Page 173 of Savage Empire

“Of course,” she smiles widely. “Any other questions?”

“My stomach hasn’t grown much,” I say looking down at it. Maybe there’s a little bump, but it looks the way it does after I eat a big meal, nothing that would have me thinking twice. “Is that bad?”

“First pregnancies can take a little longer to pop,” she says patiently. “But all women are different. I imagine you’ll start to see some growth in the next couple of weeks.”

All women are different, that makes sense.

“I haven’t been sick at all,” I add next. “Should I be worried about that?”

Her head shakes slowly. “Morning sickness is very common but around thirty percent of pregnancy cases are morning sickness free. I don’t see a reason to be worried about it. Your vitals look good, and so does the baby.”

She’s so calm and reassuring, but I still feel full of concern.

I need to tell Apollo right away, and hope that he can calm me down.

“Would you like to know the sex?”

“You can really tell?” I gulp, still in disbelief as my eyes widen at the screen.

“I certainly can,” she agrees. “Sex can be determined through blood as early as six weeks, and as soon as eleven via ultrasound.”

“I want to know,” I tell her without taking a moment to consider it. I need to know everything so I can wrap my head around this. The more details I have, the better I’ll be able to prepare.

“You’re having a boy,” Dr. Dana reports with a kind and gentle tone.

“A boy,” I repeat, digesting the news. Apollo and I are going to have a son, our second boy—after Yordan.

“Congratulations, again, Rayna. We’ll get you cleaned up and sent on your way with your next appointment scheduled.”

If Apollo doesn’t have another Doctor in mind,I silently think. The Moretti family has a private team of physicians close to the family, and I imagine I’ll be transferred to one of them. I hope he’s not too upset that I went somewhere he doesn’t know and trust.

It’s all I think about on the way home. The million different ways I could have gone about this. I just have to hope that he’s not too upset with me for leaving him out of this. I think deep down, I was horrified that I might not be able to have kids, that something changed in the time that I hadn’t seen a doctor. And if I couldn’t get pregnant, then maybe Apollo wouldn’t want to stay married to me.

Tears threaten to spill, thinking about how horribly that would sting. He married me to give him an heir, but I’ve become attached to him. To him and to the life we’ve built together. If I couldn’t give him the one thing he was required to have, it would destroy me.

Ultrasound pictures in hand, I park my car in the garage and head inside, hoping Apollo isn’t out. And thankfully, I hear him as soon as I open the door. I find him in the living room, talking with Yordan who’s animatedly telling a story or a joke of some sort. Each of them has a kitten nearby, and my heart swells at the sight. But their chat comes to a polite pause as they notice me coming into the space.

“I thought you were shopping.” My brother frowns. “Where are all the bags? Does Armani need to show you how to spend money again?”

Apollo’s eyes scan me, and he senses something is bothering me almost immediately. “Are you all right,micina?”

“I’m pregnant,” I breathe out, ripping the bandaid off. “A little over two and a half months.” Shakily, I lift the roll of ultrasound pictures, holding them up as some sort of display of proof.

Yordan’s jaw drops open. “Holy shit.”

My husband is up and rounding the couch in a second flat, approaching me with an unreadable expression. He softly takes the pictures, examining them closely.

“It’s a boy,” I add, voice trembling.

“You did this without me?” His question isn’t angry, but I almost think I detect a trace of hurt.

“I’ll give you two a minute,” Yordan says, awkwardly shuffling to move out of the room. “Congratulations, though. I’m happy for you both.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, watching him go.

Once we’re alone, my eyes prick with hot tears. “I’m sorry,” I tell Apollo, arms wrapping around my middle. “I shouldn’t have lied, and I shouldn’t have gone without you. I was just so scared. Please don’t hate me for this.”

“I don’t hate you, I could never hate you,” he says, shaking his head. “I just don’t understand. Why were you scared? Don’t you want this?”