“I know.”
“You should talk to her. Work this out. Come to some kind of agreement.”
“You just spent the last twenty-four hours with her, what gives you the impression she wants to work anything out?”
He grins again. “Good luck. I’m going to shower and sleep for a day.”
“Alexei, thank you for taking care of her.”
“Sure, boss.”
After putting Mila to bed and putting off the conversation I’ve been dreading, I make my way to Hannah’s room. I didn’t dare try to put her in my room. I don’t want to have to sleep with one eye open.
I knock once and enter without waiting for permission. She's sitting up in bed. The bandage on her head looks stark white against her pale skin.
She doesn't look happy to see me. Not a surprise.
"Go away," she says without looking up from the book she's pretending to read.
I ignore the dismissal and sit on the edge of her bed anyway. She immediately scoots away from me, putting as much distance between us as the mattress allows.
"How are you feeling?" I ask. "Any pain? Nausea? Dizziness?"
"I'm fine."
"That's not an answer."
She finally looks at me, and the fury in her green eyes could melt steel. "My head hurts. My hip. I'm exhausted and cranky and I want to go home. There. Happy now?"
"What about morning sickness? Is that getting worse?"
Her jaw tightens. "It's manageable."
I study her face, noting the shadows under her eyes, the way she's holding herself like everything aches. "You need to take better care of yourself. You're not just responsible for your own health anymore."
"Don't." Her voice is sharp as a blade. "Don't you dare lecture me about responsibility. I've been taking care of myself just fine without your input."
"Until you fell down my stairs and could have killed my child."
I watch her flinch like I've slapped her.
"Your child?" She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Last I checked, it takes two people to make a baby. This isn't just your child, Dante. It's mine too."
"You're right. Which is why I'm putting additional security measures in place."
Her eyes narrow. "What kind of security measures?"
"You're on lockdown. Complete lockdown. No leaving the estate grounds. No contact with the outside world."
The silence that follows is absolute. I watch understanding dawn in her eyes, followed immediately by rage so pure it makes me take a step back.
"You can't be serious," she whispers.
"Dead serious."
“You bastard! You absolute bastard!"
"Hannah—"
