Epilogue #2
Farther down, Akim and Matvet were back to chatting.
But I caught Akim’s eyes flicking toward Caitlin before he looked away again, too quickly to be casual.
Caitlin didn’t notice. She was still talking to Roman.
Before I looked away, Akim glanced at her once more, and I smiled.
That man clearly missed her. But Caitlin was clueless.
My gaze moved to my mother. She sat with Grandma, leaning in as they talked.
Cole was beside them, absorbed in his iPad.
That was the closest Cole had gotten to our mother.
My chest tightened watching him. He did not know that the woman beside Grandma was his mother.
My father wanted us to tell him when we were all together, so he could explain it. It made sense.
I leaned closer to Dmitri. “Isn’t this amazing? Grandma looks happy.”
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“Yes, family is important to me.” I turned as the food was being served. The smell reached me, and something underneath it turned wrong. I kept my face neutral while my stomach registered its objection.
“I come first,” Dmitri said. “Remember that.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Konstantinov.” I picked up my glass and took a sip. “You don’t even get a vote.”
“Mr. Konstantinov?” He raised an eyebrow.
The smell intensified as the maid set the dish down in front of me. The food looked delicious, but when she added garlic sauce on the side, my stomach turned.
“Are you okay?” Dmitri’s hand settled on my cheek.
“No, I think—” I pushed my chair back and stood too fast, already moving. I ran toward the house, one hand over my mouth as heat surged up my throat.
The guest bathroom was just beyond the back door. I made it inside and bent over the toilet, retching. Nothing came, only the pressure sitting high in my chest. I spat and forced myself to breathe.
A hand settled on my back. “Did you drink?”
It was Dmitri.
I straightened and shut my eyes, waiting for the room to stop tilting. He turned me gently and cupped my face. “Hey.”
“I’m fine.” I swallowed.
“Is everything okay?” Alessia’s voice came from the doorway.
“I’ll call the doctor,” Dmitri said, already moving before I stopped him.
Alessia came in with Caitlin right behind her, both of them watching me closely. I turned to the sink, running cold water over my hands before splashing my face.
“I didn’t drink,” I said. “Why did I suddenly feel sick from the smell of garlic sauce?” I looked at myself in the mirror, then at them through the reflection. They didn’t answer. “What?”
They exchanged a look, then looked back at me.
“Nothing,” Alessia said. “Good thing we have a doctor.”
My mother appeared in the doorway, reading the room before stepping inside. “What happened?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” I let out a small laugh and moved everyone out of the bathroom. Grandma was already in the corridor. “Why is everyone here? Let’s not ruin Grandma’s birthday.”
“The doctor is here,” Grandma said.
Dmitri returned with a woman walking behind him. I dropped the argument before it even started. Everyone had already decided.
I followed them into the sitting room and sat on the sofa. I let Dmitri speak with the doctor about my history of gastritis and turned to Alessia. “Do they always keep a doctor on hand?”
“I came with her. Rodion brings her everywhere,” she said, and I nodded. She was pregnant, which explained it. “I meant to ask, are you sure that—” Alessia stopped when the doctor turned to me.
“Does your stomach hurt?” the doctor asked.
“No,” I shook my head.
“Do you feel better after eating, or is there a burning sensation?”
I considered it. “No. Not lately.”
The doctor nodded once. “When was your last period?”
“Sorry?” I blinked. “Last month. I don’t remember the exact date, but…” I paused, trying to locate it, but the specific date didn’t come to mind. “My periods are irregular, so it’s been a while.”
She pulled on her gloves. “We will run some pregnancy tests.”
“What?” I let out a short laugh. “I don’t think that’s the case.” My gaze went to Dmitri. He wasn’t saying anything. I looked around the room, and everyone looked like they could suggest a pregnancy test too.
“Dmitri,” I whispered, panic settling in.
“Everyone out,” he said, and the room cleared quickly. My mother was the last to leave. She paused at the door and looked at me like she wanted to come back.
“What do you mean, pregnancy?” Dmitri asked the doctor.
