Page 82 of Maddening Fixation

“But if you insist on standing in Juliet’s way... if you insist on becoming the obstacle between her and Romeo...”

Father’s voice never rose.

It didn’t need to.

“...then you will leave me with no choice but to reveal the one secret you’ve fought so hard to keep.”

His gaze remained fixed on her.

“The child you’re carrying.”

A long, suffocating silence settled over the room.

“Romeo knows nothing about it. He doesn’t know the child belongs to Sergei. He doesn’t know that while he was serving his sentence, believing your feelings for him had remained unchanged, you were sharing another man’s bed.”

“...his own brother’s.”

The words were merciless.

“If Romeo learns the truth, what do you imagine he’ll call it? Love? Or betrayal?”

He took a measured breath.

“Ask yourself how the man you described only moments ago—a man who wiped out almost his entire family without hesitation—will look at you once he discovers you’ve been deceiving him all along.”

Another silence followed.

Then, with quiet authority, he delivered the final blow.

“If you don’t want that truth reaching him...”

“Step aside.”

“My decision has been made.”

The words settled over the room with devastating finality.

“Do you have any idea what can happen in two years?”

Her voice rose with every question.

“What if they fall in love? What if they become husband and wife in more than name? What if she gets pregnant? What if they have a child together?”

She swallowed hard.

“Do you honestly believe they’ll just sign divorce papers and walk away after building a family?”

Her composure began to crack beneath the weight of her own fears.

“What if something else binds them together? What if two years become forever?”

Yarina wrapped her arms around herself, as though sheer force could keep her heart from splintering apart.

“No.”

The word escaped as little more than a breath.

She shook her head, panic creeping into her voice.