He doesn't believe me. I can see it in the way he watches me for the rest of the meal. The way his eyes track my movements when I excuse myself early, claiming exhaustion.
In bed that night, he pulls me close. "Talk to me."
"About what?"
"Whatever you're hiding." His hand strokes through my hair. "You're distant. Distracted. Something's wrong."
"I'm just tired—"
"Valerie." He tilts my face up. "No more secrets. Remember? We agreed."
Guilt crashes over me. "I know. I just—I need a few more days. To figure out how to say it. It's not—I'm not betraying you. I promise. I just need time."
His jaw clenches. "Time for what?"
"To find the right words." I press closer. "Please, Lev. Trust me. Just a few more days and I'll tell you everything. I just need to figure out how."
He's silent for a long moment. I can feel the war happening inside him—the instinct to demand answers warring with the tentative trust we've been rebuilding.
"Three days." His voice is hard. "You have three days to tell me whatever this is. After that, no more patience. Understand?"
"Yes." Relief floods through me. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me." He pulls me tighter. "Just don't make me regret giving you time. Because if this turns out to be another betrayal, another lie—"
"It's not. I swear it's not."
He doesn't respond. Just holds me in the dark while I try not to think about the life growing inside me.
The baby that could either heal us or destroy us completely.
The next morning, I'm in Mila's room braiding her hair when the nausea hits again.
I barely make it to her bathroom before I'm vomiting. Again.
"Valerie?" Mila's small voice from the doorway. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart." I flush, rinse my mouth. "Just a little sick."
"You've been sick a lot lately." She tilts her head. "Maybe you need a doctor."
"Maybe." I pull her into a hug. "Don't worry about me. I'm okay."
But she looks worried anyway. Too perceptive for a seven-year-old.
God, please make Lev accept this pregnancy with joy, because the alternative would break me.
Chapter twenty-four
Lev
Valerie is hiding something again.
Every instinct I've honed over fifteen years in this life is screaming at me that she's keeping secrets. The way she deflects questions. The guilty look in her eyes when I catch her off guard. The whispered phone calls with Tash that end abruptly when I enter the room.
History repeating itself.
I find Mikhail in the security office reviewing camera feeds. "I need you to run a check on Valerie."