Page 36 of Sweet Deception (Savage Vow #2)

“You’re a terrible mother-in-law,” I spat.

For the first time, her face cracked. Her eyes burned, but she stayed silent.

A sharp knock on the door. The doctor entered, exchanging a few words with Valentina before stepping toward me.

“I’ll need to ask you some questions,” he said.

I cut him off. “I haven’t had any pregnancy symptoms.”

He blinked. “Then how do you know you’re pregnant?”

I lifted my chin. “Just test the sample.”

The doctor sighed but nodded. “Fine. I’ll also need a blood sample.”

I shrugged, holding out my arm.

He took my blood, then turned to Valentina. “The urine results will be ready in five minutes. Blood test will take two to three days.”

Valentina nodded. Once he was gone, I turned to her. “So what’s your plan? Do you really think Gleb won’t burn the world for me?”

She exhaled. “If he’s foolish enough to declare war, there are plans in place to handle his rage.”

“You’re underestimating him.”

She smirked. “No, sweetheart. You’re overestimating yourself.”

I scoffed. “And what do you know about love?”

Her expression darkened. “Love hurts.”

“That’s it?” I snapped. “That’s all you’ve learned? That love hurts?”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve barely lived two decades. I’ve lived three times that. Love is an illusion, Anna. It never lasts.”

I shook my head. “Just because your story ended in tragedy doesn’t mean mine will.”

She sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Soon, you and Gleb will be nothing more than a memory to each other.”

A shrill ring cut through the silence.

She checked the screen.

Valentina answered, putting the call on speaker.

“Grandma,” Gleb’s voice was sharp, dangerous. “Where is she?”

She exhaled. “She’s already on her way to Italy. You’ll never see her again.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “Gleb! I’m here! Please, come find me!” I screamed.

A growl rumbled from the phone. “That’s Anna’s voice.” A dangerous silence followed. Then, low and lethal, “If anything happens to her, I will burn everything to the ground.”

Valentina didn’t even flinch. Instead, she smirked. “Fine. Trace this location and come get her.” Then she hung up.

I gaped at her. “What are you doing?”

She shook her head. “Something bad is about to happen to your husband.”

Dread coiled in my stomach. “Valentina... don’t. Please, don’t hurt him.”

She lifted her gaze, eyes unreadable. “You don’t love him more than I do.”

My blood ran cold.

“You’re a villain in our love story.” My voice trembled.

She didn’t even blink. “There is no love story.”

Another ring.

She exhaled. “It’s the doctor.”

My heart pounded hard against my ribs as I watched her end the call. This time, she hadn’t put it on speaker, so I had no idea what was said.

She turned to me, her expression unreadable.

She knew.

She had known all along that I was lying.

A fresh wave of panic rolled through me as she stepped closer. Would she slap me? Strangle me for wasting her time?

I forced myself to meet her gaze, though my hands clenched in my lap.

“You are carrying the family’s heir,” she said flatly.

My stomach lurched.

The words didn’t register at first. My forehead creased as I searched her face, waiting for her to clarify, waiting to hear something else, anything else. When I noticed she seemed to mean what she said, I asked, disbelief tightening my throat. “I’m pregnant?”

She nodded, her voice gentle. “I thought you already knew.”

My breath caught. Pregnant. The word rattled inside my skull like a gunshot. No turning back. No undoing it. The very thing this marriage was built on was now real, sitting in my stomach like a ticking bomb.

“You will be heavily protected, not just by Gleb’s men but by ours as well,” she continued. “I won’t have to send you back. At least, not until you give birth.”

The air in the room felt too thin.

My mind raced. How would Gleb react? We had never really talked about children, even though this marriage had always been about producing an heir.

“Gleb won’t let you send me back, not after today. Stop dreaming.” I said boldly, my voice steady with newfound resolve, knowing I now carried what both our families needed.

Valentina smiled, slow and cruel. “You think Gleb can stop me? I have senators, judges, and old allies who owe me favors. If he so much as tries, I’ll make sure his reign crumbles, before your baby is even born.”

I wanted to argue. To fight.

But what was the point?

She spoke about the next nine months as if she were certain she’d still be alive.

I stared at her. She wouldn’t be.

“I want to go home,” I said instead.

She straightened and called her men to escort me out.

