AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her brow furrows in confusion and her eyes dart around the room. “Why am I in the kitchen? I’m making pancakes, you lunatic! What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t mean here, in the kitchen,” I growl.
Her mouth drops open and her brow furrows even more. She takes a few breaths, still seeming confused.
I do not blame her. I’m feeling quite confused myself. My brothers have succeeded in jumbling my thoughts, planting unwanted seeds of doubt. I still can’t clarify if they are warranted or not. And the way my body is reacting to being so close to Kat after weeks of doing my best to avoid her is rather inconvenient. This is precisely why I kept my distance. I was not sure if I would be able to control myself around her. The very word has become elusive where this woman is concerned.
A growl works its way up my throat again and I release her, grabbing the back of my neck with both hands and taking a few steps back. Kat holds her hands to her chest, massaging the skin where I gripped her. Trepidation and something else I can’t name is in her expression.
She takes a shaky step back when I advance on her again. “Why did you come to me?” I ask. “Was this your plan all along? Did you sit with your father and hatch the idea to trap me with this pregnancy so I would be too busy with thoughts of a child, and you could gather the information he needs to overthrow us?” I do not mean for everything to come rushing out the way it does, but I can’t stop it. “Are you waiting until I grow attached to my unborn child so you can take that away from me too?” The words tumble out, and the doubts I’ve been having mix with the fear of what it could mean if it is indeed true.
The more I speak, the harder Kat’s expression grows. By the time I’m done, I’m breathing hard, and Kat’s face is twisted into a scowl.
In the blink of an eye, she rushes forward, pushing up on her toes so she can bring her face level with mine.
“You all but ignore me for weeks, and this is how you decide to break the silence? By accusing me of trapping you?” Kat jabs at my chest with a firm finger. “Might I remind you that you were the one who kidnapped me and forced me into a marriage I never wanted to begin with? You brought me to this house full of strangers where I’m more like a prisoner than anything else. So please, tell me how this benefits me?”
“Maybe this was your plan all along,” I counter. “To play the victim until you could gather enough information on us to take back to your father and buy your freedom.”
“And what information would that be? It’s quite a challenge to gather information that’s never shared. And pray tell, how would I get this information to my father when I’m watched like a hawk?” She flails her hands out to the sides. “When every time I turn around either you or one of your little minions is watching my every move. As much as it pains me to admit it, I think you might be giving me too much credit.”
“And what about the baby?” I grind out.
Her head snaps back. “What about the baby?”
“Was that also part of the plan?”
Kat is still for a beat before she lets out a bitter chuckle. “Do you honestly think I would plan to bind myself to a sadistic monster like you? That I would voluntarily give up any likelihood of a life I could call my own just so I could intertwine my fate with yours with a child?”
“You came to me for a way out. But you must have known I would never let you leave with my child. My blood.”
“I was worried you were going to tell me to get rid of the baby! The highest hope I had was that you would help me disappear if it meant you weren’t expected to be a part of the child’s life.” Kat wraps her arms around her slowly growing bump protectively. “How was I supposed to know who you were? You made sure not to share that information with me.”
“Surely you had to have some idea. Have you been living under a rock all your life?”
“A prison, actually, not unlike the one you have placed me in if I’m being honest,” she says with a sneer.
Her blatant answer catches me off guard. I’m struggling to find a balance between providing a comfortable sanctuary for my child and the woman carrying it, and keeping my guard up in case this is a ploy to overthrow us.
It is the very reason I should handle this like I would any other business deal, and not allow my feelings to interfere. Married or not, Kat and I are together for the benefit of the organization. There is no other reason. Even if I did love her—which I obviously do not—it would be irrelevant. Even if every time I see hurt, fear, or distrust in her eyes, it chips away a little bit more of my already crumbling resolve. I can’t deviate from the original plan, which is to use this to our advantage. I can’t comfort her for any reason. Even if that is exactly what I want to do. Even if through all the doubt and second-guessing her motives, it guts me whenever something I’ve done or said seems to hurt her.
And so, I walk away. Without a word, I turn and leave her standing in the kitchen, still wearing the bewilderment of our interaction.
Chapter 9 - Kat
After the brief explosion between the two of us yesterday, Theo has gone back to ignoring me. I’m not sure if I should be happy about the development or not. The seemingly constant flipping of his emotions, if one would call it that, has me reeling.
So, I try to continue the same routine I have since the day I got here, reading, making food—even though our chef Anya berates me every time—and having a daily dip in the pool.
There is one thing I still have not done, though. Something I have not allowed myself to think about for fear that it might make everything feel too real.
But I think it is about time that I start preparing for the baby. I need to find a space that could house the being that will soon be entering this world. I could easily put the cot in my room, as there is more than enough space. That is likely what will happen at first, but after a while, I would like to have a space that could grant me some distance from the reality of my life.
I have had a look at a few of the rooms on the second floor, most of them guest rooms or large sitting rooms, but all of them are still too close to Theo’s room. Not liking the idea of having a retreat only feet away from my captor, I head downstairs.
There is still one room I have not explored, one on the far-left side of the main floor. Most days the door is closed, so I have not thought much about what it could contain. But today, the door is slightly ajar. Curiosity gets the best of me, and after checking that the coast is clear, I quietly slip inside.
At first, I can’t quite put together what I am seeing. Artful shelves line the wall on one side of the room, and a large dark wood desk at the opposite side. A checkered rug covers most of the floor, and some artwork hangs strategically on the otherwise bare walls. It looks very much like an office. But that does not make any sense. Theo’s office is on the other side of the floor. I have seen him invite men and some of his minions into it many times over the last few weeks. It also happens to be the room he came storming out of two days ago when he accused me of trying to overthrow him.
