Page 52 of The Russian's Arranged Pregnant Bride

And I didn’t know which truth to hold onto.

Didn’t know if I could kill her if it came to that.

Didn’t know if I could protect her if Rafael found out what she’d done.

Her eyes fluttered open, slow and disoriented. She blinked a few times, her gaze landing on me.

“Drew?” Her voice was hoarse, broken.

“Hey.” I forced myself to sound calm. Normal. Even though I felt like I was drowning. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck.” She tried to sit up, winced, and fell back against the pillows. “What happened?”

“You passed out. I brought you to the hospital.”

Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because you collapsed on my living room floor, kitten. Scared the shit out of me.”

She looked away, her jaw tightening. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not.” I leaned back in the chair, studying her. “The doctor said you’re dehydrated. Exhausted. Running a fever.”

“I’ve been sick. You know that.”

“Yeah.” I paused, weighing my next words carefully. “There’s something else.”

Her eyes snapped to mine, wary. “What?”

I held her gaze, my heart pounding. “You’re pregnant, Cassandra.”

The color drained from her face. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Eight weeks,” I continued, my voice steady even though I felt like I was falling. “The doctor confirmed it.”

She stared at me like I’d just told her the world was ending.

Maybe I had.

“That’s not….” She shook her head, her hands clutching the blanket like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. “That’s not possible.”

Her eyes filled with something I couldn’t name—fear, maybe. Or regret. Or both.

She looked at me, tears pooling in her eyes, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

I didn’t know what she was apologizing for.

The pregnancy. The ambush.

All of it.

“Get some rest,” I said, standing up. “We’ll talk later.”

I walked out before she could respond, before I did something stupid like forgive her without knowing the truth.

Chapter 16 – Cassandra

I wanted to stop Drew.