Page 130 of Twisted Pact

Mama stands and takes her purse that’s been hanging on the back of the chair. “I should go anyway. Let you rest.”

“You just got here.”

“I’ll come back tomorrow if you want. Next week. Whenever you need me.” She walks around the table and kisses my forehead. “But right now, you need to take care of yourself and that baby. Everything else can wait.”

After she leaves, Dr. Orlov begins his examination, going down the usual checklist. My blood pressure is still elevated but stable. The baby’s heartbeat is strong. He reminds me to take my vitamins and avoid stress, as if it’s that simple.

When he’s gone, I lie on the bed and think about what Mama said. About boundaries and agency, and the difference between Alexei protecting me versus me protecting myself.

After half an hour or so, the bedroom door opens without a knock. Alexei fills the doorway, and something in his face tells me he’s been waiting to talk.

“How did it go with your mother?” he asks.

“Good. Better than I expected.” I sit up and pat the space beside me. “We need to talk.”

He closes the door and joins me on the bed. “That sounds ominous.”

“It’s not. Maybe. I don’t know.” I take a breath and start over. “I’ve been thinking about your proposal. About what marriage would mean.”

“And?”

“And I need you to understand something first. If I agree to marry you, it can’t be because I’m backed into a corner with no other options. It has to be because I’m choosing you and you’re choosing me, not because circumstances are forcing our hand.”

He takes my hands in his. “I’m choosing you. I have been all along, Mila. I need you to see that.”

The honesty in his voice tightens my throat. “I need time to work through everything my mother said. About making sure I don’t lose myself trying to fit into your world.”

“How much time?”

“I don’t?—”

The door bangs open, and Dmitri bursts in without apology. His face is gray.

“We have a problem,” he announces. “Novikov is moving. Our source says he’s planning a massive strike that targets multiple locations.”

Alexei is on his feet immediately. “What locations?”

“Your penthouse. Leonid’s estate. The safehouse where Irina is staying with her baby. He’s going after everyone at once, trying to wipe out our support network.”

My stomach drops. “Irina. The baby?—”

“They’re being moved now,” Dmitri assures me. “But we need to make decisions fast. Novikov knows we’ve been stalling, and he’s forcing our hand.”

Alexei looks at me, then at his brother. “Give us five minutes.”

“We don’t have five minutes.”

“Then make them.” The command in his voice leaves no room for argument.

Dmitri leaves, and Alexei turns back to me. “I know the timing is terrible?—”

“The timing is always terrible,” I scoff. “That’s the point. There will never be a perfect moment. There will always be another threat, another crisis, and another reason to delay. Go deal with Novikov. Protect Irina and the baby. Do what you need to do.”

“Mila—”

“I’m not going anywhere. But I need space to think, and you need to focus on keeping everyone alive. So, go plan with your brother.”

He takes my face in his hands and kisses me like it might be the last time. When he pulls away, his eyes search mine for something I’m not ready to give.