Page 199 of Marrying the Savage

The question is ordinary. It should be easy.

It’s not.

I think back. Wedding. Church. Damir. Elena’s clothes. Running. Club. Last night. The days before all of that blur together under stress, but then the date comes to me with a cold little click.

I tell her.

Dr. Morozova pauses. “How regular are your cycles?”

“Usually regular.”

She doesn’t react dramatically. She simply makes a note. “I will run a quick test along with the rest.”

My mouth goes dry. “Test?”

“Routine,” she says.

It’s not routine. Not the way she says it.

I sit on the examination bed while she takes blood and urine samples. My hands are cold. I keep looking at the door, expecting Damir to come back at any moment, but he doesn’t.

The doctor returns after a few minutes with a different expression.

“Sofia,” she says.

I already know before she says it.

Maybe my body knows first. Maybe some part of me had known since the question about my period and had simply refused to stand near the thought.

“You’re pregnant,” she says.

My hand goes to my abdomen before I can stop it.

Pregnant. The word doesn’t fit anywhere.

“That’s not possible,” I say.

Dr. Morozova’s face softens slightly. “The test is positive. We will confirm with blood work and an ultrasound when appropriate, but the initial result is clear.”

I stare at her. “How far?”

“Very early. We will estimate more accurately after blood levels and dates.”

Very early.

My body goes hot, then cold.

I’m pregnant. With Damir’s child.

The door opens.

I jerk my hand away from my stomach.

Mikhail steps in, then stops when he sees the doctor’s face and mine. His expression becomes carefully blank. “Sorry,” he says. “Damir had to leave for an urgent matter.”

I stare at him.

“He asked me to stay close,” Mikhail continues. “He would not have left otherwise.”