"What about it?"
"What if you are pregnant?"
"I’m not," I snap.
"Are you sure?"
I shake my head. "Even if I am, I plan to bring him or her up alone."
"Do you want to do that?" She scowls.
"Yeah."
"Are you really sure?"
"No, but it has to be enough." The small of my back hurts. Shit, this is what comes from being cooped up in one position for too long. I spring up to my feet, begin to pace the living room of my cozy two-bedroom apartment off Regent’s Park. It’s not a small space, by London standards. Also, not as luxurious as the kind of real estate that the Seven tend to frequent. "To be honest, I don’t know what I want," I muse.
"You want him," she retorts.
"Well, too bad. I am not going to have him. That lying, conniving, bastard," I burst out.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she holds up a hand, "what’s going on there? What are you not telling me?"
I lower my phone and hang my head. Nothing; everything. Shit, where do I even begin without giving away the truth about who I am? Something I’ve been hiding from everyone, including the Seven. If they found out about it… Clearly, I’d lose their account and much more. I think. I’d probably lose my friends too… Or not. Arpad knows about it, of course, but considering he is in on this with me, I don’t think he would tell the rest of the Seven.
Strange, somehow, he’s the only one who knows everything about me… Apparently, he and I have more in common than I thought. Is that what had attracted me to him? The fact that, under that sophisticated, billionaire exterior, he is so similar to my father and brothers... Cut from the same cloth.
Hell, even his experiences are similar to theirs. And he knows them. What are the chances? So, not only had he manipulated my life over the last year, but he’d also been luring me toward this possible marriage. Wow. I shake my head. The one man I’d been attracted to... Turns out, he is exactly the person I should have avoided at all costs. And, of course, he has to be the person with whom I’d chosen to have a child.
"Karina? Kaaareeeena? You there?" Isla’s voice reaches me. Shit, I’d forgotten I was still on a call with her.
I raise the phone and peer into her angry features on the screen. "I’m here."
I rub the small of my back again.
"You okay?"
"Of course, I am." A twang tugs on my lower belly. I pale.
"Karina?" She frowns. "What’s wrong?"
"N...nothing."
Another jolt of pain hits me. I press my palm to my stomach.
"Karina, you’re worrying me. Do you want me to come over?"
"No…no, I’ll be okay."
"Karina, don’t—"
I disconnect, toss the phone on the bed, then head to the bathroom. Tears prick the backs of my eyes. Shit, don’t cry. It's okay. Why the hell am I so upset?
Something hot stabs at my chest and waves of pain coil low in my belly. "Ah!" I stagger over to the bathroom cabinet and open it. Of course, I can't find what I need. Damn it, I should have been better prepared. I'd known it was possible that I might not conceive the first time I tried, but somehow, I had refused to consider that option. I had been so sure that it would work, that I would get pregnant. Is that why I had neglected all the signs of my impending period over the last few days? Tender breasts, the discomfort at the small of my back, my feet, which ache more than usual? No choice. I have to head over to the shop and get what I need now.
As I turn, another wave of pain slices through my middle. Damn it, it bloody hurts; it hurts. I double over, draw in a breath, then another.
Shit, this can’t be happening; it can’t be.
