Camilla was at the casino when Maksim finally found her. That tightness in his chest waned on seeing his wife was fine, even if amid a gambling crowd. Hiding in the darkness to watch them, he groaned when someone stopped in front of him.
Mila Fucking Petrov.He dismissed the Petrov daughters as soon as he could, but here she was. What did she want? She didn’t want the marriage as well. Camilla did both of them a favour, even if Mila’s father might think otherwise.
“Hey,” Mila said, touching her platinum blonde hair. Her green eyes might have bewitched other men, but Maksim had never seen her as anything more than a means to an end. “We didn’t get a chance to talk or say hi to your wife. She’s pretty.”
“Is that really why you are here?” Maksim grunted. Mila blushed, her gaze lowering. How could he have spent the rest of his life with this woman? Her shyness annoyed him. At least Ca
Adrenaline pumped through Camilla’s veins. She had never been one to fight or launch the first hit, but tonight, she had quickly found out why some people fought. It was exhilarating. Freeing. Refreshing.Her cheeks stung from the few times Kira scratched her, but it was a mark she would wear proudly. Alek was quiet beside her, his arm tight around her waist. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to him, but since she had already ruined his opening ceremony by fighting, she stayed mute. It wasn’t enough that he invited those women here. One of them had to come after him.They reached the car. Before he opened her door, she turned to say, “Look, it’s not my—”“Shh,” Alek whispered. “You’re hurt.” His knuckles ran under her scratches, and she winced. “We will get you cleaned up.”Opening the door, he let her inside first and followed behind. In the absence of pe
A scream woke Camilla up. She blinked slowly at the person in front of her. Doris had a hand over her mouth and the other pointed at the bed. Camilla tried to sit up, but the stickiness between her legs made her reconsider the decision. The cover was already off, so she saw the bloodstains on the bed. A scream tore out of her throat.She was bleeding. She. Was. Bleeding.Doris jumped on the bed to hold her until she calmed down. “Oh, Madam Camilla.” She placed a hand on Camilla’s flat belly. “The baby. This is bad. This is really bad.”Her words snapped Camilla back to reality. There was no baby. But the cramps, mood swings, odd bloating, and nausea. Oh God. Her period was finally here. She tried to tell Doris this, but her stomach knotted and she clutched it as pain spread through her.The housekeeper shot out of the bed, her head shaking softly. Racing to the door, she stopped to say, “I go call Mr M
Ivan came closer to the car, putting an end to the conversation that had barely started. Camilla gritted her teeth when Alek hoisted her on his lap, his arm around her waist like they were a happy couple.He had to stop forgetting that Ivan didn’t count as public. There was no need to impress his driver. All these thoughts she kept in her head. As the car journeyed to the hospital, the weight in her chest only tightened. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. She wouldn’t cry in front of this man.The car moved past unfamiliar buildings, stores, and shops. She was nothing more than his toy to do with as he wished, and that hurt so much a sob escaped her. His arms tightened around her, he pulled her in and whispered some Russian to her. She hated him, but right now, she was stuck here. So she cried into his chest, staying that way until the car slowed to a stop.“We can come back another day,” Alek said.
Camilla wasn’t talking to Maksim. Hours had passed since their last conversation in the car, and she hadn’t breathed a word in his direction. At least she called him Alek, and Papa had been informed about the baby. His phone rang. He stared at it, trying to make sense of the letters that formed a name on his screen. It took minutes for him to register the name. Vanya. He massaged his forehead, delaying to answer the call. When he did, none of them spoke. His chest was heavy, like someone thrice his size was sitting on it. He was trying to help her. Why didn’t she see it that way? Maksim was not vile, just a secretive man. No one knew his plans, not even Doris or Ivan. If Camilla had known, her shock might not have been the same. No one doubted his story about them losing their baby, not with Doris telling everyone in the house how pale his wife had gone or how loud she screamed when she saw the blood. The reaction had to be natural, not acted.Vanya cleared his throat, and the phon
Four nights passed without Alek showing up. Camilla didn’t care about him. She was only curious about his location. He told her he would be late on Monday, not absent for days. Her period ended two days ago, and she was less moody than she had been in days. She wanted to go out. To at least shop for her underwear instead of using what Doris got her. She also missed the shooting lessons.The door opened, and Alek walked in with a tote bag swinging from his hand. He didn’t glance her way as he dumped the bag on a table and strolled to the bathroom.Curiosity almost got the best of her, but she stayed away from the bag. Moments later, Alek stepped out. He hadn’t looked at her once, and it was growing maddening. She was right here, and she was the only one who had the permission to ignore him.Seconds rolled away as he stopped at the table. She had so many questions, mostly about where he had spent the nights. Kira might not be his mistress, but wh
Alek walked up to her and pried the bags from her hand, leaving her with just the lunch. He retrieved something from his pocket and directed it to the trunk. The car beeped, and the trunk popped open. He dumped the shopping bags inside and returned to take her hand. His smile was deceptive. She didn’t trust it one bit.“What are you doing here?” she muttered.Alek led her to the backseat and opened the door, but she didn’t enter. His eyes narrowed in warning, and he pointed at the door. She couldn’t get her feet to move.“Where’s Yaro?” Camilla whispered.“I’m taking you home.”A sound caught in Camilla’s throat, and she struggled to force out her words. For some reasons, she imagined the worse had happened. That he was punishing Yaro for the text when it had nothing to do with him. Why did she send him that message?“Alek, please,” Ca
Camilla couldn’t keep still. She had been a mess at the auditions yesterday and today. Everyone had noticed that, especially the bitch, Kira. Today had been better than yesterday, but Camilla was still jittery.Alone in front of the building, she waited for Yaro to come around. Why would he leave the place without telling her? She wanted to leave before her co-stars joined her. But seconds passed, and Yaro wasn’t in sight. She had sent him multiple texts.She wouldn’t consider herself a snitch, but she was tempted to report him to his boss. Unlocking her phone, her first instinct was to check the media message she received yesterday. Her plans of reconciling with Alek had flown out of the window as soon as that message entered. She couldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t. But how did anyone get access to this number? So far, only Alek, Yaro, and Ivan knew about this number.What if it was someone close to her? Or him?A familia
Camilla was skittish. Maksim had caught her staring at her phone for the umpteenth time. If only she would discuss the issue with him, so they could find a solution together. Was it the test result? They could try her method. Sex for a month, then the other options Dr Igor gave them. Though surrogacy was out of the question. Papa wouldn’t accept their explanation or the kid.“Are you alright?” Maksim asked. His wife’s head snapped up, and she pointed a finger at her chest. He nodded, and she shrugged. She was not okay. He had invited her to his office, half-expecting her to turn him down, but she followed. They had a party to attend tonight. Christian was hosting them at his club, De Luxe. “If there’s anything you need my help with, all you have to do is ask me, Cam. I’ll do it.”“It’s nothing.”Maksim left her to her own devices while he worked. She was more focused on her phone