Chapter 6

Luca

”Luca, we need to talk.”

Hearing Lana”s voice, firm yet laced with an undercurrent of... something, pulls me from the maze of thoughts I”ve been lost in. Standing in the dim light of my meticulously organized office, her silhouette framed against the door, she”s the picture of strength and vulnerability all at once. It”s disarming, unsettling. It”s Lana.

I”ve spent months, hell, maybe even years, crafting layers of self-control, building walls to keep this... attraction at bay. But seeing her now, it”s like a punch to the gut, a reminder of that one night we crossed a line we can”t uncross. Best fucking night of my life, and I”ve been running from it ever since.

”What”s up?” My voice is calm, collected, belying the storm of emotions her presence stirs within me.

”I”m pregnant.”

The words hit me like a freight train. For a moment, I”m speechless, my mouth agape as I try to process the bombshell she”s just dropped. A million thoughts race through my mind, but one sticks: But we”ve only had sex once. How could this even be happening?

”Are you sure?” The question tumbles out before I can stop it, a mix of disbelief and an irrational surge of... hope? Fear? Hell, I can”t even tell anymore.

She nods, her expression unreadable. ”Yes, I”m sure. But Luca, it might not be yours.”

Fucking hell, I knew she wasn”t a saint – none of us are – but the thought of her with anyone else twists something deep inside me. Rage? Jealousy? Doesn”t matter. Right now, Lana”s got my full attention, and I”m not sure whether to grab her or strangle someone.

”Who else could it be?”

I can”t even look at her as I ask, turning instead to face the wall, a pathetic attempt to hide the storm of jealousy and fear raging in my eyes.

Lana”s voice is steady, unnervingly calm in the face of the chaos our lives might soon become. ”There are two other possibilities... Grigori and Roman.”

”Does anyone else know?” My voice is cool, detached, as if I”m discussing business, not the potential paternity of the woman I can”t admit I want more than I”ve ever wanted anything.

”Julia and Grigori knows. Roman doesn”t. Yet.”

Turning back to face Lana, I school my features into an expression of indifferent curiosity. ”And when do you plan on telling Roman?” My tone is light, almost teasing, but there”s an undercurrent of genuine interest. How she handles this, how we all handle this, will redefine the dynamics of our twisted little family.

Lana meets my gaze, her eyes a mirror of the resolve I”ve come to admire in her. ”Soon. I just... needed to talk to you first.”

I stare at Lana, my heart pounding in my chest. To hell with it, I need a drink. I cross over to the bar, pouring myself a stiff one before taking a long swig. The burn of the alcohol is a welcome distraction from the chaos in my mind.

Fucking hell, I”ve never wanted kids. They”re messy and needy and complicate shit beyond reason. And yet... the thought of Lana carrying my child, well, it does things to me that I don”t quite understand.

”What are you going to do?” I ask her, taking another sip from my glass.

”I”m going to have this baby,” she replies firmly.

”Good for you,” I say simply, feeling an odd sense of pride for her decision. It”s not like I care about the kid or anything, right? No, this just makes things interesting is all.

”In that case,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady and my emotions in check, ”I”ll make sure we”re all prepared for what comes next.”

I take another sip of my drink, the alcohol burning a path down my throat and into my stomach.

”We need to think about how we”re going to hide this from everyone. It”s not exactly going to be easy to conceal.”

I lean back, swirling the drink in my glass, the ice clinking against the sides. The thought of hiding Lana”s pregnancy, of all the lies and deceit that”ll involve, doesn”t sit well with me. Not because I”m above lying — far from it. But because every part of this situation makes my skin crawl with possessiveness. The very idea that I”m sharing this, sharing her with Roman and Grigori, gnaws at me. I never wanted this polyamorous complication. But if that”s what Lana wants, if that”s what she needs...

”We”ll figure it out,” I say finally, my voice firm, betraying none of the tumult inside. ”There are ways to keep things under wraps. We”ve managed more delicate situations before.”

”How? How will we figure it out?”

I launch into a detailed explanation, outlining every step of the plan to keep her pregnancy under wraps. From loose clothing and strategic public appearances to potential storylines we might need to spin for those prying eyes too close to our inner circle.

But Lana, ever the one to cut straight to the heart of the matter, stops me mid-ramble. Her hands come up to my face, pulling me to look directly into her eyes, demanding my full attention. ”I”m not talking about... hiding the baby.”

The world seems to slow down, my heart rate dropping as our faces inch closer.

”I”m talking about you... and me.”

”Lana, you know how I feel about you,” I start, my voice low, each word laced with the intensity of my emotions. ”This... thing between us, it”s always been complicated.”

She brushes my hair back from my forehead, her fingers lingering on my skin as she looks into my eyes. I feel a jolt of electricity, my heart racing at the mere touch of her. ”We can”t keep running from this, Luca. We owe it to ourselves and to the baby to face it head-on.”

I swallow hard, her words hitting me like a hurricane, leaving me breathless and vulnerable. ”And if it”s not mine?”

Lana”s eyes soften, her expression filled with empathy and understanding. ”If it”s not yours, then it”s Roman”s or Grigori”s. But either way, it doesn”t change the fact that we have to support each other and the life we”re creating, regardless of who the father is.”

”Lana, I stand with you. Always,” I say, the words a vow, a promise I intend to keep, no matter the cost. ”Whatever this is between us, we”ll figure it out. Together.”