I didn’t know if she would still try to harm Gleb, but I prayed she wouldn’t. I prayed she wouldn’t get the chance.

Valentina was evil, but she wouldn’t win.

The car pulled up outside Gleb’s estate, and before I could fully step out, it sped off.

I walked inside, barely acknowledging the security guards as they saluted me.

Useless.

Fifteen men had followed me out, yet I had been easily taken. What was the point of security if they couldn’t even protect me?

As soon as I reached the hallway, Zoya appeared, her eyes wide with concern.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, hurrying toward me. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I said bluntly. “Valentina kidnapped me. Again.”

Zoya sucked in a breath. “That woman is insane.”

“She’s evil,” I muttered, exhaustion settling deep into my bones. “I don’t know what deal she’s trying to make with my family, but she’s determined to send me back.”

Zoya’s face hardened. “She won’t have another chance. She got lucky twice, but Gleb will...”

“I already know that,” I cut in.

Zoya exhaled sharply. “I warned you about Nate’s hotel. You acted naively by going there.”

I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Zoya, please. Not now.” My voice came out tired, barely above a whisper. “I know I screwed up. I don’t need a lecture.”

She crossed her arms. “I just hope next time you think before acting. Otherwise, no matter how much protection Gleb gives you, you’ll find a way to ruin it with your recklessness.”

My patience snapped. We all make mistakes. Why is she acting like she never has?

“Leave me.”

Zoya’s lips parted slightly, but then she nodded, turned and walked away.

***

I sat on a bench at the back of the house, close to the pool, letting the night air cool my skin.

I needed time to think.

Footsteps approached behind me. I turned just as Gleb stepped into view.

His expression was unreadable, but his fists were clenched. He was furious.

He exhaled through his nose, barely restraining his rage. “I told you I would send nurses to check on Nate. Why did you have to go?”

I sighed. “First, Zoya scolds me. Now you?” I rubbed my temples. “I get it. I made a mistake. I’ll be more careful next time.”

He paced a few steps away, rubbing a hand over his face. Still furious. Then he exhaled sharply. “Why did Grandma let you leave?”

“I played smart.”

“I have too much respect for my family,” he admitted, “and I need my mother’s properties. That’s the only reason Grandma is still alive. But she’s pushing it by coming after you.”

I sighed.

“Is there anything you think I should know? Any secrets?” He questioned.

My brows furrowed. “No. Why?” I inhaled sharply. “ And can you just sit, please?”

He hesitated. “I’m fine standing.”

“You’re still angry with me.”

“I am.” His voice was calm, but firm.

“Gleb... I have something to tell you.” My throat felt dry. “You have to sit if you want to hear it.”

His gaze flickered over me, assessing. Then, finally, he sat beside me.

“What is it?” he asked.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my heart. “Do you... like kids?”

His brows knitted together. “No.”

My stomach clenched.

“Why?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re asking why I don’t like kids?”

“Yes.”

His expression darkened. “I haven’t thought about it because I know what kind of father I’d be.”

I blinked. “What?”

“A bad one,” he muttered. “Like mine.”

I swallowed. “You think?”

He scoffed. “Yeah.”

I exhaled slowly. “I think I’m pregnant.”

Silence.

His whole body went still.

His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, he looked stunned.

Then he turned away.

I frowned. “What’s wrong? You don’t want me to be pregnant?”

“It’s not that,” he said, voice flat.

“Then what?” My pulse quickened. “You don’t seem happy. We’re having a child.”

He let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. “You think this is good news, Anna? You think we get to be a happy little family?” His voice dropped, almost bitter. “That baby... belongs to them.”

A chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean?”

“This is bigger than both of us.”

“You mean you can’t protect your own child, Gleb. You have all this power, but you’re too scared to use it. What’s the point of being a king if you can’t even fight for your own family?”

“You think I’m scared? I’ve seen what happens when you fight the wrong people, Anna. This isn’t about fear; it’s about survival. I won’t let you and our child become pawns in a game.”

I clenched my jaw. “You’re not fit to be a father if you can’t even protect your own blood.”

He looked away. “Maybe I don’t want to be one.”

He exhaled painfully, “Do you think I haven’t seen what happens to children in this world? I grew up watching my father use my sister and me as tools to gain power. Every child is a target in this game, Anna. I can’t bring a child into this, knowing I could lose them just like my father lost us.”

