Chapter 74 #2
“I’m your mother,” she says, and her voice tightens like she’s about to cry. “I should be the one with you when you’re sick. I should be the one bringing you soup. Please let me make it all up to you.”
My throat burns.
She’s pushing and pushing and pushing, and it works, because even after everything… I still want her to be better. I still want her to be the mom I deserve.
I can feel Drago watching me, not interrupting but listening to every word. I swallow, heart thudding. “Let me… let me check something,” I whisper.
“Okay,” she says, voice instantly sweet again. “I’ll wait.”
I hit mute and stare at Drago. My voice comes out small, “She’s really pushing. What do I do?”
His eyes soften like he already knows how this feels. Like he understands guilt as a weapon. “I heard,” he murmurs.
I swallow hard. “I told her I’m sick and busy, but she’s saying she came all this way, she wants to be my mom again. She’s making me feel like… like if I don’t do this, I’m a bad person.”
His jaw flexes. He reaches out and cups my cheek, thumb brushing lightly under my eye. “You’re not a bad person,” he says quietly. “You’re a good girl.”
My chest aches at the softness in his voice.
I blink, tears burning again. “I don’t know what to do. I’d like to say goodbye to her, and hell, maybe even pretend she can act like my mom for a few hours when I’m sick.”
Drago’s gaze holds mine. “Could she just come here? Can she even get in?” I ask.
His jaw tenses, and I can hear his brain calculating. “She can come,” he says.
My eyes widen. “She can? How?”
“Yes,” he replies immediately, voice turning all command again. “But on my rules.”
“I’m worried about her,” I admit. “I’m worried about… today. It might be a good distraction. Although Dad might go crazy.”
Drago leans closer, his mouth brushing my forehead.
“Lev will let her in at the gates,” he says. “He’ll escort her to the house and escort her back out again. The whole perimeter is guarded. I’ll get the approval sorted. I just need her license plate. Our men will make sure it’s safe.”
I nod shakily. “And you? Are you safe?” I whisper.
His eyes darken. “I’ll be back before you even have a chance to miss me.”
That makes my chest tighten again because I already miss him.
I unmute the call, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Okay,” I say softly. “Do you think you could come here? Dad will be here.”
There’s an instant lift in her tone, like she’s won. Like the pressure worked. “Oh, Lily,” she gushes, “thank you. Thank you. I’ll only be quick, I promise. I just… I needed to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”
I close my eyes, swallowing.
“I’ll behave around your father. He doesn’t hate me as much as he lets on.”
I bite my tongue. He does. He really does.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll see you soon. I’ll text you the address. It’s… uh. A gated place with high security, so you’ll have to meet at the location, and Dad will escort you here.”
“Is everything okay?” She asks, the concern in her voice is evident.
“Yes. I’m just with Dad, you know how he is.”
She sighs. “Yes. That’s exactly why we left.”
“I’ll be there in an hour,” she says.
“Bye, Mom,” I say and cut the call.
The words should feel comforting; instead, they feel like a hook. The moment the phone goes dark, the weight returns.
The reality of today.
Drago’s gaze stays locked on me, unblinking, like he can already see the fear swelling beneath my skin again.
“Tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, baby,” he murmurs. “Please let me in.”
“I-it’s nothing.” I force a small smile that doesn’t quite stick. “I’m fine. Today is just… a lot.”
He doesn’t argue. He never pushes when I’m fraying. Instead, he leans in and kisses me. When he pulls back, it’s just enough for his lips to brush mine.
“Remember what we’re fighting for. Our future is right there. Picture the beach in Monaco. You and me. Ice cream melting down our fingers because we forgot the world existed,” he whispers.
That does it.
Tears slide down my cheek, uninvited, unstoppable. My hand drifts to my stomach instinctively, my head filling with the what-ifs I’ve been trying to outrun all morning.
He needs to know. I can’t let him walk out of this door without knowing.
“I think…” My voice shakes. I swallow hard. “I think I might be pregnant, Drago.”
The world stops.
He pulls back, his breath hitching sharply as his eyes search my face like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he blinks. “Lily…”
Panic crashes into me instantly.
God, I shouldn’t have said anything. Not today. Not when he needs to keep his head clear. Not when all I want is for him to come back alive.
My hand flies to my mouth as a sob breaks free. “F-forget I said anything. Please. I didn’t mean to—”
He catches my wrist gently and pulls my hand away, framing my face with both of his, forcing me to look at him. “How could I forget,” he murmurs, his voice thick, “the moment all my dreams just walked straight into my arms, lastochka?”
My breath stutters.
His hand slides down my chest, then settles over my stomach. He rubs slow, careful circles there, like he already knows exactly what he’s touching.
“I don’t know for sure,” I whisper. “The dates line up. I missed my period. I’ve been sick. It just… it all points to the same thing.”
His eyes close. He leans forward until his forehead rests against mine, breathing me in like he needs it to survive. “I hope you are,” he says quietly. “I really fucking hope you are. I’ll pray for it when I walk into that church today, and I’ve never prayed a day in my life.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, clinging to him like letting go might break us.
“I want it too,” I admit. “I just… I don’t want to get excited yet. Not until we know. I just want you to come home.”
He nods immediately. No hesitation. “I will.” His voice is steady, resolute. “And I swear to you, Lily, I’ll be the best dad I can possibly be. I won’t let you down.”
He shifts down the bed, gently lifting my cami to expose my stomach, and presses a soft, reverent kiss there.
I thread my fingers through his hair and let him have this moment—because I know what today means for him. I know how dangerous this is. And we both know the truth neither of us will say out loud.
Every time he walks out that door, there’s a chance he won’t come back.
That’s the price of his life.
And I really need my Drago to come home.
“Once this is over,” I whisper, “we’ll get a test. Then we’ll know for sure.”
He looks up at me with a smile so full of hope it almost breaks me. “I don’t need a test,” he says softly. “I can feel it in my soul. Our baby is in there.”
I nod, because I feel it too. Like my body’s been whispering it for weeks and my heart is finally listening.
He crawls back up until his face is inches from mine and kisses me, slow and full of promise. “Just one more day,” he murmurs. “Then we give this little one the life every kid deserves.”
“I love you,” I breathe.
“I love you,” he answers without hesitation. “Forever.”
Then he stands, forcing his body away from mine as if it physically hurts him.
“Lev will bring up your water,” he tells me.
Then he blows me a kiss with a wink, taking two steps toward the door before he pauses and turns back like he can’t help himself.
Our eyes meet.
His expression is possessive and sweet and devastating.
Like he’s memorizing me. Like he’s promising me the rest of his life if he gets to keep it.
Then he’s gone, and the silence that follows makes me feel hollow, and a wave of nausea makes me jump out of bed straight to the bathroom.
I need today to just be over.