Ashes (Web of Desire #3) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,78

the compound. To me, its record was my daughter’s age. Ruby would be two years old at the end of the month, and even though I no longer stayed in the room attached to her nursery, I did my best to spend time with her every day.

The suite where I now resided was much larger than the room I’d once called my own. Much like an apartment, we had multiple attached rooms. Sometimes I thought it would be nice to move Ruby into one, and then something would happen and a loud late-night debate would occur in the sitting room or Andros’s private office. Those instances reminded me that keeping her in the other wing was best for her.

Lately, it had been more difficult to spend time with my daughter. As with Ruby’s first trimester, I was also plagued with severe morning sickness with this pregnancy.

Displaying positive emotions, or truly anything that wasn’t anger or indifference, wasn’t Andros’s forte—with one exception. The day Dr. Kotov confirmed my pregnancy was the happiest I’d ever seen the leader of the Ivanov bratva. From that day until today, I’d been pampered beyond measure.

It was difficult not to compare pregnancies; however, experiencing Andros’s joy made me constantly wonder how Patrick would have reacted if I’d simply told him instead of waiting for Kristine’s friend to confirm the pregnancy.

As it happened, I wasn’t the one who told Andros.

I had been given the confirmation by Dr. Kotov and was waiting for Andros to come back to our suite. I never knew if he would or not. Some evenings he arrived for dinner and others he didn’t. There were days that carried on into a week or more where he’d never show, not only missing dinner but being absent from our suite altogether. During those times, I believed he left the compound, perhaps traveling to other cities, states, or even countries. Truly, there was no way for me to confirm his whereabouts.

I wasn’t to question but to simply be present when he summoned.

Andros had provided me with a cell phone, but in no uncertain terms, I’d been instructed, was I to call him unless it was an emergency. Wondering if I would dine alone didn’t qualify.

The afternoon after my appointment with Dr. Kotov, I’d succumbed to the immense exhaustion that had been afflicting me, now realizing it wasn’t only me but because of a new baby inside me. When I awoke, after a day of rain, the spring sky had cleared, giving way to a beautiful red and orange sunset. For a few minutes, I stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

When I did, I always scoured the opposite corner of our safe outdoor haven for my daughter. That was where her room was as well as Irina’s. Sometimes, I’d catch sight of them walking amongst the pathways. I wrapped my arms around my torso with a shiver. Though the sun had come out, the temperature hadn’t risen much. Michigan winters, like Chicago ones, had a way of holding on.

Going back into the suite with the knowledge that dinner would be soon, I decided to do what I often did. Shedding my afternoon clothes, I turned on the warm water for a quick shower, simply to freshen up. Wearing a long silk robe, cleaned, lotioned, and with refreshed mascara and light lip gloss, I had begun to brush out my hair when a loud noise startled me, echoing throughout the suite.

The double doors to the suite banged against the walls as Andros’s voice boomed. “Madeline.”

There was something in his voice that I didn’t recognize. My mind always went to the worst case.

Was he upset?

Was there trouble taking him out of town?

Had I done something I shouldn’t?

While I didn’t consider myself abused—does anyone?—Andros was quick to react. I’d been the recipient of his wrath in the form of a slap or a belt more times than I cared to recall. Truthfully, I blocked each incident away. But now there was a child inside me.

Squaring my shoulders and placing the hairbrush upon the vanity, I made the decision to wait until I knew his state of mind before telling him the news Dr. Kotov had shared with me earlier.

Wrapping the robe around me, I opened the bathroom door and called, “I’m in here.” I stepped through the bedroom.

In four, maybe five, strides he was before me. Andros wasn’t alone as we met at the doorway between the bedroom and sitting room. Adrik and Sasha were a step behind.