“We are both products of terrible fathers,” I said, voice shaking. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be one. You won’t be, right?”

He exhaled harshly, rubbing a hand down his face. “Anna... I don’t want to have kids. Not yet. It will ruin what we’re starting to build. Let me deal with our families first. Let me get us out of these shackles before we bring a child into this world.”

I stiffened, my heart hammering.

My voice cracked slightly. “I don’t care about whether or not you want to have a child. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect our baby. If that means raising him alone, then so be it. But I’ll make sure he knows you were the one who couldn’t protect him.”

“I understand what you went through, Gleb. I get that you’re afraid. But I can’t live in fear forever. You have to make a choice too. either you fight for us, or we let this war break us.”

His head snapped up. “Would you really have a child I don’t approve of?”

“You think I won’t raise our child alone, Gleb? I’ll tell him his father is dead, because at this point, it feels like I’m already a widow!”

His expression twisted with anger. “Anna...”

“A man who can’t protect his own child is as good as dead,” I cut him off, my voice shaking with rage.

He let out a slow, controlled breath, but I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. “I understand you’re emotional right now, but listen to me. You’re young. And somehow, I am too. You’re twenty, I’m twenty-eight. We still have years ahead of us. Do you really think this is the right time?”

I stared at him, stunned.

“All I’m saying is,” he continued, “you don’t bring a child into the world when you’re not mentally stable enough to protect them. We’re both still trying to survive. You think that’s the kind of life to raise a baby in?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Then why the hell have you been fucking me raw, huh? Did you think you were incapable of making kids?”

His jaw clenched. “I told Zoya to give you morning-after pills.”

“She did,” I snapped. “But I’m not taking a pill after every single time I sleep with my own husband. That shit doesn’t even work if you’re ovulating.”

“You should have told me,” he ground out. “If you weren’t taking them, I would have figured something out.”

“Oh, so it’s all on me?” My voice rose in disbelief. “You’re the one who doesn’t want kids! You could’ve used condoms, or hell, taken responsibility for something. Why should I be the only one pumping my body full of hormones when I’m not sick?”

He exhaled sharply, his hands flexing at his sides. “This isn’t just about you, Anna. This is about us, about our families, about the future of everything we’ve worked for. This choice is bigger than just whether or not you’re ready for a child.”

I was done with this conversation. “Enough of this. If you can’t protect my child, I will.” I turned sharply, ready to walk away, but his grip clamped around my wrist.

I yanked at my arm. “Let go of me!”

“You can’t just walk out on me,” he growled.

I glared up at him, my chest heaving. “You want me to stay with a man who won’t protect me or our child? You want me to stay here while my baby grows up knowing I had to fight alone?”

His fingers only tightened. “Maybe you should take some time to think about it.”

My stomach churned. “You think I haven’t thought about it? You think I haven’t wondered what will happen to our baby in this hell? But I won’t kill my child just because you’re scared of what might happen. I won’t do it.”

His grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t let go. “They’ll take our child. They’ll use him to control us, or worse, to control everything our families hold over us. It will no longer be about us, it will be about ensuring the legacy continues, no matter who has to suffer.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “So you will allow Valentina to take our child? Really?”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Come on, Anna. This isn’t just about Valentina.” He dragged a hand through his hair, his expression twisted in frustration. “She has brothers, sisters. They have their own families, their own cartels. Killing Valentina solves nothing.”

He stared at me, eyes dark and unreadable. “If it did, I would have killed my grandmother the first time she tried to kidnap you and humiliated you.”

I swallowed hard, realization crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

“You know nothing about how the mafia really works,” he continued coldly. “You think if we refuse, they’ll just let us go? No, they’ll come for us. And if they kill us, they’ll take the baby anyway. And do you know who will end up raising our child?”

I stared at him, my throat closing up.

“Your father,” he said darkly.

A heavy weight pressed down on my chest. The room felt like it was spinning.

Tears streamed down my face, but I lifted my chin. “I won’t abort my baby, Gleb.” My voice shook, but I meant every word.

His expression softened for just a second, but then he turned away. The distance between us had never felt so vast.

And I didn’t know if we would ever close it again.