Page 80 of Tragic Empire

“Really,” I insist, seeing Armani begin to type out a message. “I’m fine, see.” I try to hold back my wince as I swing my legs down and stand up from the sofa. I let the bag of peas fall to the ground and attempt to ignore the way my head swims. Getting up so fast was a bad idea, I just went ahead and made myself dizzy. Great.

Blinking twice, I steady myself as much as possible and look up from the rug to my two friends. “Perfectly fine,” I say, attempting a smile.

My stomach is protesting with sharp cramps but Colton and Armani are the ones who look like they’re about to be sick. They’re not meeting my eyes, both of them fixed on my lower half. Suddenly frightened by their intense gaze, I look down and gasp.

Blood.

So. Much. Blood.

It’s dark and soaked through my shorts, starting to roll down my thigh. The bag of peas by my feet has stained the carpet pink, and my head spins, finding a puddle has accumulated on the coach where I’d been lying.

Nausea hits me like a storm, and my body starts to feel cold.

“Oh god,” I whimper as a roll of dizziness takes over.

My vision goes hazy, and my ears ring.

Colton’s loud voice seems muffled and panicked. “Cassio, fuck, get up here. Ana’s bleeding!”

I feel hands surrounding my biceps… and then it all goes black.

Consciousness comes back slowly, aided by the sounds of chaos surrounding me. Familiar voices are yelling and barking orders. Eyes fluttering open, I wince at the bright lights overhead. White surrounds me on every side, and the smell of sterile chemicals fills my nostrils.

What the fuck?

Am I in the hospital?

“Cassio, you need to calm the fuck down,” Armani’s voice floats through the door. “You heard him, she’s fine. Stop throwing shit!”

“I did this to her!” my husband yells back. The hurt and panic in his voice makes my stomach drop.

“You know that isn’t true?—”

“You’re awake,” a deep voice says from my side, startling me out of my eavesdropping.

“Doc?” I gape, recognizing the familiar man. “You’re in New York? Wait, we’re still in New York, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we haven’t moved states,” he answers patiently. “I’ve been staying here in case any of the Morettis need me. Dr. Petrov has taken my place with the rest of the family temporarily.”

Dr. Petrov is one of the Morozovs’ trusted doctors. He worked at Empire Academy while Dmitri and Ivan attended. He’s the man who confirmed Jade’s pregnancy.

Suddenly remembering what happened to bring me here, I swallow. “I was bleeding. What happened? Why is Cassio yelling?”

“You lost about two ounces of blood,” Doc begins to explain slowly. “It scared you, and you fainted.”

“I’m okay, aren’t I? You don’t seem very concerned.”

He nods, lips twitching at my assessment. “Yes, you’re perfectly healthy. You experienced some spontaneous Menorrhagia—heavy menstrual bleeding—likely brought on from an increase in hormones after intercourse. I did an ultrasound to rule out any sort of internal bleeding, and a vaginal exam to check for any tearing, both came back negative.”

“Jesus,” I mutter. So,that’swhy Cassio is blaming himself. He thinks he put me here because we had sex. “How long was I out?”

“You’ve been in and out of consciousness for a half hour. Your bleeding has mostly stopped, only some light spotting now. I’d given you morphine for the pain before we discovered the cause, the men insisted upon it. It was a bit overkill now that we know, but it will certainly take care of any remaining cramps you may be having.”

The ridiculousness of this situation hits me, and giggles of disbelief start to fall from my lips. Doc gives me a questioning look, tilting his head and arching a brow. It only makes me laugh harder.

“S-sorry, sorry,” I chuckle, trying to calm down. “It’s just—I haven’t had a full period since I got my implant. And now you’re telling me that I essentially had a whole menstrual cycle in a matter of hours, bleeding enough to scare myself into fainting.”

“It’s uncommon, but hormone changes can do very intense things to women’s bodies,” Doc replies. “Especially when coupled with long term use of birth control. Your implant has regulated you to a new normal for your body, and any changes can create a reaction. Not to mention the immense stress you’ve been under after what has happened to you…”