening every muscle in my body. However, as agonizing as that was, it was nothing compared to the cry of the baby that filled the room.
My head fell back on the pillow, my chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. “My baby,” I said weakly, stretching out my arms. “Gimme my baby.”
As the doctor approached me, a loud explosion set off outside, shaking the whole building. Alarmed, my eyes widened as I heard the gunfire that followed.
My first and only instinct was to save that baby. With a strange kind of strength, I jumped out of bed, but before I could reach my child, a helicopter came crashing into the window.
The sharp, spinning blade took off the doctor’s head, blood squirting from his neck.
“No!” I leaped forward, hands stretched out, trying to catch my falling baby.
It seemed like time had slowed down, giving me a glimpse of how impossible it was to actually save my child. I wept in mid-air, surrounded by chaos and disorder.
But before the worst could happen, a whirlwind sucked me into a vacuum.
I jolted awake, eyes wide with terror. My body was trembling, my forehead dampened in sweat. My chest was heaving, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
It was a dream. A really bad one that left me shaking. Thunder rumbled across the sky outside, causing me to flinch.
“You don’t see that every day—scared Keira,” Nial said, seated on a sofa across my bed. “Must have been one hell of a nightmare.”
My face twisted into a frown, my blood boiling with rage. The last thing I remembered was arguing with him about how I wasn’t going to follow back to the mansion.
“Get dressed,” he said, standing by my window with the test strip in his hand. “You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, glaring at him.
His scowl deepened, and he stepped forward, “Listen to me, Kiera—”
“No, you listen to me!” I snapped. “You don’t have the right to control my life anymore—you sent me away, remember?”
He paused, tightening his jaw. “Things have changed.”
“Like hell they have,” I answered, “because I’m not the same girl from two months ago.”
“No, you’re not—you’re carrying my child!” He raised his voice. “In case you don’t realize, that is a big deal.”
I hesitated, shocked by his outburst. It was almost as though he was afraid of something—something he hadn’t told me about.
“I want no part of your life, your world, or the violence that comes with it.”
“Well, too bad. It’s a part of you now,” he answered, his expression blank. “Now get dressed and start parking.”
I looked him dead in the eye. “No.”
Seconds later, something sharp pricked my neck, like an injection or a dart. Whatever it was, it weakened me quicker than I had imagined.
As I glared at him on that comfy bed in that familiar room, I realized what had happened. “Son of a bitch, you drugged me!” I climbed down from the bed, fuming.
“You left me no choice.”
“Fuck you!”
He met my eyes and rose from his sofa, calm as still water. “I’ve tolerated your attitude long enough. No more.”
Those words stung, but I kept my cool, holding his gaze.
He continued, his voice low and steady, “For the sake of our unborn child, you’re not allowed to leave this estate again.”
“What?!” I tried to protest to no avail.
“You are to stay inside these gates, and should you be caught attempting to escape, there will be consequences.”
“You can’t do that!” I barked, seething. “You can’t imprison me again!”
He hesitated for a second. “You fail to see the bigger picture. That has always been your problem.”
We locked eyes, and in the depths of his, I caught a glimpse of that fear. I knew in my heart that he was trying to protect me—especially now that Vika was coming for my head. I just hated him for how he tormented me two months ago.
Was I frustrating the one man in the world who was trying to keep me alive? He made it seem like he was only taking extreme measures because a baby was involved. But even before he found out about my pregnancy, he’d been sticking his neck out for me.
It still didn’t change what he did—and I was still furious.
“Instead of looking at me with so much hatred, you should be glad I haven’t punished you for trying to keep my child away from me.” His expression darkened by a fraction, his jaw locked.
A cold shiver sprinted down my spine as his words sliced through me. He was pissed at the way he found out and would’ve probably lashed out under different circumstances. But for some reason, he didn’t.
It was clear that this child meant something to him, and I wasn’t sure what to feel about that. As a ruthless monster, did he have what it took to be a good father?
He glanced at his watch. “With everything that’s happened, you need maximum protection. You and the baby, of course,” he continued. “I’ve doubled security around the house, and I’ve arranged medical care—the best in the city.”
I felt my anger slowly dissipating into thin air as he spoke. It wasn’t just his words that got me; it was the intention behind the action.
“If you need anything,” he added. “You know what to do.” He let out a quiet, exhausted sigh, rubbed his head, and walked away.
I watched him head toward the door, my mind reeling with unanswered questions.
He stopped by the door, looked back, and said, “You’re a prisoner anymore.” His eyes bore into mine. “You’re the mother of my unborn child.”
The door closed behind him, leaving me alone in my gilded cage. I placed my hand on my lower abdomen, my heart racing.
Images from the dream I had earlier flashed through my mind. What did it mean?
Was it some kind of warning?
Was the universe trying to tell me that being here was a bad idea?
Would something bad happen to my child as long as I was still attached to Nial and the dangers of his world?
Confused, I dropped onto the mattress, wondering what the future had in store for me.
What are the chances of escaping this unscathed?