Page 96 of Clear Shot

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I just want to find him and have a temper tantrum.”

“Maybe this is not helpful.”

I manage a shaky laugh. “I suppose not.”

“You have to think about the baby.”

“I know.”

“You also must consider health insurance,” she continues quietly. “If you’re not with Aiden, how will you pay for the expenses? Will you have insurance once you’re separated?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper, my heart sinking.

“Come home,” she says softly. “To your family. Where we can care for you—and the baby. Aiden will come to his senses or he won’t, but you have to put yourself first now.”

“I have a life here,” I say quietly.

“Yes, but you have to think about the baby. Johan has his own family now. As does Claudia. They can offer you a place to live, but here I can help you with the baby. As can your father. If you stay there, you’ll carry that burden alone. Not to mention, everyone will know you are the reason there was trouble on the team.”

My heart sinks.

If I tell the truth, it could impact Aiden’s career. If I don’t say anything, I wind up looking like a gold-digger. And though he said he would, if Aiden doesn’t uphold his end of our arrangement, I won’t have health insurance either.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admit. “I’m heartbroken and nauseated all the time…”

“Come home, my love. You can always go back if he realizes what he’s lost.”

She’s right about that.

“I have to think.”

“Think. Rest. Call me. Any time.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I’min the kitchen with Claudia and Anders, holding Anderson while Claudia makes breakfast, when there’s a brisk knock on the door. I sigh, knowing it’s my brother and trying to prepare myself for a difficult conversation.

“I’ve got it,” Anders says quietly.

He leaves the room and Claudia looks at me. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she reminds me. We talked about this a lot yesterday. “Don’t let him make you feel bad.”

“I’m not worried about him making me feel bad,” I reply caustically. “I’m worried about him showing up at the house and beating the shit out of Aiden.”

She grimaces. “Anders is prepared to talk him off the ledge. We’ve got this, Hana.”

I don’t have anything.

At this point, I’m hanging on by a thread but at least I have a plan now.

I bought my plane ticket to Slovakia—I’m leaving in a week—and my finances are in order. I have enough money to get through my pregnancy without worrying about care. Once the baby is born, we’ll do a DNA test and Aiden will have to sendmoney, whether he likes it or not, and that will sustain me until I can find a decent job.

“What the hell is going on?” Johan demands in Slovak, hands on his hips. Sloane and the baby trail behind him and I see the look of confusion on Anderson’s face at Uncle Johan’s tone.

“Sit down,” I tell my brother, “and lower your voice. The babies don’t understand.”