Chapter 156
Chapter 156
Elena’s POV:
*Took you long enough…” Malakai’s voice, a dry, almost bored commentary from the side, broke the silence. The words made me want to tell him to shut up for once.
Nikolai’s head snapped to him, a flash of irritation in his eyes, before his gaze returned to me. But this time, something had changed. The panic and relief were gone, replaced by a profound, unmistakable hurt. “You’re actually pregnant? He knew?”
All of a sudden, the profound sense of guilt I had been repressing for months, came crashing down on me. I had hidden this from him for so long. It had started as a small, selfish act of self–preservation.
Yes, I’d been upset at him. I had been mad that he knew so much about me, that he had known about my debt and my family issues and he’d still hid such an important thing from me–about Sergei. In a way, had this been my form of revenge against him?
Was keeping this from him an attempt to balance the scales, to inflict a small measure of the same pain and secrecy he had made me endure? From my point of view, no matter what anyone etse said, the answer was yes. It would be.
But it wasn’t just revenge. It’s not as though I had hidden this from him solely out of spite. He hadn’t wanted kids. The conversation we had had about it months ago was a distant, painful memory, but the message had been clear.
What benefit would there even be for me to go ahead and tell him that I was pregnant? It felt like a trap, like I’d done it just to trap him. I had convinced myself that this was a path I needed to walk alone, a decision I needed to make for myself and for the child.
But now, looking at the pain in his eyes, I realized this was enough. I had lied enough. I had punished him enough, too. The anger and the fear had festered inside me for too long. Now, the ball would be in his court. He would either be angry at me for hiding such a thing, angry about the fact that he didn’t want to be a father, or he would rise to the occasion.
If the former were to happen, then it would be for the best that we separated on amicable terms. I would have my child, my life, and my peace. As I hadn’t in the past, nor would I in the future ask him for child support. This was solely my decision, my responsibility. I would not drag him down with me, not after everything he had done.
“I… I didn’t tell him,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, the first half of my confession. I wanted to clear the air, to make it clear that I hadn’t purposely told Malakai. When his frown only deepened, I sighed, “Yes. I am pregnant. Almost seven months.” I finally said, the words a confession and a challenge all at once, I watched his expression freeze for a moment, his eyes going blank as he processed the information. It was like he’d been struck dumb, as if the sheer weight of the words had silenced him completely.
Then, almost startlingly, he moved. I yelped as one of his hands went beneath my knees and the other on my back. With an effortless grace that belied the wound in his shoulder, he pulled me up, my feet leaving the slippery deck as he lifted me into a bridal carry.
“No! Nikolai, you’re hurt!” I protested, my hands instinctively going to his shoulders, my fingers brushing against the still–wet fabric of his shirt.
“We need to go to the hospital. Right now.” He said, his voice an urgent rumble. I looked at him, stunned. The words were so unexpected, so contrary to the narrative I had built in my mind. I had expected anger.
“Wait… you’re okay with this?” I asked, my voice slightly dumbfounded. The question was absurd, a ridiculous thing to ask.
He froze, his jaw clenching, and took a deep breath. He looked at me, and his eyes, which had been so full of hurt, now held a new, furious intensity. “What do you mean?”
“You… didn’t want kids… Aren’t you angry?”
He scoffed, a short, sharp sound of disbelief. “Elena. This is the first time I have felt truly angry at you… but believe me, it’s not because you’re having my child.” He said, the words a low, growl. “I am angry that you hid this from me… angry that you were working so hard, running around, and putting yourself in danger while being pregnant. Angry that I wasn’t there to protect you. However, we’ll discuss that later.” He turned his head then, his gaze hardening as it fell on Malakai, who was still casually standing over Dmitri’s kneeling form.
“Enough dawdling, You know what to do.” He said, and I frowned as Nikolai began walking to the speedboat he’d arrived in, his movements steady.
1/2
12:05 Sat, 16 Aug
Chapter 156
I couldn’t help but look back. The scene was surreal. Why was Malakai here in the first place? And acting so casual as well? He was a model, wasn’t he? Then why did he act like a hitman, his face devoid of all emotion as he stood over a man who was about to die? My eyes widened then, as I heard the telltale sign of a safety clicking off.
I saw him aim the pistol at Dmitri’s head. Just before the gunshot rang out, just before the moment could be seared into my mind, Nikolai turned with me in his arms and obscured my view.
I looked up at him with wide eyes. The realization suddenly dawned on me that Dmitri had actually been shot. Was he dead? I wanted to see, to know for
sure.
“Sorry, Malishka. He’s already hurt you enough,” he said, his voice soft, almost a whisper, as he held me tighter. “I don’t want him haunting your dreams even after death.”
That’s why he didn’t let me look? I felt a sense of bewilderment. The man in my arms, the man who had just had his half–brother executed without a second thought, didn’t look the least bit concerned or worried. He was calm, collected. It was as if the person who’d just been shot had no relation to him
at all.
“Throw him off, he doesn’t deserve a proper burial,” Nikolai said, his voice flat, startling me even further. He set me down onto the bench of the speedboat, his touch gentle as he made sure I was seated securely. “Stay put. Be good.” He said softly, and then, without another word, he turned to start the boat. The engine sputtered to life, a low rumble that vibrated through the hull.
I didn’t know what to feel at this moment. Just a couple of hours ago, I couldn’t have imagined things would have gotten like this. The chaos of it all felt… jarring.
I couldn’t stop myself. My head turned, my eyes drawn to the scene unfolding on the other yacht. Just at that moment, I watched his form, Dmitri’s lifeless body, being pushed into the ocean like a ragdoll by Malakai. The water splashed up, a brief, violent disturbance on the surface. Malakai’s head turned then, and he looked right at me.
Was that blood on his lips?
