Chapter 24 #2
Across the hall, the baby's father was feeding another woman. I'd just discovered I was pregnant with his child and decided never to tell him. My life had never been more "stable."
After the doctor left, I picked up my phone. The screen showed over a dozen missed calls and messages, mostly from Rory.
The last one came five minutes ago.
"Why aren't you home yet? Can I eat the pasta in the fridge? It has some green stuff on it."
"Don't eat it. Throw it out. There's cereal in the cabinet, eat that." I replied immediately.
A message popped up quickly.
"When are you coming back?"
I stared at those words, finger hovering over the screen. I couldn't tell Rory what I'd just been through. He'd be scared, worried.
"Last-minute work trip, might be a few days. Take care of yourself, listen to Winnie."
"You didn't tell me again."
I closed my eyes.
"Work came up suddenly. Sorry. I'll bring you a present."
He sent an angry emoji, then added:
"Remember to eat."
Tears nearly fell again. I took a deep breath and messaged Winnie.
"Can you look after Rory for a couple days? Something came up, I can't get back."
Winnie replied in half a minute.
"Of course. I'll go over tonight. Are you safe?"
I bit my lip.
"Safe. Just need to handle some things."
She didn't pry.
"Got it. Rory's covered. Tell me if you need anything."
Those few short sentences made my shoulders gradually relax.
I wasn't completely alone. I still had Rory. I had Winnie. I had this tiny life I'd just learned about.
As for Varlam—I turned toward that closed door across the hall. He didn't belong to me. Never had.
And I didn't need him anymore.
When I got out, I'd submit my resignation. That absurdly high salary, that workstation right next to his office, those late-night moments of eye contact—all of it would fade completely from my life.
Life would get harder, but I could find another job. I could move. I could care for two children at once. The old me might have been scared. The current me just wanted to get as far from here as possible.
Away from Varlam. Even farther from Brinny. This time, I'd protect everything that was mine.
Two days later, I signed the discharge papers and left the hospital.
The doctor had wanted me to stay one more day for observation, but I refused. The bill would keep growing. Rory hadn't seen me in two days. More importantly, nurses kept emerging from the room across the hall wearing expressions like they'd just watched a romance movie.
They said Varlam hadn't slept at all. Said Brinny had no appetite, so he had three different soups delivered.
Said she felt chest tightness in the middle of the night and he hit the call button faster than the monitors.
Each comment felt like a stone pressing on my chest. One more day and those stories might suffocate me before the baby was born.
I changed into the loose clothes the hospital provided, folded the test results, and tucked them in the bottom of my bag. Before leaving, I took one last look at the room across the hall. The door remained closed. I didn't say goodbye. Varlam didn't even know I'd been here.
Good. Cleanest that way.
A nurse walked me to the hospital entrance. Afternoon sunlight fell. I squinted. Two days without really walking—my legs felt weak. I pulled my jacket tight and was about to call a car when my eyes caught on a familiar black sports car at the curb.
Sleek body, obnoxiously flashy rims. And that license plate I'd seen countless times.
Makar's car.
The driver's door opened. He stepped out, removed his sunglasses, and raised a hand.
"Briony."
I stayed put. Makar looked thinner than at the reception. His black hair still perfectly styled, shirt and pants like they'd just come off the hanger. He had similar eyes to Varlam, but lacked that oppressive weight forged through blood and power.
He was younger, wore his emotions more openly. Right now, that face that used to be full of arrogance held something like nervousness.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Picking up your brother?"
Makar tucked his sunglasses away.
"I came to see you."
"Then you should've made an appointment. I don't take drop-ins from ex-boyfriends."
He flinched at the jab but didn't snap back like before.
"I know you're pregnant."
The air ripped from my lungs. My hand instinctively covered my abdomen.
"Who told you?"
Makar stepped forward.
"Don't come closer." I immediately backed up.
"Okay." He stopped.
He actually didn't move. That compliance made me more wary.
"Are you monitoring me?"
"No."
"Then how do you know my test results?"
"I've been keeping tabs on you."
I laughed coldly. That sounded no different from monitoring.
He rubbed the back of his neck. The gesture looked awkward, finally making him resemble the Makar I knew rather than some stranger performing sincerity at the hospital entrance.
"I just wanted to know how you were doing. After you fell from the yacht, I heard you were hospitalized. I had someone look into it."
Fell. No one except me would believe Brinny pushed me.
"Had someone look into it," I repeated. "Do all you Petrov men think other people's privacy is fair game?"
"I didn't come to fight."
"Then what?"
Makar was silent for several seconds.
"Chloe and I are divorced."
I stared at him. The sunlight was bright. People flowed in and out of the hospital entrance. An orderly pushed a wheelchair past us, the elderly patient glancing at us curiously.
"Congratulations," I said. "Want me to plan your next wedding? Returning customers get a discount."
Makar's face froze.
"I made a mistake." He lowered his eyes, voice dropping. "Briony, I finally understand now. You're a good girl."