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But then his voice comes through the wood, low and insistent. “Katerina. Open the door.”

Oh goddammit, of course it’s Nico. The one person I don’t want to face right now, the one person I need to be as far away from as possible.

“Go away,” I manage, my voice hoarse from crying. “I don’t want to see you right now.”

Silence. For a moment, I think maybe he’s actually listening to me for once. Maybe he’s going to respect my wishes and leave me alone.

Yeah, if pigs fly. Nico doesn’t ask permission.

He takes what he wants, no matter what someone else may want.

I scramble to my feet, backing away from the door just as it swings open. He’s standing there, his large frame filling the doorway, his hand still on the knob.

“Clearly, you don’t know the meaning of the word ‘no,’” I snap, crossing my arms over my chest tightly. It’s a flimsy barrier, but it’s all I have right now.

His eyes find me immediately, taking in my tear-stained face and my defensive posture.

Something flashes across his face, an emotion I can’t quite name. It looks almost like concern.

“Why are you crying?” he asks, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. That movement irritates me. As if he has every right to be here and demand answers from me.

Bright and hot anger flares in me at his audacity. “Why am I crying?” I ask in disbelief, staring at him like he’s grown three heads. “Are you serious right now? I just told you I’m pregnant, Nico. Pregnant with your child. And all you can say is ‘what do you want to do?’ As if it’s just another problem to be solved, another mess for you to clean up.”

He takes a step toward me, his hands held out in a placating gesture. “Katerina, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just…I’m just as shocked as you are. I wasn’t expecting this.”

“And you think I was?” I laugh, the sound harsh and brittle. “You think I was ready for my life to be turned upside down? For my body, my future, to be hijacked by a man I barely know?”

His jaw tightens, his eyes flashing. “You know me, Katerina. Maybe not in the way you want to, but you know the man I am. The things I’m capable of.”

I stare at him, incredulous. “Do I? Do I really? Let’s talk about the facts, shall we? I know you’ve been obsessed with me for two years. You’ve stalked me. You kidnapped a two year old from my cousin’s backyard—yes, I know that someone else was already planning to take her, but you could have warned her parents. You could have warned Maksim and Nikolai. But no, you stole Seraphina Santoro to not only save her but to also get to me, right?”

Nico says nothing, just staring at me with a blank expression on his face and that makes me angrier. Admit it, dammit!

“And now,” I roughly poke toward him. “You have the audacity to act surprised when your actions have consequences.”

He’s in front of me in two strides, his hands gripping my upper arms. “Is that really what you think of me?” He nearly snarls, his eyes locked on mine. “That I’m some kind of monster, incapable of feeling anything real?”

I meet his gaze head-on, refusing to back down. “I don’t know what to think, Nico. I don’t know what’s real and what’s just another part of your twisted game.”

His fingers tighten on my arms, his eyes boring into mine. “This is real, Katerina. This thing between us, this…connection. It’s the realest thing I’ve ever felt.”

I try to pull away, but his grip is implacable. “How can I believe that? How can I trust anything you say, when all you’ve ever done is lie and manipulate?”

“I’ve never lied to you,” he growls, his face inches from mine. “I may not have told you everything, but I’ve never lied. And I’m not lying now.”

Rage bubbles up in me. How dare he? How dare he stand there and pretend that keeping things from me, that hiding the truth, isn’t the same as lying?

I lash out, aiming a kick at his shin. He dodges, his grip on my arms tightening to the point of pain.

“Lying by omission is still lying, you bastard,” I hiss, struggling against his hold. “You’ve been manipulating me from the start, playing your sick little games, and I’m done. I’m done with your secrets and your half-truths.”

I wrench one arm free, shoving hard at his chest. “Get off me. Get off me and get out.”

His eyes flash dangerously. “I’m not going anywhere, Katerina. Not until you listen to me.”

“Listen to you?” I laugh, the sound harsh and mocking. “Why should I listen to anything you say? You’re a liar, Nico. A liar and a monster.”

His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “I’m not a monster. I’ve done monstrous things, yes, but that’s not all I am. That’s not all this is.”