Page 46 of Forced & Knocked-Up Bratva Bride
I stood there, rooted in place, blinking once. Twice. Maybe this was a joke—a rather expensive one, at that. But themore I looked into those blue eyes of his, the more I realized just how real this was.
He chose me.
Nik chose me.
Olga was right all along, as was Scarlett.
My heart raced in my slowly heaving chest, and my eyes misted as I stared at him. It was as though the world around us was starting to fade into the background, leaving just the two of us.
I could hear the murmurs amongst the crowd, could hear their disapproval. But none of that mattered. Nik chose me, and that meant that I got to raise my child as his wife.
Still stunned, I could only stare at him—eyes wide, lips parted, heart thudding in disbelief. One word echoed through my mind, over and over.What?
A wind of relief blew across my face, and with each passing second, my heartbeat steadied. In that moment, I saw it, something I’d never seen before—Nik’s genuine smile, directed toward me.
Chapter 28 – Nik
The party was over, and all the guests had returned to their various homes, leaving just a few Tarasovs behind.
My jacket draped over the backrest of my chair, my tie hanging loose around my neck as I sat, cradling a glass of whiskey. Across from me were my cousins, Daniel, Scarlett’s husband, and Sergei, the grumpy one, a man of few words.
I could feel their gazes on me, even though I had my eyes fixed on the most beautiful woman in the room. I hadn’t seen her this happy before—never. And watching her smile genuinely with her old friend, Scarlett, melted my stone-cold heart. Her gaze flickered in my direction, her lips curling into a radiant smile.
This was the best decision I’d made in a long time, and I wasn’t going to regret it. I chose her over Helen, and I’d repeat that choice over and over again because she was worth it. It was useless lying to myself when I knew deep down that she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
I’d grown so fond of her over these past few weeks, and I couldn’t honestly picture my life without her in it. She and our unborn child were the center of my life, and I would do just about anything to keep them both safe. Alessia was my missing rib, and as abstract as it may sound, she was the woman who completed me. She was my better half, the compassionate part of me.
My brothers may or may not be angry with me over this decision. As a Bratva leader, my priorities should first lie with the brotherhood. I should put the Bratva over my own personal interests. I knew this, and for decades, the organization came first in all my dealings. However, this time, I chose my happinessover whatever benefited my alliance with the Orlov family, what the organization might gain.
I had no feelings for Helen—none whatsoever. After listening to Dmitry’s ordeal with his wife, I realized that wasn’t the type of life I wanted for myself. The man’s marriage was a misery, and although they lived in the same house and probably shared the same bed, they hated each other’s guts.
Helen might not hate me now, but if I went ahead and married her, she would eventually. This would be because she’d realize that my heart belonged to another—the mother of my child. Our families would benefit from our union while we lived in misery like Dmitry and his wife. That was a risk too big to take. It wasn’t worth it.
Although a good number of the Tarasov men before me married their wives in the same manner—arranged—at the end of the day, they were all happy. They learned to love their wives and vice versa. I, on the other hand, couldn’t learn to love Helen, not when my heart already beat for another woman.
Choosing Alessia was the right move, not just for me, but also for our unborn baby.
“Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’m just gonna ask,” Daniel began, his words cutting through my thoughts like a knife. “Why her?”
I turned to face him, my gaze shifting between him and Sergei as the women’s soft laughter echoed in the background.
“Why not her?” I teased, my lips curling into a faint smile.
“Helen Orlov,” he replied, leaning in, eyes fixed on me. “You could’ve married her as planned. The alliance would have been solid.”
“Alessia is carrying my child, Daniel,” I said to him, an almost imperceptible scowl flashing across my face, a testament of my displeasure.
“Helen would have raised him as her own,” Sergei chipped in, his voice low and even.
I scoffed, combing my fingers through my hair, a glint of disbelief flickering in my gaze. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you two are angry because I blew the alliance—the contract with the Orlov family.”
Daniel’s face contorted into a frown. “Come on, you know that’s not true.”
“Really, then what is it?” I demanded, wearing the same solemn expression as him, elbows on my lap. “Because it sure seems like you’re both coming at me for choosing my happiness over the brotherhood.”
“Temper, temper, Nik.” Sergei’s eyes narrowed, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “No one’s saying that.”
His words, calm and gentle, somehow eased the brewing tension hovering in the air. I knew they didn’t mean it like that, but I couldn’t stomach even the thought of living an imaginary life without Alessia.
