28. Zara

28

ZARA

Throughout my life, I thought I knew happiness.

I was wrong.

Everything up until this point has been a drop in the ocean compared to what I feel right now.

Dimitri loves me, and I love him, more than I ever thought possible. And in a matter of months, we’re going to be welcoming two babies into our family.

My heart almost bursts every time I think about how lucky I am.

Don’t get me wrong, the thought of juggling twins terrifies the crap out of me. I have no idea how people care for two newborns at once.

I watched Bianca struggle with all of the feeding and changing and everything else that comes with having a baby, and she only had one of them. But Dimitri has complete confidence in both of us. And knowing that he will be by my side every step of the way has the fear soon melting away.

He’s got me no matter what.

Plus, I’m very much enjoying this new overprotective side of him that has emerged ever since he learned about the pregnancy.

This past week since he found out about the pregnancy, he barely lets me carry my own plate of food from the kitchen to the dining table, insisting that I need to rest as much as possible. It’s adorable, really, and I love being spoiled by him at every given opportunity.

What he’s not so happy about is letting me go into work. He’s concerned that the stress I’ve been under will have an impact on the babies, and he’s not wrong.

Though the majority of my sickness was because of the pregnancy, I have no doubt that part of it was also due to the fear of being around Giovanni. It affected me more than I cared to admit, only because I didn’t want to give him any more power over me.

But not anymore.

Giovanni seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. No one has heard from him in over a week, and while I know Dimitri is very much the reason behind his sudden disappearance, I haven’t asked, because I don’t want to know.

This pregnancy is a fresh start, a chance to truly build the family I’ve always dreamed of with the man I love at my side, and Giovanni Saccone is not going to haunt me any longer.

As I’m finishing up work for the day, I hurry to send the last few emails and pack up my things, eager to get home to Dimitri.

He’s cooking me a late dinner as Karlie and I had a mountain of reports to go over and decided to stay later than usual to get them finished. So, by the time I’m packing up, it’s almost ten, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of the evening curled up beside Dimitri on the couch .

“See you tomorrow, Karlie.” I sling my bag over my shoulder.

She gives me a wave as she continues to organize the files stacked high on her desk.

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face as I make my way over to the elevators. I’m eager to get back to the penthouse, to home .

Looking back, it seems foolish that I ever doubted Dimitri’s feelings for me, but I was letting my past plague my reality with darkness.

But not anymore.

I pull my phone out of my bag and open up my texts as I step off the elevator.

The main foyer of the building is empty, with most people having gone home hours ago.

Knowing that I’ll be on maternity leave in a few months makes me want to put in extra time now to ensure that everything runs smoothly while I’m gone.

So for now, Dimitri’s going to have to get used to some late nights.

I know Dimitri can track my location, but I still like to let him know that I’m on my way home. It was part of the deal we made when I insisted on continuing on with life as normal despite the pregnancy, which includes going into the office five days a week.

I’m just about to hit send when my phone is knocked out of my hand.

“What the?—”

I whirl, but before I have a chance to scream, a hand is around my mouth, silencing my cries.

My body freezes, but it’s all they need.

Huge arms lock around me, pinning my body back against a large chest .

I try to send my elbow backwards to try and fight the man off, but it’s no use.

He only tightens his hold as he drags me toward the revolving doors.

I’m completely at his mercy.

A whimper escapes my lips as I spot a blacked-out van waiting on the curb outside, another man, dressed head to toe in black, waiting by the open back doors.

I can’t make out his face with a cap pulled low over his eyes, but it’s clear who he works for.

I screw my eyes shut as reality dawns on me.

I was stupid to think that Giovanni would let me walk away after what Dimitri did to him.

He wants revenge and he’s not going to stop until I pay the price.

Before I even have a chance to scream, something hard strikes the side of my head and everything goes black.

I hiss at the throbbing pain in my head. I reach up to clutch the side of it, and something hot and sticky coats my fingers.

Blood?

My eyes peel open, and I blink a few times as my vision comes into focus.

It’s dark, with only a sliver of light peeking through from beneath the door. But I can see just enough to know that I’m in a bedroom.

The walls are covered in faded floral wallpaper that’s peeling at the corners, and a large woven rug covers most of the floor.

I sniff and grimace at the musty smell .

Where the hell am I?

My limbs aren’t bound, which is a positive.

I climb off the small bed and circle around the space, running my hands over the walls and furniture, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon.

But it seems whoever is keeping me captive had the same thought as the drawers of the dresser are locked, and even the small chair and table in the center of the room are bolted to the floor. There’s bars over the window, so even if I could manage to smash the glass, there’s no way I could climb through it.

“Oh god.” My hand goes to my throat as my breath speeds up, my heart pumping in my chest.

There’s no way out.

I glance over to the window. The sky outside. How long have I been out? Is this still the same night I was taken? Does Dimitri realize I’m gone yet?

