The doctor hands over some pamphlets and Eli reluctantly takes them. “There are options,” he tells me. “Have a read over these and give it a few days to really think about what you want to do. You don’t want to make any drastic decisions.”
I nod and thank him and within seconds, Eli has whisked me out of the doctor's office. He takes me out to the Audi and doesn’t takes his eyes from me, getting in the driver’s side and patiently waiting for me to make my way around and get in. “You don’t have to do this,” he tells me. “Just say the word and I’ll book the appointment.”
I shake my head. “I … I don't know. I need to think about this. It’s a baby, not leftover dinner that you either put away in the fridge or just throw out. I can't … I need to go home. I need to talk to Colton.”
“Are you sure?” he questions.
I nod, knowing that’s where I need to be.
“Alright,” he tells me, hitting the gas. We get back to his apartment and he jumps out of the Audi then waits as I get back in the driver's seat. “Drive carefully, okay,” he tells me. “You’ve got a lot on your mind and the last thing you want is to be getting in an accident.”
“I know,” I tell him. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“Wouldn't have it any other way,” he says.
I give him a tight smile, trying to forget the fact that I'm currently holding my rapist's baby inside of me. “Please don’t tell the guys. I’ll do it when I’m ready.”
“You have my word.”
With that, I hit the gas and take off up the road.
I’m having Jude’s baby.
How can this happen?
Tears form in my eyes and desperation takes over me. I need to get home. I need to talk to Colton and figure out what the hell I’m going to do. The pamphlets sit beside me on the passenger's seat and I can't help but rake my eyes over them.
There are options but I don’t know if I have it in me to go down that route.
What am I supposed to do? Have Colton raise a baby that isn’t his? No, I can’t ask that of him. I can’t ask anything of him.
I need to handle this myself.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the Audi around and within the space of three minutes, I bring the car to a stop, feeling the desperation completely overtake me.
Tears flow from my eyes and as I get out of the car, I realize just how fucking stupid this is but I can’t stop myself. I have to do this. I can't keep bringing Colton into my problems. He has enough of his own for now.
I step up in front of a heavy metal door and bang my fists against it three times, silently willing myself to stop crying. I hear the familiar sound of a heavy metal lock sliding out of place and chills run down my spine at how similar it sounded to when I unlocked Jude’s dungeon.
The door pulls open and an expectant Mikhail Russo stands before me, watching me through narrowed eyes with his wolves at his back. If he’s surprised to see me, he doesn’t show it. “What do you want, girl?”
I look up at him, hating that I’m here. “I need your help.”
His eyes somehow narrow further and as he steps out of the doorway and into my personal space, I do everything in my power to keep myself from shrinking back. “Understand this, pup. If you walk through my door, you’re mine. You accept your position in this family.” His hand comes up and brushes past the still healing burn at the back of my neck. “You live by this mark. You are loyal to me. Loyal to your family. Is that clear?”
The weight of his words sits heavy against my chest. Giving him my loyalty is the final nail in the coffin. I won’t just be dead to Nic, I'll be the enemy, and that includes Sebastian, Eli, and Kai.
Fuck. They’re going to hate me.
Can I do that to them?
I meet Russo’s stare and raise my chin. “I’m all in.”