His grip on me tightened until I knew he would leave bruises on my hips. “Stop this. I will not and have no plans to divorce you, Amy.”
“But you could be with her.”
“You are my wife,” he spat, “and you will remain my wife.” Alexei looked and sounded half-crazed. It was almost like it was a punishment to say those words. So why was he so adamant we had to stay married?
Unless…
“But why?”
That’s what didn’t make sense to me. It was clear to anyone with eyes that he was madly in love with Violet. Hell, she was having his baby for God’s sake, so why not divorce me and be with her? Our relationship was nothing more than a business deal after all.
“Because you are my wife.” He towered over me, his face looked almost half-crazy, but his voice was firm. Those words seemed to mean more to him than they did to me because I sure as hell didn’t understand why he wanted to stay married to me when he had her. But it was clear he did.
The real question was why?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Amy
I felt nothing over the next three days but a sense of hollowness in the pit of my stomach that seemed to get bigger every time I saw him, which wasn’t that often. Alexei didn’t come to our bed again, and I didn’t ask him where he was sleeping because, honestly, I didn’t think I could handle the truth.
The suspicions were bad enough. I didn’t really see Violet either, and that was a good thing. I wasn’t sure I could handle actually seeing them all happy together. My nerves were too frayed for that, and my heart was, well, it was broken.
I just couldn’t tell anyone why. It wasn’t like I had a group of close girl friends around me. Sometimes, I thought about calling Gabriella and opening up to her, but she had been friends with Alexei a lot longer than she had been with me, and I wasn’t sure where her loyalty lay.
On day three, my phone rang, and it was Gabriella herself.
“Amy,” her voice was a breath of fresh air. “Are you OK? I’ve been calling the house, and they said you were sick.”
I rolled my eyes. Sick to my stomach about the affair that was going on right under my nose, maybe, but not physically sick. “I’mfine now, thank you for checking up on me, though.” I lied and told the truth in equal measures.
“What happened after the party, and you best tell me Alexei grovelled on his hands and knees to you.” She ended in a giggle.
He had fallen to his knees in the way she meant in the days after, but he hadn’t really been there with me because he had been imagining her. Not that I could tell Gabriella that. It was still too painful to say out loud. Too humiliating.
“Yeah,” I said, noncommittally.
Her laughter rose up. “I knew it. Alexei is crazy about you. So everything is good now?”
It was at that moment that a second call came through the phone. I stared at the incoming number, and my heart lurched, and my stomach turned over.
“Gabriella?” I said so quietly that I barely heard it over the hammering of my heart.” The hospital is calling. I need to—”
“Of course, ”she said quickly. “Call me if you need me. I’ll be praying it’s good news for you both. I am here if you need me.”
I knew she meant that. My fingers flew over the keys as I ended that call and added the other one.
“Is it?” I couldn’t even get the words out. My voice sounded strangled.
“Calm down, Amy. It’s good news,” the doctor’s voice was soft but urgent. “We have a heart. The theater is booked. Can you get down here?”
I was already moving, running full tilt out of the bedroom and almost tripping down the stairs. Mrs. Cole appeared in the kitchen doorway, her eyebrows raised in a silent question. She took one look at me, barefoot, with the phone against my ear, and nodded her head.
“I’ll get Micah to bring the car around for you,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice.
“I will be there within the hour.” It was getting harder and harder to talk. I was breathless from excitement and nerves. This was it. What we had been waiting for. My sister was going to be fine.
“Is that going to be quick enough?”