It must be over an hour at least since I was taken, right? Dimitri has to know I’m missing by now.

He’ll come looking for me.

He’ll find me?—

A key turning in the lock has me whirling around.

My heart stops as the door flies open revealing a giant of a man.

I cower into the corner as I take in his enormous frame that is squeezed into an immaculate three-piece suit. It’s a stark contrast compared to the shaved head and the tattoos that peak out beneath the collar of his shirt and trail up the sides of his neck.

He steps into the room.

“Hello, Zara. Or should I say Mrs. Koslov .” His mouth turns into a sneer as he speaks my name, but I keep quiet, eyeing the nasty scar that runs along the length of his jaw all the way to his temple.

I have no idea how my legs haven’t given out beneath me.

“I’m not impressed to learn that your husband lied to me, Zara.” The man takes another step into the room.

I flinch at his heavy footsteps.

“But I’m not surprised. It’s why Dimitri wasn’t my first choice of Koslov men to marry my daughter.”

He must see the realization dawn on my face as his lips pull up into a smirk.

“You worked it out, haven’t you?” He huffs a laugh under his breath, and the sound sends a shiver down my spine. “I’m Massimo Conti, and you stole Dimitri away from my daughter.”

I glare at him. “He was never hers.”

“Alexei and I made a deal, one that Dimitri broke by marrying you ,” he growls. “I was almost willing to let it slide when Dimitri had the balls to come and tell me himself why he kept his relationship with you a secret. But then I learned the truth.”

“Please,” I beg. “We never meant for this to happen. It was my decision to keep our relationship quiet, not Dimitri’s. Don’t blame him?—”

“Your marriage is a scam,” Massimo’s eyes flash. “It was simply a way for Dimitri to get out of marrying Lucia, but unfortunately for him, he’s got to pay the price.”

“No, please ,” I sob, stumbling forward. “That’s not true. Please, don’t hurt him.”

“You’re going to regret making a deal with a Koslov, ragazza .” He turns his back on me and heads for the door.

“Dimitri loves me!” I sob, my eyes swimming with tears as I lunge for the door .

“Don’t fucking lie !” Massimo roars, spinning around and striking me across the face with the back of his hand.

My head whips to the side, and I stumble, collapsing against the table as I clutch my cheek.

“I heard the truth from your own fucking lips. You were stupid to get on the wrong side of Giovanni Saccone.”

I can barely catch a breath as I push myself off the table and look over at Massimo.

“You truly thought he would let Dimitri get away with what he did? I thought you were meant to be clever.”

I frown, not understanding what he’s saying.

Does Giovanni know Massimo?

“Saccone said he could get me proof of Dimitri’s deception in exchange for protection. I had him plant a bug underneath your desk and low and behold you admitted the full truth almost instantly. You threw your husband to the wolves without so much as a second thought. Though I knew Dimitri was never going to let Giovanni off the hook, so it was a win-win for me. I got the truth at last, plus I didn’t have to waste good men on a snake like Saccone.”

My stomach sinks, remembering the very conversation I had with Bianca where the truth came spilling out. I couldn’t bear to lie anymore, and my weakness is going to cost Dimitri everything.

“You only have yourself to blame for what happens to Dimitri. If you’d only kept your mouth shut…”

Bile burns my throat at the thought of him laying a hand on Dimitri—the man who has fought so hard to keep me safe…

I wish I could have done the same for him.

“So, ragazza , Dimitri is going to marry Lucia at last, and you’re going to help me.”

“H-he won’t. He loves me. ”

“That will only work in my favor. You will be…an incentive. Perhaps once he sees the woman he loves being tortured, he’ll have a change of heart.”

“No,” I breathe, my hands moving to my abdomen. “Please, you can’t do this.”

“I can, and I will, ragazza . I’m not going to stop until Dimitri agrees to marry my daughter.”

A whimper escapes me as I try to imagine what he’s going to do to me.

I’ve been here before, and I barely survived. I know all too well what men like Massimo are capable of, and I have no doubt that he will take great pleasure in seeing my blood on his hands.

I’m not going to survive this, but Dimitri will. As much as he will hate to marry Lucia, he can at least walk away and move on from this. My weakness doesn’t have to be his downfall.

“What will you do with me once this is over?” Tears fill my eyes.

“Once I have what I want, I won’t make you suffer anymore. Despite what you might think, I'm not a complete monster. I’ll kill you quickly.” He says it so casually, as if he’s done it a thousand times before.

Massimo slams the door shut behind him, and I sink to the floor as he turns the key in the lock. I hug my knees to my chest as tears stream down my face.

My eyes flutter closed as the breath leaves my lungs.

This is how it ends.

I won’t have my happily ever after, but perhaps Dimitri can one day have his.

Just not with me.