Chapter 21 Vera #2
“Except Konstantin, actually. Dear Uncle Konstantin, who’s been keeping me updated on everything.
Your pregnancy scare was concerning—glad that resolved.
We need that baby healthy.” The casual way he talks about my child—about me—like we’re assets, like we’re things to be used, makes rage start to build beneath the shock.
“He’ll take care of you. Guide you. Help you raise your child.
The heir to both families. And I’ll be free to…
” He pauses, realizing he’s saying too much. “Well. That doesn’t concern you.”
“Konstantin.” I say the name slowly, still trying to process everything. “Konstantin told you. About the pregnancy scare. About—about everything.”
“Yes.” He smiles that cruel smile again. “Family is so important, don’t you think?”
I stare at this stranger wearing Alexei’s face. And suddenly, I’m understanding. Horribly, completely understanding.
“Your death was fake,” I say slowly. “You and Konstantin planned it together to frame the Ashfords to start a war. You forced my family and Dimitri into a peace agreement and made Dimitri marry me to seal the alliance.” My voice is shaking, but I keep going.
“Dimitri marries me, raises your child, and then you kill him. Then Konstantin controls everything through me and the baby.”
“I knew you were smart.” He sounds almost proud. “That’s why I picked you, you know. Beautiful, smart, and from the right family. Perfect breeding stock.”
Breeding stock.
It’s like a bucket of cold water has been thrown on me as I gape at him. That’s all I ever was to him. Not a girlfriend. Not someone he loved. Just a womb. A means to an end.
And I fell for it. I fell for his charm and his lies and his promises of a future together. I let him into my bed, into my body, and let him create a life inside me that he planned to use like a chess piece.
The rage that’s been building finally breaks free.
“You son of a bitch.” My voice is deadly quiet. “You manipulative, psychotic fucker.”
His smile falters slightly. “Now, now, Vera—”
“No.” I cut him off, and there’s steel in my voice I didn’t know I had.
“You don’t get to ‘Vera’ me. You don’t get to use that soft voice and act like we’re having a normal conversation.
You used me. You planned everything—meeting me, dating me, getting me pregnant—all so you could use my baby in your sick little power play. ”
“Our baby,” he corrects, annoyance clear on his face.
“MY baby!” I shout. “Mine! You gave up any claim to this child the moment you thought of this plan. The moment you decided to kill Dimitri. The moment you—”
Dimitri.
Dimitri, who they’re planning to kill. Dimitri, who I’ve fallen in love with.
All the messy, complicated feelings I’ve been trying to deny rush to the surface. The way my heart races when he walks into a room. The way I feel safe in his arms. The way he looks at me like I matter, like I’m an actual person he cares about.
I love him.
And Alexei is going to kill him.
“You’re not going to touch him,” I say through gritted teeth, hate rippling through me. “You’re not going to hurt Dimitri. I won’t let you.”
Alexei barks out a laugh. “And how exactly are you going to stop me, Vera? You’re pregnant, vulnerable, and completely dependent on Dimitri for protection. And let’s also remember that your father never taught you how to fight. You’re helpless. What are you going to do—fight me off?”
He takes a step toward me. I don’t back away this time.
“I’m going to tell him everything,” I tell him definitively. “Right now. I’m going to scream until security comes running, and then I’m going to tell Dimitri exactly what you just told me. About Konstantin. About the plan. All of it.”
“No, you’re not.” His voice goes cold and hard.
“Because if you do, I’ll disappear. And then next week, next month, next year—whenever Dimitri lets his guard down—I’ll come back.
And I won’t just kill him. I’ll kill everyone he cares about.
Mrs. Kozlov. His guards. Everyone.” His eyes drop to my stomach again. “And I’ll take what’s mine.”
The threat is clear. If I tell, he’ll kill them all but if I don’t, Dimitri dies anyway.
There’s no good option here.
But I’m done being a pawn in someone else’s game.
“You’re assuming I care more about your threats than about doing what’s right,” I tell Alexei.
“You’re assuming I’ll let you kill Dimitri just to save my own skin.
” I take a step toward him. “But you don’t know me at all, Alexei.
You never did. I’m not going to let you hurt him and I’m not going to let you use my baby.
” I take another step toward him, watching with satisfaction as he takes a step back.
“And I’m sure as hell not going to let you get away with this. ”
Quickly, I spin on my heel and run to the door. Once I open it, I’m going to scream so loudly that security will hear me.
“Stop,” Alexei says sharply, as if commanding me. “You’re coming with me.”
I freeze, then slowly turn back to face him. Does he really think I’m going to go with him? “No.”
“Vera.” He takes a step toward me. “This isn’t a request. You’re mine. That baby is mine. You’re coming with me, and we’re going to—”
“Are you deaf?” I snap, watching him move closer to me. “I said NO. I’m not yours. I was never yours. You never even loved me.”
I wait for him to deny it and try to convince me that some part of what we had was real.
He doesn’t.
“Love is for fools,” he says simply. “But you and that child belong to me, and you’re going to come with me right now, or—”
“Or what?” I cut him off, and I’m shaking with rage now instead of fear. “You’ll hurt me? Hurt the baby? The baby you need? The precious heir you went through all this trouble to create?”
He scowls. “Get over here.”
“Fuck you,” I spit, moving my feet so I get closer to the door. “I was never yours,” I repeat, my voice steady despite the terror coursing through me. “And I never will be.”
He moves fast—faster than I expect. His hand closes around my arm, yanking me toward the window.
“Then we’ll do this the hard way.”
Something inside me snaps.
Not fear. Not submission. Pure, incandescent rage.
I am done being handled. I’m done being used. I’m done being treated like property to be claimed and controlled.
I twist in his grip and drive my nails into his face with everything I have. He jerks back with a curse, but I don’t stop. I go after him like a wild animal protecting its young.
Which I suppose I am.
My nails rake down his cheek twice, and I feel his skin tear and warm blood collects under my fingernails.
He cries out in pain, his eyes wild. “You crazy fucking bitch!”
I aim for his eyes next, but he catches my wrist. I use my other hand, scratching at his neck, his jaw, anywhere I can reach. I may never have been taught to fight with guns and knives, but I do have feet and nails and dammit, I plan to use all of them to my advantage.
He tries to grab both my hands but I’m not done. I’m not leaving this house without a fight. I kick at his shins, his knees, anywhere that might hurt. When he gets too close, I sink my teeth into his forearm hard enough to make him roar in pain.
“DIMITRI!” I scream it with everything I have. “DIMITRI! HELP!”
All of a sudden, there are footsteps and shouts in Russian.
Alexei hears it too. His eyes dart to the door, then back to me. There’s blood running down his cheek and neck. His arm where I bit him is already bruising, my teeth mark evident.
I feel some type of feral satisfaction rise in me seeing him marked up. Maybe now he’ll realize I’m not a wallflower, easy to pluck. This flower has thorns and she’s not afraid to fight back.
“This isn’t over,” he snarls, shoving me away from him. I stumble but stay on my feet, still ready to fight. “You and that baby are mine, Vera. And Dimitri?” His smile is vicious despite the blood. “He won’t live long enough to stop me.”
The footsteps are getting closer. Voices in the hallway. Just seconds away.
He grabs me one more time—both hands on my shoulders—and shoves me backward. Hard.
I go down, my hip hitting the dresser and pain exploding through my side. I cry out in shock.
When I look up, he’s already at the window. One leg through, then the other.
Our eyes meet for one last moment. His face is a mess of scratches, blood running down in rivulets, and his expression is half rage and half something darker.
Then he’s gone.