“Her nausea could be related to gastritis. However, without abdominal pain or burning and with sensitivity to smells, I would recommend a pregnancy test to rule it out,” she said.
Dmitri looked at me, but my mind had already drifted elsewhere. The cigarette smell suddenly made me feel sick out of the blue. Even the garlic sauce I usually loved now turned my stomach.
“Let’s do the test,” I said.
Dmitri exhaled and turned to the doctor. “Give us a moment.” When she left, he sat beside me and took my hand. “I thought we were on pills.”
I looked at him. “You absolute bastard. You got me pregnant.” I hit his chest once, but he caught my hand and held it there as we stared at each other.
After a moment, he spoke. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I exhaled. “I don’t know. How did this happen? I was on the pills. This is ridiculous. We’re not even officially married yet, Dmitri. What if something goes wrong?” I swallowed, then breathed to calm myself down. “I won’t leave. I will never leave our baby.”
“Hey.” He pressed his lips to my palm. “Let’s test first.”
“What is there to test?” I exhaled. “Those pills are useless. I want to sue whoever made them. They clearly don’t work. Dmitri, we should sue them.”
“We will sue them.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss on my lips. “Just to be sure, you didn’t miss a day?”
“I’m not stupid enough to forget something that important.
You know—” I stopped as I traced my thoughts back, and heat rushed to my face.
“Wait, I missed it on our first date,” I remembered skipping a day when Dmitri took me to the casino.
We had wild sex on his motorcycle and didn’t return home.
We went back to the penthouse and spent the entire night having sex as if we were possessed.
“Look.” He pulled me into a deep, unplanned kiss before he continued. “If you are pregnant, I will take care of you and the baby.”
He searched my eyes. I wanted to tell him I knew he would, but I remembered I used to say I didn’t want a child. That was why he was worried.
“You’d better do that. But in the next life, make sure I finish college first, or I will kill you.”
He smiled. “I will remember that. And also remember to find you sooner before you steal my money.”
A quick laugh escaped me, and I hit his shoulder. “We should call the doctor and get the test before we get our hopes up.”
He nodded and got up. “I will get her.” He left, and I sat there alone. My hand drifted to my stomach, resting there as I stared down at myself. The thought felt too large to fit inside my head. Could I really be pregnant?
After the doctor drew my blood, she left the house while Dmitri and I returned to the others. I assured everyone that everything was fine, and little by little, the party found its rhythm again. Conversations resumed. Glasses clinked. Laughter carried across the terrace as if nothing had happened.
But I couldn’t stop watching Alessia.
She ate without apology while smiling through conversations. If I were pregnant, Grandma would be expecting two great-grandchildren. The thought settled over me. This was not how I imagined her eighty-fifth birthday ending.
When Dmitri’s phone rang on the table, my heart lurched. It could have been anyone. But the moment he answered and looked directly at me as he listened, I knew it was the doctor.
The sounds around the table faded into the background. Everything seemed distant suddenly.
He ended the call without breaking eye contact and set the phone down. His expression gave nothing away, which only made my pulse climb higher.
“So?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer. His hand rose to my face instead, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Dmitri, I swear to God. Just answer me.”
A smile touched his mouth. “We are pregnant.”
I let out a breath and stared at him, letting the words settle into something real. “We? Really?” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You and I are one.” His hand moved to my stomach, resting there as if it had decided that was its new place.
“Not until we officially get married,” I said. “But fine. I won’t argue with biology tonight.”
“We can have a wedding tomorrow.”
I turned to him so fast it made him smile wider. “Please, calm down, mister. I get to plan my wedding properly.”
We sat in that silence. One thing I knew was that there were still things I didn’t want, things I feared. But looking at Dmitri, I knew for the first time that I would not run from them. I would face them.
Nothing about my life has ever been simple. This didn’t need to be either. But I wasn’t standing alone anymore. I was with Dmitri, carrying a child who would probably look like him.
Wait. Did that mean I would most likely give birth to a psychopath?
Oh God. I need some water.
I grabbed a glass and took a sip.
The End