Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
I glance toward the hospital bed where his mother sleeps peacefully, oblivious to the insane conversation happening just a few feet away. She looks so small and frail, and I’ll do whatever I can to make her life easier while she’s in my care. But walking away from my life seems extreme.
Sergei’s voice cuts through my racing thoughts. “You’ll have your own room, of course, and access to anything you need. I’ll make sure you’re completely comfortable while you care for her.”
He lists the terms so matter-of-factly, as though he’s laying out a business deal. There’s a coolness to him. But then his gaze drops, and there’s a heat underneath it all as he watches me.
“You won’t want for anything, Nicole. Not while you’re under my roof.”
My pulse picks up at his words. I want to trust him, to open myself up to the possibility of a debt-free, nearly carefree life. His mother will need months of serious care. Yet if I sign myself up for that, then I need to tell him the truth because I won’t be able to keep the secret for long.
I press a hand to my stomach, flattening my palm as though the gesture could quiet the chaos inside me. It doesn’t. If anything, it makes it worse. I can’t begin to guess how he might respond to the news. Family is clearly very important to him, but I don’t know what kind of father he’d be. Hell, I don’t even know if he already has kids, or even a wife for that matter. This is all just so ridiculous.
I can’t agree without seriously thinking about it. It’s a huge ask. The room is awkwardly silent while I try to collect my thoughts.
“Sergei,” I begin, voice unsteady. “You’re dropping a lot on me right now. You understand that, don’t you?”
“I do,” he says confidently, almost daring me to say no to him.
“You’re asking me to uproot my entire life,” I go on. “You’re asking me to leave a career I’ve worked very hard for, an apartment I love.”
“You set whatever terms you want, and I’ll accept them,” he responds casually. “Obviously, I want you to be comfortable and happy.”
His words should irritate me, but they don’t. The promise of an easier life is very attractive right now. Probably a little too attractive, if I’m being honest. It’s like the miracle I’ve been hoping for since the moment I found out I was pregnant. Maybe if it came from someone else, someone who wasn’t the father of this baby growing inside of me, I’d be a little less hesitant. But, it’s really all too much.
The word “no” is primed on my lips, no thought even required. It’s reckless and wild—so far outside my character I shouldn’t even consider it. Then I look at his mother.
She stirs slightly, her face creasing even in sleep, like she’s in pain and unable to say anything. I can help her. I can be the one to make sure that she gets better, that she receives the care she needs and deserves. Sergei must see something shift in my expression because he steps closer, his presence impossible to ignore.
“I want you there, Nicole.” His voice is low, firm. “You should be the one to take care of her. She deserves nothing but the best, and I truly believe you are the best.”
I have to tell him about the baby before this goes any further.
“Can I think about it?” I whisper instead, taking the cowardly route.
A muscle ticks in his jaw, and I can tell he doesn’t like that answer. He wants a definitive yes or no right now, but I can’t give him that.
Still, after a long pause, he gives me one sharp nod.
“That’s fine,” he says sharply, but then his voice lowers. “Just don’t keep me waiting too long. I’m not known for my patience.”
I nod numbly, my mind spinning as my heart pounds against my ribs. I’m struck again by how little I know about him, by the danger he radiates. He’s so different from how I remember, though I wasn’t exactly studying his personality that night.
It’s startling, yet somehow exhilarating. Every instinct tells me to run, but there’s a small voice inside of me saying I should take his offer.
I turn and leave, desperate to escape his orbit long enough to think.
By the time I finally get home, exhaustion sinks all the way to my bones. I lower myself onto the couch, curling one leg under me and holding a cup of ginger tea against my chest. It’s become a lifeline, and I pray it will help ease the terrible nausea. I flick on the TV for a few minutes of mindless vegetating.
Work was brutal today, and that was without the added pressure of seeing Sergei again and having to contend with his offer. After his mom was admitted, we got slammed with victims from a car crash, and Mia and I had to split our time between them all. I barely had time to eat, not that I was feeling particularly hungry.