“He doesn’t, does he?” She stepped to the top step. Towering over me. “That’s because there’s no passion in your life. Oh, sweet little dove, don’t look so upset. You’re just an inexperienced girl. A man like Alexei needs a real woman in his life. He needs me.”
“You can have him,” I said, and even though it broke my heart, I meant every word of it.
I’d had enough. I really cared for Alexei. I might even love him, but I couldn’t keep on living like this with the permanent threat of Violet over my head. It would be better to bring up my child alone and penniless.
Not alone, I told myself quickly. Because soon Alessia would wake up from her coma. We would change from a family of two to a familyof three. But we would be a family, and my child would be safe and loved.
“Oh, if only it were that simple.”
My head snapped up. “What do you mean, I’ve just said you can have him. I’ll leave tomorrow morning and file for divorce.” My sigh was exhausted. “You won, Violet.”
“Except divorcing him won’t be enough now that you have a child. You will always have that hold over him, and I am so sorry, little dove, but I just can’t allow that.”
I knew what she was going to do the split second before she shoved at my shoulders. I righted myself quickly, my feet slipping down a step. Lashing out, I grabbed at her, my fingers sinking into the gaudy material of her barely-there clothes.
She tried to shove me again, using her body weight as force, and this time I toppled backwards with a cry. My hands fisted the front of the red material harder as I tried to regain my footing.
With a cry, Violet fell with me. Our bodies spinning and clashing tighter as we tippled down the long, curved staircase. Over and over again, my head hit a stair and then my back. It seemed to last forever. The pain was never-ending, but at the same time it was over in seconds.
Finally coming to a stop, I lay on my back, desperately trying to catch my breath and staring up at the staircase. Pain radiated through every part of my body, but I didn’t have enough air in my lungs to cry out.
A scream went up loud and anguished
Violet.
Violet had pushed me down the stairs.
The bitch really had just tried to kill my baby and me.
“What?” Alexei appeared at the top of the stairs, his hair mussed and his PJ bottoms dangerously low on his hips. Catching sight of me on my back at the bottom of the stairs, his face tightened into a look of worry.
“Amy, Amy! What happened? Are you OK?” Taking two steps at atime, he rushed down on me. Falling to his knees, he reached for me. “Did you fall? Are you OK?”
“I’m OK.” At least I thought I was. A little battered and bruised but alive, and I didn’t think anything was broken.
My baby, though? “I might need to get the baby checked,” I began to say.
Another voice rose up in a wail. “My baby,” Violet screeched. “Oh my God, my baby!”
My head swivelled round to find her lying not two feet from me. Curled up around her bump and screaming. Her hands weren’t clutched between her legs. Alexei’s head turned in that direction, and a look of pure terror flickered across his face. Scampering over on his hands and knees, he rushed to her side.
It was like I was completely forgotten,
“It’s going to be OK. Just stay still.” Lifting his voice, he screamed for the staff. Yelling at them to bring blankets and to get the car.
Not once did he look back to check I was OK.
“I’m going to lose my baby.” She clung to him. “Oh my God, she killed my baby.”
Alexei’s back stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“She pushed me. Oh my God, keep her away from me.”
Lifting her, Alexei turned to glare down at me. And I could tell from the look on his face that he believed her.
God, she was a good actress.
“Go to your room, Amy,” he said coldly. “And stay there. I can’t believe you would push a pregnant woman, but I don’t have time to deal with you right now. I have to get Violet to the hospital.”
