15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Talia

"Miss, are you decent," Nikolai calls out from the other side of my bedroom door.

"Yes, come in," I reply.

Opening the door slowly, Nikolai peeks his head into the room. "It is time for dinner. You come with me now," he tells me in his heavy Russian accent.

He's a good-looking man with shoulder-length caramel-colored hair and blue eyes. He doesn't appear much older than me, and I wonder how he got the scar on his face. It's a jagged line that runs from the outer edge of his left eye to the middle of his cheek. I don't realize I'm staring at it.

"You want to know what happened?" he asks, pointing to his scar.

My cheeks flush pink as I look away quickly. "Oh…no…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"I tell you. It was a great big brown bear in Russia. I fight it, but I won." He smiles broadly, displaying a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Oh my!" I gasped in surprise. "A bear?"

"It is now a rug in my brother's cabin."

My face scrunches up at the thought, and Nikolai laughs heartily.

"Come, we go, Miss," he says.

"Please, call me Talia."

Nodding, he escorts me out of my room and to the dining room.

When we arrive, Sasha, Maxim, and Olga are seated at the large ornate wood table. Aleksandr is noticeably absent. Nikolai takes a seat in the corner of the room, opening a newspaper.

"Talia, join us," Olga insists.

"Sit next to me!" Sasha blurted, patting the empty seat next to her.

"Thank you, Sasha. I'd be delighted." I sink into the plush velvet cushion of the chair and admire the brass chandelier polished to a gleam. The table has exquisite china dinner plates rimmed in gold, delicate crystal glasses, and polished silverware. A crystal vase in the middle of the table holds vibrant flowers. Sitting at this grand table in this lavish mansion highlighted the stark differences between my life and the lives of the Avilov family.

"Have you seen the greenhouse?" Maxim asks, watching me admire the beautiful flowers.

"No, not yet, but I'd love to. I've always loved flowers," I reply quietly.

"It's a jungle!" Sasha exclaims. "I like to hide from Uncle in there. He never finds me when we play hide-and-seek." She giggles while spinning a shiny spoon between her fingers.

"Sasha, your manners," Olga reprimands.

"Sorry," Sasha whispers, her lips turning into a frown.

"My favorite plant in the greenhouse is the Venus flytrap," Maxim says enthusiastically. "Uncle lets me feed it bits of meat. It's so cool when the plant snaps shut!"

"It sounds like your uncle is a cool guy." I smile, picturing Aleksandr playing hide and seek with the children.

"He knows all the plants," Sasha chimes in. "He's teaching me their names."

Their fondness for Aleksandr was evident in every word they spoke. Clearly, he played a significant role in their lives, one that went beyond just being their guardian.

Warm, fuzzy thoughts of Aleksandr crept into my mind. Stop it. I shouldn't be thinking anything about Aleksandr. I'm trying to figure out a way to flee this place, which confirms I'm a prisoner here. In this mansion. With these lovely children. And sweet nanny. And delicious food. And a closet full of gorgeous clothes. It doesn't sound so bad when I say it in my mind. But the fact is that I can't stay here. I can't stay caught up in Aleksandr's criminal empire. I must protect myself and my baby. Our baby. I wonder what type of father he would be?

Mentally bitch slapping myself, I try to concentrate on Maxim and Sasha's banter and push all thoughts of Aleksandr to the back of my mind. Sasha proudly shares stories of her adventures in the mansion's extensive gardens, and Maxim is stating facts about carnivorous plants.

"Dinner is served," Abram announces, placing trays of meats and vegetables on the table.

The scent of savory meat blankets the table, and my stomach flips. It feels like the sandwich I ate earlier is trying to escape.

"Are you feeling well, Talia?" Olga looks me over as if trying to pinpoint the cause of my ailment.

"Yes, I'm fine," I lie. A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead. Taking a sip of water, I wipe the sweat away inconspicuously. "What else do you do with your uncle?" I ask the children in my lame attempt to get Olga's attention off me.

"I like to go fishing with him," Maxim says. "He taught me how to bait the hook so the worm doesn't fall off. And I like his boat."

"I like it when Uncle takes me to the park to ride the carousel," Sasha proclaims. "My favorite is the white horse with the rainbow-colored tail." She takes a bite of meat and then tries to hide the peas underneath the potatoes.

I hide my amusement and stare at the food on my plate. I know I have to eat something to keep Olga's suspicions at bay, but I can't bring myself to take a bite. I casually move the food around on the plate with my fork and try to keep the conversation going. "Spending so much time with your uncle must be nice."

"He's the best," Maxim says, glancing at me with a small smile. He took care of us after Mama died, and now he's letting us live here."

My heart warmed at the mention of their late mother. It had only been two years since she passed away, causing Mikhail's spiral into depression, leaving Aleksandr to shoulder the responsibility of raising these children.

"The children are very fortunate," Olga states. "Mr. Avilov loves them very much."

"Did you like riding the carousel when you were a kid?" Sasha asks innocently.

Memories of my childhood flood my mind. Some bad and others worse. The only good memories I have are with Sandy. "I never rode a carousel," I reply hesitantly.

"Never? Never ever?" Sasha's eyes are round in disbelief. A carrot hangs off the end of her fork, hovering in front of her mouth.

"No, never. I didn't get to do many fun things as a kid." Three pairs of eyes are glued to me, making me highly self-conscious. Turning my eyes to my plate, I contemplate taking a bite of food. Against my better judgement, I stab a piece of meat and place it in my mouth. This would be the best dinner I've ever eaten if I wasn't having such horrible morning sickness.

"Less talking, more eating," Olga says. "And don't think I don't see you hiding your peas." She points to Sasha's plate, trying to be strict but hiding the amused gleam in her eyes.

A wave of nausea washed over me, suddenly overwhelming the rich aromas of the food. Slowly placing the fork on my plate, I made an excuse of being full from the sandwich I had eaten earlier and stood to leave the table.

"Talia, are you sure you're feeling alright?" She studied me with a keen gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm fine, Olga, really," I assured her forcing a smile. "Just not very hungry."

She wasn't convinced. Olga was more perceptive than most, and I feared she'd find out I was pregnant.

"Your face is awfully pale. Perhaps you should see a doctor, just to be safe," Olga remarked.

"No!" I half screamed in panic. "No…I'll be fine. I'm just going to lie down for a bit," I say, lowering my voice.

The mention of a doctor sent ripples of panic through my core. The last thing I need is for anyone to find out about the baby, especially Aleksandr. But Olga's concern was genuine, and I couldn't dismiss it entirely.

"I promise, Olga, it's nothing serious," I insist, trying to sound convincing.

She nods slowly, although her expression is still wary. Olga knows more than she lets on, and I can't afford to let her suspicions grow.

Excusing myself from the table, Nikolai escorts me to my room. Sitting alone on the bed, the weight of my predicament settles heavily upon me. My mind raced with worry, questions swirling around like a whirlpool. Would Aleksandr ever want more than this life of danger and secrecy? Would he ever want me in his life? Could he embrace being a father to the baby I carry? My mind could only think of one answer: no to everything.

As exhaustion crept in, I curled up on the plush bed, resting my hand protectively over my stomach. Sleep eluded me as my thoughts continued to race about a man whose very presence both terrified and fascinated me.