Chapter 18 - Maya
Six months later
I flipped to the next page of the novel in my hand as I relaxed against the recliner in the lounge. The book was a good one, and despite the obvious, protruding belly before me, somehow, I had found a way to ignore every kick and the usual disturbances—all because I was deeply invested in what I was reading.
I may have read more than forty different novels over the past few months, but what could I say? Dominik barely let me do a thing in the house, and I hated having nothing to do. I’d already finished my exams, and now, I didn’t even have anything to stress over.
It was funny how, when I’d been studying for exams, all I’d wanted was a break—that was how I’d ended up with Dominik, after all. But now that I was free, I was so damn antsy. Even in pregnancy, if my body wasn’t engaged, then my mind needed to be.
At least, that’s how I saw it at the time. It seemed the right way to think about it, since the only time I truly felt like living was when we were together. I missed my husband. A lot.
I’d never wanted to marry him because of who he was, but now, I wanted to take care of him, make sure he was always happy, and give him the world.
My mind returned to the book before me.
Dominik had quite the collection of interesting series, which was captivating. Day in, day out, while he went out and took care of the world he knew and was part of, I watched the days go by, waiting patiently for nine months to pass.
Pregnancy, however, tortured me. It slowed me down, made me clumsy, and gave me cravings for the most unusual kinds of meals.
I reached the last page of the novel, and after reading its last sentence, I slowly closed the book, thinking about the love story. It had been about a boy who lived with his family in the country. The woman who wrote the book loved him—actually, she was obsessed with him, as far as I could tell, but she also adored him. She couldn’t resist trying her hand at seducing him.
I wondered how the reader was supposed to get along without feeling awkward and shy about being caught in the middle of a love triangle. Perhaps they’d already understood it? Or, perhaps, most people would’ve seen it coming before I did.
But there was happiness in the book, that was for sure.
This made me wonder if Dominik and I could actually lead a happy life together once the twins were born. It was a thing worth pondering over.
Happiness, to me, went beyond a comfortable life. It was my dream, something I yearned to have. Not one of those unrealistic fantasies, where you have an entire mansion and the people surrounding you are all your friends. After all, there was no way I saw myself leaving this house, this new life that was now my own. It wasn’t healthy. Not at all. So, really, what were the chances of anything like that ever happening?
Happiness in marriage was similar, but not the same thing as outright happiness.
Was Dominik doing his best to ensure I got the best of everything I ever needed? I would say yes. But what if that wasn’t enough? This marriage had literally been forced on me. It hadn’t been the usual dating and ‘going steady’ that would eventually lead to a proposal.
Even with my fears and worries, the wedding was nothing short of amazing. Not even I could have pulled it, off even if I’d had ten years to prepare.
I was assessing everything now—like what I felt for Dominik. Was it genuine? Was it enough to keep us in love?
With Dominik quite absent for a major part of every day, considering he left as early as six in the morning sometimes to attend to business, I was a bit tense. I didn’t know why I felt so, but I did.
Having Dominik around always felt safe, reassuring, and right now, I needed that instead of this empty feeling his absence gave me.
My phone rang, and I looked to see it was Jenna calling.
“Hey, Love,” Jenna said, sounding weary.
“Hey,” I replied. “You sound tired.”
“Yeah. Been studying like crazy. I thought I’d sleep through the night, but it didn’t work, and I guess I’m tired of cramming.” She sighed.
I chuckled.
“What about you, Maya? How’s pregnancy treating you?”
I groaned. “Not very good, but that’s okay, I guess. Dominik has been taking very good care of me.”
I heard Jenna’s laugh from the other side of the line. “True.” She paused. “Speaking of the devil, how’s everything going with your husband?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s fine. He’s being dominant. Taking charge. You know, the usual.”
“Oh? What has he been teaching you?”
“Sex,” I answered, though to me, my voice sounded all prim and proper.
Jenna laughed.
“Really,” I insisted, “he knows his way around a bed. In my state—my hormones have made it so that I’m literally always horny—he doesn’t fail to please. He’s a good teacher.”
“I guess I’m happy for you?” Jenna answered, and we both broke into giggles.
“Sorry, girl,” I said once I’d caught my breath. “That might have been a little TMI.”
Jenna laughed it off, and we talked about various things—friends, family, anything we could touch—till Jenna told me she had to go.
“I’m going to miss you,” I said, suddenly wistful.
“Sweetheart! I always miss you,” she replied. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
She ended the call, and I sighed, staring out the window.
Some minutes later, there was a knock on the door to the hallway.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened, and Olivia, our maid, walked in. “Mister Sharov will be back in half an hour, ma’am.”
That brought a smile to my face. It was like whatever weight I felt around me had suddenly been lifted; it left me wondering, What’s this feeling?
Olivia turned to leave, but paused as she caught the forlorn expression on my face.
“Is everything alright, Mrs. Sharov?” Olivia asked, tilting her head.
Mrs. Sharov. I really was Dominik’s now.
I made a feeble hand gesture, and said, “So many things, Olivia. I just finished reading a good story, and now, I don’t know what to do for the rest of the day.”
“What are your hobbies, Mrs. Sharov?”
“I like cooking. I like swimming, and I love reading books.”
“I guess the first two, your condition won’t allow. But as for the third, you are in luck. I see you have a good book in hand. There are others in Mister Dominik’s study. Those are far more interesting than this. Believe me. I’ve tried them myself.”
My eyes lit up at the idea of going to Dominik’s study. I wondered if this was where he kept all the best books, due to how interesting they were.
With slow footsteps, my legs feeling very much like lead, I made my way to Dominik’s study.
I began to browse each shelf, looking from one book to another, enjoying the smell of old books. Indeed, this was a treasure trove. My fingers stopped on some old classics, such as Aesop’s Fables and The Arabian Nights, then moved onto several works by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, and finally to books on witchcraft and magic: A History of Modern Witchcraft and Demonology by Sir Philip Waggoner; On Being Witches and Sorcerers by Lady Catherine de Medici; The Magician’s Apprentice by Henry Fielding; and The Dark Arts and the World According to Newton by Robert Burton. These books were by some of the greatest scholars of the late nineteenth century, and the sheer number of books that appeared here suggested a man who liked to travel widely.
My gaze moved to Dominik’s table to find it empty. The lack of dust and how well arranged the room was told me the maids don’t fail to get in here. However, the room somehow lacked life, which made me wonder how long it had been since Dominik visited this study.
My belly ached, and I felt the usual kicks as the twin lives inside me grew restless. I moved to sit behind the desk to rest until they settled down a bit.
My gaze moved to a not-quite-closed drawer, and my hand reached forward and pulled it open.
It was filled with old files, all of which appeared to be work related.
I was about to close the drawer when my eyes landed on a file—or, more importantly, the name on the file—and my breath caught as I hesitated.
I pulled the file to be sure of what I was seeing. Setting it on the desk, I ran my finger smoothly over the lettering, as if trying to familiarize myself with his name again.
I flipped the first page open, only to see a picture of my brother. What is Michael’s file doing in Dominik’s study?
I turned another page and started reading, and my jaw dropped with what I found.