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Nikolai shakes his head slightly, his eyes never leaving mine.
“She’s in pain, Mikhail. She won’t tell me why.”
Mikhail’s expression darkens as he steps closer towards us, his presence just as overbearing as his brother’s.
“How can we help you if you don’t tell us?”
I take a deep breath in before speaking.
“I…” My voice cracks as I swallow hard, hating how small I feel right now. “I need…supplies. I’ve started…my period.”
The last word is barely a whisper, but it’s enough to make their expressions shift.
For a moment, there’s silence. Then Mikhail takes another step forward as he exhales sharply. Nikolai’s jaw tightens, his eyes flickering to his brother before returning to me.
“Is that all?”
Nikolai asks me, his tone now calm.
I nod my head as I press my palm to my stomach, wincing.
“There’s nothing here, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Mikhail sighs, his expression softening slightly as he turns to look at Nikolai.
“We’ll handle it.” He says, already moving to head back towards the door. “You stay here, and I’ll go grab some things.”
Once he leaves, Nikolai turns to look at me again.
His towering presence is both comforting and suffocating all at once. Though he doesn’t say anything, he does watch me with those icy blue eyes of his, and I can’t tell if he’s angry, concerned, or even something else altogether.
“You should have told us sooner.” He finally says, his voice low. “We told you we would take care of you, and we don’t go back on our word, darling.”
A shiver goes through my body at that word—darling—as I look away from him.
I don’t respond, and luckily, Nikolai doesn’t push me to. Instead, he steps back, giving me some space, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I feel a small flicker of relief.
For some time, Nikolai stays with me in the room. He doesn’t speak much.
His gaze feels heavy all over me. Those icy blue eyes of his are always on me; watching me, waiting for the right moment to strike.
I shift uncomfortably on the bed, feeling blood seep out from my entrance as I wince, pressing my palm to my stomach. I begin standing up, and Nikolai is immediately there, his hand on my arm as he helps me.
“What’s going on?”
I take a sharp breath in as pain shoots through my lower stomach, unable to stop myself from holding onto Nikolai, almost crying out from the pain.
“I’m going to bleed through my trousers if I remain seated.”
I admit to him in a quiet voice, the humiliation of my confession making my entire body burn up.
I keep my gaze on the floor, unable to say anything else to him, hoping that this silence will stretch long enough until Mikhail returns.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
Nikolai puts one finger under my chin, tipping my head back, forcing me to meet his eyes.
My breathing hitches as he slides his hand down from my arm, choosing to hold me by my waist instead as he tugs me closer to his body.