I watch as he stands and carries the dirty dish to the sink, placing it on the side.
He’s tense. I can sense it in the way he moves. When he turns around, there’s a strange look in his eyes as he walks toward me. “We’re going out,” he says, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of my seat.
“Out?” I yank my arm free. “Where?”
He grits his teeth. “For a walk. It’s good for the baby.”
“And do you really care what is good for our child?” I set my hands on my hip, glaring at him.
There’s no way this man cares about our baby. My role was always to provide him with an heir and stay out of his way. Those were the expectations he made clear the day we met. Nothing will ever change, as a monster can’t care about anything but itself.
24
ADRIK
“Come on,” I say, clasping my hand around hers.
She shudders at my touch, but doesn’t fight me as I lead her down the corridor toward the exit of the house. There’s a place I want to take her at night—a place she took me when we first met. The cool night air wraps around us as I lead her out of the front door and take the path she led me down that day.
“Where are we going?” she murmurs.
I clench my jaw. “I thought you could use some air and exercise. It’s good for the baby.”
I feel her eyes on me as we walk and it makes me nervous, even though no one ever makes me nervous.
“Do you want to be a father?” she asks.
The question surprises me as I glance at her. “I never gave it much thought.”
“So you were desperate for an heir, not a child?”
I swallow hard, as I know it was the same for my father. He often left my mother alone with me and Vasili, uninterested in his two children other than their roles as his heirs if the worst were to happen to Spartak, which he hoped for daily. The day she died was a rare day that our father actually paid attention to his eldest son and took him out camping, leaving me home alone with my mom.
“It was a requirement set in place by your father’s cousin for me to keep my position here,” I say.
Eliza nods in understanding.
“My father was never present. I don’t expect to be the same.” I clench my free fist by my side. “What time I can spare will be devoted to my child.” I release Eliza’s hand and signal ahead. “I find the lake most beautiful at this time of night.”
Her brow furrows as she looks down at the lake. It’s alight with beautiful fireflies dancing over the surface, their reflection in the mirrored surface of the lake only increasing the magical quality in the air. “Wow, it’s beautiful.” I look at her then, seeing she’s totally engrossed in the spectacle.
I’ve never been so enamored by another person in my life, except perhaps my mother, but her memory became so dark and twisted, for a long time I couldn’t remember her only the corpse I clung to long after the psycho had violated her body and left.
“Let’s get closer,” I say.
Her eyes meet mine, and her lips part, drawing my attention to them.
“To the lake,” I clarify.
She clears her throat. “Of course.” Eliza moves closer first and I follow her, knowing that these feelings I’m having are cautionary. The woman is carrying my baby, but this was always supposed to be a business transaction and nothing more. We remain side by side for a long while, staring out over the lake in comfortable silence. At least, for me it’s comfortable. I’ve never been good with people who chat too much.
However, it doesn’t last forever, no good thing can.
“Will you tell me what happened to your mother?” Eliza asks, breaking the silence with the worst possible question. She doesn’t look at me as she asks it, instead she gazes over the dark, shimmering surface of the lake.
Tension creeps into my muscles at the mere mention of her. “I’ve told you it’s not something you want to know and not to speak of her ever again.” I clench my jaw as anger simmers to life in my veins.
“It must have been pretty terrible to make you the man you are today.” Her gaze doesn’t move to me.