Chapter 104 The weight of choices

Chapter 104 The weight of choices
CHAPTER 104: The weight of choices

Vera

Pain.

The first thing I noticed after I stirred wasn’t the light, it was the pain. It came in sharp, white-hot shards that made every breath I drew feel like I was inhaling jagged broken glass. My body felt as though it had been pulverized, a heavy, throbbing ache radiating from my face down to my ribs, even to my very marrow.

I forced my eyes open and immediately regretted it when the sterile, blinding whiteness of the room made my head spin.

A hospital. I was in a hospital.

It took half a second for the memory to hit me like a physical blow to the chest. Immediately, my eyes flew open and my senses sharpened.

“No,” I gasped, my voice a broken rasp. I ignored the pain in my side and clawed at the white sheets, my hands shaking feverishly as I reached for my stomach. “No, no, please no…”

“The baby is still alive.”

The voice came from the shadows in the corner of the large room.

Low and steady but more than enough to slice through my hysteria.

I froze, my fingers still clutching the hospital gown over my womb. I turned my head slowly, wincing as a spike of pain shot through my jaw.

Silas was sitting there. Before him was an open laptop on his lap, and he looked impossibly composed. He had obviously just showered. His hair was still damp, and he wore fresh clothes that smelled of that familiar scent of sandalwood, cedar and expensive soap.

I had a haunting sense of déjà vu. It was almost identical to the second time we had met, when he announced my pregnancy to me after I passed out. It was a dark reflection of the very first time I had woken up to find him watching me.

“My baby…is alive?” I whispered, a single, hot tear sliding down my cheek. “Silas, tell me he's okay,” I whispered, needing extra assurance that he was telling me the truth.

He closed the laptop with a sharp click and stood, his presence expanding until he seemed to swallow the very air in the room.

He walked toward the bed, his face a mask of restrained, lethal intensity. I held my breath.

“He is alive,” he said, his gaze dropping to my hands on my stomach before snapping back to mine.

Suddenly I could breathe again. Tears of joy and relief flooded my eyes and rolled down my face. My baby was safe.

“But don't mistake that for safety,” he added grimly, almost as if he could read my mind.

My heart dropped to my stomach and my throat dried up. “What do you mean?” I whispered in a frightened voice. “You just said—”

“You suffered a placental abruption,” he cut in. “The trauma from the blows was significant. Do you understand what that means?”

I shook my head, more tears sliding down my face, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I–I don't... I don't understand. I just want him to be safe.”

His jaw tightened.

“It means the pregnancy is now critically high-risk,” he said, his voice dropping into a hard, clinical register.

I froze. “What?”

“The doctor was very clear. From this second until that child is born, you are on absolute, total bedrest.”

“What do I have to do?” I asked in a shaky voice, my hands protectively wrapped over my stomach.

“You do not get up. As soon as you're discharged and home—you do not stress. You do not leave the bed for any reason.”

My heart splintered in many painful pieces. My child was currently fighting to stay alive because of that demon. He was still causing me pain. And this time, it wasn't just me. Even my innocent baby.

“I'll do it,” I said instantly, my voice gaining a desperate strength. “I'd do whatever is necessary. I promise.”

Silas didn't reply to me, but there was an obvious relief that crossed his features.

But as I looked at him, the weight of my own choices began to crush me. I had lied to him once again about my whereabouts to sneak out to that townhouse, and now my innocent baby was paying the price. I don't know how he was able to find me, but neither I nor my baby would be here at the moment if not for him. I was awash with shame and guilt.

“Silas, please... I’m so sorry,” I choked out, reaching a trembling hand toward him. “I’m sorry that I lied to you,” my voice shook, “I didn't mean to deceive you… or put the baby in danger. I—”

“Stop.” The word was a frigid blade, cutting through my explanation before I could even finish. He hadn't moved from his spot beside the bed, but the air in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. “I do not want your excuses, Vera. I don't want to hear about what you ‘thought’ or why you chose to lie to me.”

I wasn't ready to tell him what else Damien was holding over me. Not now that he wasn't so disgusted and incensed by the sight of me. Not when we were almost beginning to find some sort of balance.

He would hate me.

“But I was just trying to—”

“I said stop,” he growled.

He leaned over the guardrail of the bed until his eyes were inches from mine. They were burning with a rage that made my blood turn to shards of ice. “Believe me, I'm trying so hard to be calm right now. You lied to me, and I’m not interested in your reasons.”

“I know. But—”

“My patience is dead, Vera.” He paused briefly. “My priority right now is the life inside you. That child.” He gripped the rail tightly, his knuckles turning white. “I want your compliance. Nothing else. You will focus on that child, and you will do exactly as you are told. Is that clear?”

I flinched, nodding quickly as I pulled my hand back. He cared about the baby. I could see the sincerity in his eyes, and it touched something inside me.

I took a shaky breath, my mind racing back to the monster who had done this.

What if he returned to finish what he started?

“What about—Where is he?” I whispered, my voice trembling with the one fear I couldn't shake. “What happened to Damien?”

Silas
straightened his posture, his jaw locking so tight I thought it might snap.

“He got away.”