Chapter 106 She's Pregnant
Nico POV
I had always believed I was an unshakable man because feelings had never ruled my decisions but ever since Lila had been dragged yes, dragged into my world, everything I thought I knew about control had begun to unravel.
Now, as I stood in front of her, staring into those pale, crystal-blue eyes of hers while her words echoed again and again inside my mind, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years.
Confused and Powerless, “Excuse me?” I finally said.
The words barely left my lips, my voice so quiet it was almost a whisper but the look on her face didn’t change. “I’m pregnant, Nico.”
The moment the words left her mouth, I jerked back as if she had struck me and my hand dropped from her cheek. “How?” The question escaped before I could stop it.
“When?” Even worse.
My mind scrambled uselessly for something just anything that made sense, “What do you mean pregnant?”
Jesus Christ.
Lila lifted her hands toward the metal ring attached to the collar around her neck and her fingers trembled so badly she couldn’t properly grip the clasp, “Nico… could you loosen this?”
For a moment I simply stared at her, blinking as if I had forgotten how to function then instinct finally kicked in and I stepped forward to unclasped the ring.
The moment it released, she straightened her back, sitting upright on the bed while I stepped away. “That’s why I fainted earlier,” she began quietly.
Her gaze avoided mine, drifting across the room like she couldn’t bear to look directly at me.
“The doctor asked if there was any chance I might be pregnant.” She shrugged slightly. “So I took a test.”
My brain struggled to process each word.
“And it turns out… I am.”
I was a fully grown man and an intelligent one yet everything coming out of her mouth sounded like a foreign language.
“You’re on birth control,” I said immediately. “I know you were.”
Her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
“I was,” she said slowly. “But… how did you know that?”
I let out a sharp breath.
“Don’t pretend to be naive, Lila. You know I looked into your life before I....”
“Before you kidnapped me.”
The room fell silent as the word hung between us like a blade, “…Yes,” I admitted.
She pressed her lower lip between her teeth, shadows of uncertainty crossing her face but I needed answers. I needed clarity before my head split open from the chaos spinning inside it. “Lila,” I snapped. “What the hell happened?”
She exhaled slowly, “I was supposed to go in for my shot about a week before you took me.”
The words hit like a hammer to my chest.
“You should have told me.”
Her jaw tightened immediately, irritation flashing across her face.
“I’m sorry,” she said stiffly, “I was a little busy trying not to die to worry about birth control, Nico.”
That shut me up instantly and my heart slammed violently against my ribs.
She was pregnant with my child, cold dread slid through my veins.
We were standing in the middle of a brutal internal war. Damon was already pushing the family toward the brink of destruction, and now this, my mind spiraled.
“This isn’t happening,” I muttered, beginning to pace across the room.
“I’m afraid it is,” she said softly. “There were two pink lines.”
She paused before adding, “I took the test twice.”
My boots echoed heavily against the floor as I walked back and forth, my thoughts racing faster than I could control. “How far along are you?”
“I don’t know yet. The doctor is trying to arrange an ultrasound. After that we’ll know.”
I stopped pacing and stared at her, "Have you…?”
She understood my unfinished question immediately.
“No,” she said firmly, “Not since Nikolai . There hasn’t been anyone else.”
Her eyes locked onto mine, “Only you.”
A long string of curses left my mouth as my hands raked through my hair then another thought slammed into me.
“You drank champagne earlier,” I said sharply. “You knew you were pregnant.”
“I pretended,” she replied quickly. “I didn’t drink any of it.”
I lowered my head, pressing my hands against my hips as the weight of everything pressed down on me, Jesus Christ.
“You let me do all of this,” I said hoarsely.
My voice darkened.
“You let me tie you up, you let me whip you with my belt and you were pregnant the whole time.”
I looked at her, anger and disbelief mixing violently in my chest, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you stop me?”
My voice grew harsher, “And the tattoo.”
My mind struggled to keep up with everything crashing together, this was too much.
Lila lowered her gaze to the floor, shame flickering across her features, “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
I scoffed bitterly.
“That’s a weak excuse. It’s actually very simple. You open your mouth and say the words.”
Tears gathered in her eyes before slipping slowly down her cheeks.
“It isn’t simple, Nico,” she whispered. “Nothing about you or about us has ever been simple.”
Anger surged through me like fire and I crossed the room quickly, stopping in front of her, “You’re the one who insists on making everything complicated!”
She pushed herself up onto her knees, squaring her shoulders as she faced me head-on.
“Tell me something honestly,” I said quietly. “Did you keep this from me because you didn’t know how to tell me…”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Or because you weren’t sure whether you wanted this child at all?”
Fresh tears rolled down her face and her silence was answer enough, “Both,” she finally whispered.
I felt my jaw tighten but I stepped back from her, grabbing my pants from the floor and pulling them on while keeping my eyes locked on her.
“A few minutes ago,” I said coldly, “you told me you didn’t blame me for everything that happened.”
“I don’t,” she insisted quickly, shaking her head.
A humorless smile curved across my lips.
“If that’s true, then why would you question whether you want my child?”
“That’s not what I questioned!” she said, frustration rising in her voice.
She wiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks.
“I questioned whether you wanted this.”
I stilled and her voice softened.
“You never tell me anything, Nico. You expect me to understand everything on my own.”
I let out a harsh breath.
“Don’t twist things around. You knew exactly how I felt about you, you just didn’t want to admit it.”
“If you had lived through what I have,” she said quietly, “you would doubt everything too.”
Her eyes met mine., “You would question every word.”
For the last ten minutes I hadn’t been able to think clearly at all, without another word, I turned and walked toward the door.
I opened it, stepped outside, and slammed it shut behind me, the sound echoed down the hallway then I locked it.
Once again, I had locked Lila inside the bedroom but this time it wasn’t about punishment, It was about survival.